Half-marathon attracts more than 2,000 runners
Sunday’s soggy weather did little to dampen the spirits of the runners who participated in the Niagara Falls Women’s Half Marathon.
“I’d rather not run in the rain but the temperature was just right,” said Erica Palmer, from Cincinnati, Ohio.
Palmer was among a group of 30 women who are members of Black Girls Run, a U.S. running club created in 2009 to encourage African American women to make fitness and healthy living a priority, participated in the event.
“It’s awesome,” she said of the 21.1-kilometre route. “You get to run by the falls and it’s just beautiful.”
More than 2,000 women participated in the half-marathon which wound its way along the Niagara River Parkway and passed the Horseshoe Falls twice before finishing at the Upper Rapids Boulevard parking lot.
“The weather right now is perfect,” said race director Ross Robinson. “There’s no wind, which is great, and it’s not dry or hot.”
The sixth annual event attracted runners from 10 provinces, 34 states and seven countries including Brazil, Venezuela and Kuwait.
Michelle Spencer, of Guelph, had the fastest time of 1:30:01.
“To see all these women, they’re so empowered and everyone is cheering each other on,” she said, “It was so inspiring.”
Running legend Kathrine Switzer, who has assisted with the event for a number of years, returned once again congratulate each runner as they crossed the finish line.
Fifty years ago, she became the first woman to officially enter the Boston Marathon. At the time it was considered a men’s-only race.
Switzer, now 70, recently celebrated the anniversary of that milestone by competing in this year’s Boston Marathon. She was joined on Sunday by Julianne Miszk, an 18-yearold runner from Niagara Falls who is battling cancer.
The Niagara Falls half-marathon supported two charities, Heartland Forest and the Canadian Diabetes Association.