Thousands of runners of all ages, backgrounds and fitness levels made their presence known throughout the streets of Halifax over the weekend. The Blue Nose Marathon, also dubbed the people’s marathon, is an annual citywide activity consisting of six running events taking place during the Victoria Day weekend.
Sunday’s races began as runners set their mark near the Emera Oval on Cogswell Street in Halifax and headed toward Dartmouth, before returning back to the outdoor skating rink area to complete the loop.
Jacob Benoit, who finished first in the Goodlife Fitness 10-kilometre run, said the run was a lot of fun despite the windy conditions on Sunday morning.
“I wasn’t expecting a first-place finish, I was hoping to get anywhere under 34 minutes,” he said, mentioning that he ran alongside his sister. “Things worked out for both of us, so we have a cool story to tell.”
He said it was amazing to see such a large turnout of supporters cheering on the athletes throughout the race. Eileen Benoit, who ran alongside her brother Jacob, said the route was a little more hilly than she expected, but said it was nice to hop back into her first road race since the COVID-19 pandemic put things on pause.
She said although her plan was to relax for the first half of the run to preserve energy, her excitement might’ve gotten the best of her. “I paid for it a little bit on the second half, going back into the wind, and up the hills on the bridge,” she said.
