pei marathon 15th anniversary edition - the guardian · 2018. 10. 9. · october 12th-14th, 2018...

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October 12th-14th, 2018

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PEI Marathon 15th Anniversary Edition

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

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Please note that the Healthy Lifestyle Expo & Registration will be held in our “NEW” Headquarters Location at the Delta Prince Edward Hotel, 18 Queen St, Charlottetown

2 OCTOBER 2018 THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 12

12:00 PM – 6:00 PM PEI Marathon Healthy Lifestyle Expo @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

12:00 PM – 6:00 PM Race Kit Pick Up @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

12:00 PM – 6:00 PM On-Site Registration @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13

9:00 AM – 7:00 PM Marathon Expo @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

9:00 AM – 7:00 PM Race Kit Pick Up @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

9:00 AM – 7:00 PM On-Site Registration @ DELTA PRINCE EDWARD

9:30 AMRunning Room 3K Friendship Run @ RUNNING ROOM CHARLOTTETOWN

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM Kids Fox Trot presented by Sobeys Extra and � e Guardian, “On-Site Registration” @ ALUMNI CANADA GAMES PLACE, UPEI

10:45 AM – 11:00 AM Kids Fox Trot presented by Sobeys Extra and � e Guardian “warm up” with Ocean 100’s Kirk MacKinnon

11:00 AMFirst heat, kids ages 6 – 14, 2 laps

11:15 AMSecond heat, kids ages 5 and under, 1 lap

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 14

* Please note the NEW start times for the Half Marathon, 10k, 5k and Wheelchair events*

7:00 AM Buses for the Grant � ornton Full Marathon Depart for National Park Start Line, Confederation Center Queen St Entrance

7:00 AM Buses for Subaru of Charlottetown Corporate Relay (1st leg) Depart for Brackley Beach, PEI National Park Start Line, Confederation Center Entrance Queen St

8:00 AMGrant � ornton Full Marathon, Brackley Beach, PEI National Park

8:00 AMSubaru of Charlottetown Corporate/Team Relay (1st Leg) Brackley Beach, PEI National Park

9:00 AMDairy Farmers of Canada Half Marathon Run, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:00 AMBell Let’s Talk Half Marathon Walk for Mental Health, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:10 AMPursuit 10K Run, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:10 AMBell Let’s Talk 10K Walk for Mental Health, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:20 AMGoodlife Fitness 5K Run, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:20 AMBell Let’s Talk 5K Walk for Mental Health, Corner of Queen & Grafton St

9:30 AMSpinal Cord Injury PEI 2K Wheelchair, NEW Start line at Corner of Queen & Grafton St

10:45 AM – 2:15 PM Participant Massage presented by Downtown Charlottetown Inc, � e Mack, Corner of Great George and Grafton St

2:30 PMPEI Marathon Awards Ceremony presented by Murphy Hospitality Group, � e Mack, Corner of Great George and Grafton St

P.E.I. Marathon Weekend Event Schedule

9:00 AM

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Thanks to our Amazing Partners

3THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA OCTOBER 2018

I welcome all participants to the 15th anniversary of the Prince Edward Island Marathon (P.E.I. Marathon) tak-ing place October 12-14. � ank you for choosing to celebrate with us.

P.E.I. has had a strong running his-tory going back many, many years. As Race Director, looking back over the past 14 years, I think how fortunate we are to have such strong support in help-ing to grow this wonderful P.E.I. Mara-thon weekend.

� ank you to the event’s board, dir-ectors, manager, committee, sponsors and 300+ volunteers that help to pull o� this massive weekend. We could not do this without you!

Some marathon weekend highlights from over the past 14 years include:

• � e P.E.I. Marathon is a Boston Quali� er and in 2016 was voted one of the “Top 5 Boston quali� ers in Canada.”

• It has achieved continuous growth each year, reaching 2,361 partici-pants in 2017.

• � e Marathon’s goal has always been to make the weekend a family friendly event and has grown to include 10 running, walking and wheeling categories – “Something for Everyone!”

• � e P.E.I. Marathon is the second largest marathon in Atlantic Can-ada and has attracted more than 27,000 participants in the various event categories since 2004.

• • More than 640 P.E.I. Marathon participants have quali� ed for the Boston Marathon.

• • More than 4,600 volunteers helped to ensure Marathon Week-end runs smoothly.

• • � e event has consistently at-tracted participants from every Province in Canada, the USA, and internationally to P.E.I. each year.

