Marathon of Respect and Equality sets out today
One of Pictou County’s most renowned athletes will help lead the way for the Marathon of Respect and Equality this year.
Dave MacLennan, a Scotsburn resident and marathon runner who has won 11 Johnny Miles Running events, will co-chair the MORE Run with fellow honorary chair Henderson Paris on Thursday morning.
MORE 2018 will focus on celebrating the uniqueness of each person and encourages everyone to be confident of their own inherent worth and value.
Twenty-nine years ago, in response to a very personal encounter with racism, Paris decided to educate and raise awareness about the blight of racism by completing a 38-mile ultra-marathon which took him to every community in Pictou County.
In 1989, Henderson and his team continued their Run Against Racism and when he announced it would be ending, Diane and Peter White took over organizing the event, renamed it the Marathon of Respect and Equality, with Paris as an honorary chair.
MORE incorporated the old Run Against Racism logo, which everyone recognized and which Paris allowed the committee to co-opt, with the new acronym MO-R-E.
It is a continuation of Paris’s work in his original Run Against Racism and its purposes are to end racial discrimination and to promote respect and equality for whoever is in any way marginalized or disrespected in our society.
MORE is inclusive and noncompetitive in keeping with Henderson’s slogan, “Together we can make a difference.” The organizing committee encourages all events and activities associated with MORE to be welcoming, collegial and co-operative in nature. The run schedule includes: 7:50 a.m. Runners meet at the Pictou tourism centre.
8:25 a.m. Run arrives in downtown Pictou for rally
9:15 a.m. Run arrives at Walter Duggan Elementary School in Westville
10:30 a.m. Run arrives at NSCC Pictou Campus gym for Stellarton rally
11:40 a.m. Run arrives New Glasgow Academy for New Glasgow rally.
12:45 p.m. Run arrives on Pictou Landing for rally
1:45 p.m. Run arrives at Trenton Elementary School for Trenton rally.
3:20 p.m. Run ends at NNEC with reception at the NNEC Theatre/multi-purpose room.
The public is welcome to attend any of the rallies. All times are tentative and subject to change due to weather, etc.