Back where it belongs
Two-day race event returns to familiar Victoria Day weekend
The Blue Nose Marathon returns to its familiar time and place.
For its first 15 years, the largest annual race weekend in Atlantic Canada was held over the Victoria Day long weekend. But the 2019 event was pushed back three weeks to early June because the Memorial Cup was held at the Scotiabank Centre in May that year. COVID-19 cancelled the 2020 race and forced last year’s Blue Nose to November.
The Blue Nose returns this weekend and, for the first time in four years, marathoners will cross the Macdonald Bridge and run through the streets of Dartmouth.
“It’s been a long four years,” said Sherri Robbins, the event’s executive director. “Of course, we thought we’d be back there in 2020 and here it is 2022.
“It was always known to be on Victoria Day weekend. I think people planned around it. It kicks off the race season. We’re one of the first races to occur and the largest one in Atlantic Canada. When we get into January, having that race in May keeps us motivated to be active throughout the winter. There are a lot of reasons to like being in Victoria Day weekend.
“We’ve tried June and November was successful for us but there are so many events in the fall, it makes for a crowded landscape. It’s nice to be back where people know and expect us to be. And to be back in Dartmouth and provide that experience of running the bridge, it’s quite spectacular.”
About 6,000 participants have registered for the weekend’s events, which include the Lifemark 5K and the Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run on Saturday; the Goodlife Fitness 10K, Medavie Blue Cross half marathon, the Killam marathon team relay and the Royal Lepage Atlantic full marathon on Sunday and the Virtual Run.
That’s about 1,500 more runners than the rescheduled event in November but a far cry from the PRE-COVID numbers. The 10th annual race in 2013 set the standard with 14,000 participants. Nearly 10,000 competed in 2019.
“It’s below the 2019 numbers, which is what we’ve been measuring it against,” Robbins said. “It’s up from the November event in 2021 but it is still below what we consider to be PRE-COVID numbers.
“But we’re very pleased with those numbers given everything that has gone on in the past two years.
“We’re hearing that about races across the country and around the world. We are still dealing with the pandemic and it’s still impacting our registration numbers. But the weather is on our side, it looks good so that always helps with registration. It’s been trending really strong the past couple of weeks.”
Dennis Mbelenzi, who easily won the 2021 men’s marathon with a personal-best time of 2:29:12, about two minutes shy of the course record, won’t be back to defend his title.
Mbelenzi, who earlier this spring captured the Toronto Marathon, had already committed to compete in next weekend’s Bermuda Half Marathon Derby.
“I had lived and worked in Bermuda for about 10 years before relocating to Nova Scotia,” the Kenyan-born runner, who has lived in Halifax for nearly four years, said in a text message. “My friends and work colleagues in Bermuda requested me to participate in that race. It’s a very famous race in the Bermuda athletics calendar so I am trying to keep myself fresh for that.
“It (was) a hard decision. A part of me wants to come to (the Blue Nose) and go easy for 35-36K then race that last few (kilometres) but that would not be fair to the fans and fellow competitors.”
A busy track schedule will keep Abby Lewis, the 15-yearold from Beaver Bank who has won the last three 5K events, from competing this weekend too.
While registration numbers may be down, Robbins is confident the event will get back to where they were before the pandemic.
“It’s going to take us some time,” she said. “There’s some consumer confidence that needs to be rebuilt. People are still concerned about being out and being a part of an event. We thought it might come a little bit quicker. We know we can put on these events safely. But not everyone is aware of that. They need to see that and feel comfortable.
“It’ll come along slowly but I think over the next couple of years we will be able to get back to those numbers.”
With daily COVID case averages still in the hundreds in Nova Scotia, Robbins said “there’s still an apprehension” of gathering in large crowds, like runners at a start line.
“We were told for two years to not be around people, so they’re not going to come back overnight,” Robbins said. “It might not be at their comfort level.
“We had participants sign up and ask if we will require proof of vaccination. No, we don’t. But there are ways to stay safe. We are recommending that people wear masks at the start line. This is the area that’s most congested where the greatest risk would occur. But as the race starts, people spread out and go around each other and the risk is significantly reduced. And it’s reduced by the fact that we’re outside.
“But I completely understand their apprehension. That’s why we have the virtual option because people may not be comfortable.”