• In 2017, we partnered with Can-adian Mental Health – P.E.I. Div-ision to raise awareness of the rela-tionship of being active and having a healthy mindset.

• We are very proud of our popular free kids event the “Kids Fox Trot” attracting more than 500 kids each year

• Creation of a youth rate to help get more youth active.

• � e Marathon presented a new race in 2016, � e Georgetown 5K and 10K.

• � rough various programs the P.E.I. Marathon has helped local or-ganizations and teams raise more than $100,000 to date.

On behalf of the entire P.E.I. Mara-thon team, we wish all participants a fun and safe weekend!

Many thanks,Myrtle Jenkins-SmithRace Director, PEI Marathon

Welcome to the P.E.I. Marathon

MYRTLE JENKINS-SMITH

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On behalf of council and the City of Charlottetown,I’d like to thank the PEI Marathon organizers andvolunteers for their dedication to the event for the past15 years. Events of this magnitude couldn’t happenwithout the people working behind the scenes. We areproud to be the host city for this event and wish youcontinued success this year and into the future.BBBeeesssttt ooofff llluuuccckkk tttooo aaallllll ooofff the participants!

Mayor Clifford LeeCity of Charlottetown

www.charlottetown.ca

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A legacy of racingBY HEATHER LAURA CLARKE

Sixteen years ago, Myrtle Jenkins-Smith was considering the idea of a marathon weekend on P.E.I. – which had hosted lots of Saturday-morning marathons, but never a full weekend of events.

“Every other province in Canada had a full race weekend, so we wanted to try doing the same thing,” says Jenkins-Smith, who remains at the helm as Race Director. “�at �rst year, we had 173 runners which felt like a huge success considering it was brand new.”

By last year, the P.E.I. Marathon was up to 2,375 runners organized into 10 di�erent categories.

“Our goal from the very beginning was to o�er an inclusive weekend – some-thing for the entire family,” says Jenkins-Smith. “So we have the full marathon, the half marathon (running or walking), the 10K and the 5K (running or walk-

ing), the Corporate relay, the kids’ event and the wheelchair event.”

�e P.E.I. Marathon is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and Jenkins-Smith says last year’s visiting runners came from every province in Canada, 18 di�erent U.S. states, Mexico, Japan and Australia – giving the province a huge tourism boost during the slower shoul-der season.

Part of the reason it’s so popular is that the P.E.I. Marathon has been a qualifying race for the Boston Marathon since its second year. Jenkins-Smith says runners come from all over the world for the relatively �at course and comfortable autumn weather.

“Being a Boston quali�er has opened a lot of doors to people coming from away,” says Jenkins-Smith. “We’ve been voted one of the Top 5 Boston Quali�ers in Canada, which is not an easy thing for us to have achieved!”

To celebrate 15 years of the P.E.I.

Marathon, they started giving away a weekly prize 15 weeks before the big weekend. During the �nal race day, Jen-kins-Smith says they’ll be giving away $1,500 cash.

Even though the 15th P.E.I. Marathon has yet to begin o�cially, Jenkins-Smith says she and the other organizers are already well into preparations for Year 16. �ey’re adding another category which they’ll be announcing around Christmas.

She says they’re so fortunate to have a great management team and sup-portive sponsors, as well as a team of more than 300 loyal volunteers – many of whom have been there since the be-ginning.

Although this is the 15th year for the P.E.I. Marathon, it’s by no means the 15th year of marathon running on Prince Edward Island.

�e PEI Roadrunners Club has been operating since the ’70s and organized its �rst marathon in 1979.

�eir long-running annual events in-

clude the Wally Rodd 5K and 10K, the Fulton Campbell half marathon, the Desmond Baglole 15K, the Freeze Your Gizzard half marathon (held every Feb-ruary), the Bunny Hop 5K and 10K, the Dunk River 11.6K and the Harvest Fes-tival 25K – which has been running for 45 years.

Kevin McCarville, president of the PEI Roadrunners Club, says they don’t organize races per se, rather they pro-vide support to the individual race directors. �is year they’re overseeing more than 70 race events, and the club averages 250 members annually.

McCarville says the Roadrunners’ website lists all of the races and posts the results – including name, age, time and pace.

“One of our members, Janet Bain, stands at the �nish line and takes photos of every �nisher and puts the photos on the website,” says Mc-Carville. “�ere are tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of pictures of tired, happy, wet, cold, hot and sore runners on the site – mostly tired and happy.”

