The 2019 Marathon by the Sea takes place in Saint John on August 10 and 11. (Submitted/Marathon by the Sea)
Saint John was overrun with people participating in the Marathon By The Sea.
The annual weekend of races includes a 10k, 5k, half and full marathon, which qualifies runners for the Boston Marathon next spring.
Shane Stewart, a runner from Oromocto, was first across the line, followed by Saint Johner Trevor Funk.
Organizer Christy Cunningham says despite bad weather in the forecast, race day was beautiful and sunny.
“It was sunny, there was a cruise ship in, the community was out on the streets this year cheering people on, they said more than in previous years, so we really appreciate that. It really does add to the experience for the runners. Overall just really positive vibes, it was a great day,” she said in an interview.
Cunningham says numbers were lower than expected this year. Only 1,200 people ran in the races Sunday, down from around 1,500 who registered.
She explains some people just didn’t show up, something that typically doesn’t happen.
“Maybe it was weather, because some people thought it was raining in town on Saturday night, and it didn’t,” she said.
But, she says, that didn’t stop the community from attending.
“Each of the events, even though there were fewer of them, which also accounts for the lower numbers this year over previous years, were really good events and really well attended, and we’ve received a lot of really positive feedback. I think it was just a really great community event,” she said.
Cunningham says the Marathon was at risk of being cancelled last year due to a lack of funds and volunteers.
“We decided last year, we had a talk, and to grow, we decided we should shrink the event, which sounds ironic, but it gave us the opportunity to be more focused on each of the events instead of being spread thin,” she said.
In the past, races ran on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This year, there were no events on Friday, in an attempt to scale back.
Low numbers aren’t stopping the team behind the Marathon from calling this year a “success”, as they jump right into planning for next year.
“It might look a little different next year, or it might look the same because, like I said, it did go well. We’ll decide those things in the next couple weeks and keep all our participants and followers posted on that,” she said.
Cunningham says the route and scope of the marathon will likely never be altered, as the difficulty and length is what makes the race a Boston Marathon qualifier.