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www.DiscoverCharlottetown.com

GOOD LUCK!

WELCOME TO

Charlo�etown!

Share your marathon memories at #DiscoverCharlottetown

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BY HEATHER LAURA CLARKE

Even if it’s your � rst time visiting P.E.I., there’s some stu� you’ve already � gured out.

You know the local potatoes, the sea-food and the COWS ice cream is all go-ing to be delicious. You know the people are going to be super friendly. You know you’re going to have MANY opportun-ities to drink raspberry cordial and buy Anne of Green Gables souvenirs.

But you likely don’t know it all ... at least not yet. So from pasta dinner hot-spots and the limited-edition racing token you’re going to want to buy, here are � ve things you might not know about P.E.I. Marathon weekend ...

1. You don’t have to run the whole mara-thon yourself.

Race director Myrtle Jenkins-Smith says there’s space for 50 corporate teams who work together to complete the marathon, relay-style. But you don’t need co-workers to be on board for it!

“A corporate team can be made up of eight people who work together, or just eight friends,” says Jenkins-Smith. “You might not be able to run a whole mara-thon by yourself, but if your section is just 7.2km or 2.7km, it’s achievable.”

She says it’s “a wonderful morale booster” for a group, and everyone is treated just like all other participants -- shirts, medals, the works. Pretty cool to be able to wear a marathon medal with-out having run the whole thing, right?

2. There’s something for everyone.Whether you walk, run or roll, there’s

a race for you -- no matter what your age or athletic ability.

Youngsters under � ve have a race all of their own, and so do kids up to age 14. If you sign up early online (http://pei-marathon.ca/free-kids-run) your child is guaranteed a goodie bag, racing bib, T-shirt and a medal at the end.

Runners aged 14-16 can run the half marathon (with parental consent) and 16- and 17-year-olds can run the full marathon (with parental consent). � ere’s a special youth rate this year, too.

� is year the free wheelchair event has been extended to a 2K because participants requested a longer route. � ey’ll start at the corner of Queen and Grafton – the same start line as the half

marathon – and follow a 2km looped course through downtown Charlotte-town to the marathon � nish line.

Just be sure to check the schedule closely. Marathon manager Jennifer Hanus says they’ve decided to stagger some of the start times this year, so the half marathon will start at 9 a.m., the 10K will start at 9:10 a.m., the 5K will start at 9:20 a.m. and the wheelchair event will start at 9:30 a.m.

3. There’s a custom medal rack for sale.� e Healthy Living Expo at the Delta

Prince Edward will include vendors to help people discover new ways to main-tain or begin a healthy, active lifestyle. It runs Friday (Oct. 12) from noon to 6 p.m. and Saturday (Oct. 13) from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

One of the biggest requests from run-ners during previous years was to have a vendor selling racks to hang racing medals, so there will be a custom metal P.E.I. Marathon rack available for sale – with � ve per cent of the pro� ts bene� t-ing the Canadian Mental Health Asso-ciation of Prince Edward Island.

4. You can save $$$ in lots of unexpected places.

Most racers like to enjoy a big pasta dinner the night before their race, and Hanus says now it’s going to be eas-ier than ever to tuck into a great meal thanks to their ReCharge, ReFuel, Re-Ward program.

“You can go to di� erent restaurants around town, show your race bib and get 10-15 per cent o� signature pasta dishes all weekend long,” says Hanus.

Participating restaurants include Water’s Edge, Redwater Rustic Grille, � e Gahan House, Sims Corner Steak-house & Oyster Bar, Merchant Man, � e Brickhouse, Boston Pizza, Hunter’s Ale House and � e Factory.

� e ReCharge, ReFuel, ReWard pro-gram also includes a racer discount at participating shops and accommoda-tions, including the Holman Grand Ho-tel, � e Delta Prince Edward, Fairholm Properties, � e Holiday Inn Express and � e Hotel on Pownal.

5. The weather is a question mark.Be prepared for any kind of weather

because Jennifer Hanus says “you just never know” what mid-October might bring.

“It could be warm and sunny and in the 20s, or it could be raining and sleet-ing and hailing – or all of that in the same day,” says Hanus. “If it’s a cold day, a lot of runners like to dress in layers

and discard items along the route as they heat up. Just make sure it’s some-thing you don’t particularly want back!” All items along the route will be dis-carded.


5 things you need to know about the P.E.I. Marathon

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Congratulations to the PEI Marathon on your 15th Anniversary!

To all the runners – It is never easy for anyone to step out of their comfort zone and take such a challenge which requires commitment and perseverance. There is nothing more exciting than accomplishing a goal that you set for yourself and at the same time inspiring others around you.

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A crowd of very excited racers will be giggling and bouncing around as they prepare to race in front of hun-dreds of spectators. This is their time to shine, and there’s even chocolate milk waiting for them at the finish line.

Kirk MacDonald, director of mar-keting and sponsorship with the P.E.I. Marathon, says the annual kids’ race is the organizers’ “favourite event of the whole weekend.”

“As with anything, you want to start them early and get them excited about staying active,” says MacDonald. “Get-ting a child interested in running means they might get involved with track in junior high or high school. It’s something they can enjoy for years.”

Between 500 and 600 kids run the

free race each year, which takes place on the track of the UPEI Alumni Can-ada Games Place.

Although the run is in its 14th year, it recently got a brand-new name. P.EI. Marathon organizers invited children to suggest a new name for the youth race – formerly called the Spud Run – and even design a new logo.

Two winners were selected, and now the youth run will be known as the Kids’

Fox Trot. There’s also an adorable fox-themed logo to go with it.

“We wanted to let the kids choose since it’s their race,” says MacDonald. “It was nice to get the community in-volved and have some fun with it.”

The race is free for kids up to age 14, and the first 500 kids who register will

receive an official race bib, a goodie bag, a T-shirt and a medal. Everyone will get to enjoy a nice cold chocolate milk after their race.

Kids can register online in advance and pick up their shirt on Friday (Oct. 12) between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. at the Delta Prince Edward. Or they can register at the Alumni Canada Games Place, UPEI on Saturday morning (Oct. 13) from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and pick up their shirt then.

There’s a fun warm-up for everyone with Kirk MacKinnon from Ocean 100 (100.3FM) at 10:45 a.m. The race is divided into two heats to help keep it safe for all. Kids aged 6-14 will start at 11 a.m. and run two laps. Kids five and under will start at 11:15 a.m. and run a single lap, while accompanied by an adult.

We encourages parents to sign up their children online in the days lead-

ing up to the race so they have the best chance of getting the right T-shirt size.

If your child feels ready for a longer race, MacDonald says there’s a brand-new option this year to sign them up for either the 5K or 10K at a reduced youth rate of $25 for the 5K and $35 for the 10K. He says the youth rate is open to anyone under 17, but runners under 12 must be running with an adult.

“It’s a great next step for older kids who are really getting interested in running and want to see what they can do,” says MacDonald.

Introducing the Kids’ Fox TrotLet’s hear it for the kids!6 OCTOBER 2018 THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA

IF YOU GOWHAT: Free Kids’ Fox TrotWHEN: Saturday, Oct. 13 at 11:00am (warm up starts at 10:45am)WHERE: UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place COST: Free!

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Proud supporter of the PEI Marathon for 15 years

www.caseleys.com(902) 836-51891633 Blueshank Rd.Kensington

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David Boyce needs to run the half marathon in one hour and 55 minutes. If he can run it faster than that, well, too bad. He’ll need to slow himself down.

Boyce has been running the P.E.I. half marathon as a Pace Bunny for the last few years, which means he volunteers to �nish within a speci�c amount of time so other racers can use him as a guide.

“People who have a goal of �nishing in just under two hours will use me as a gauge of how they’re doing,” says Boyce, who lives in Poverty Beach, P.E.I. “It’s my objective to try to run every kilometer the same as the one before, so I’ll be averaging �ve minutes and 27 seconds for each.”

It might sound stressful to have other racers relying on you to hit a precise �n-ishing time, but Boyce says he actually �nds running as a Pace Bunny comes with less pressure than if he was running solo.

“If I was running by myself, I’d be ra-cing myself and have expectations and

di�erent goals I’d like to hit -- an A goal, a B goal if such-and-such happens, and a C goal just to �nish,” says Boyce. “But being a Pace Bunny means I don’t have that luxury. I just have to think about one goal, but I’ve got to hit it.”

Boyce will be wearing a running wrist-band that will update him with noti�-cations on his speed. He’ll also have a GPS watch to make sure he’s hitting the proper distances as he moves along the course as he follows the 10:1 system: run for 10 minutes, walk for one minute.

Pace Bunny volunteers are organized by the Running Room, so they’re eas-ily identi�ed in Running Room T-shirts and a hat with bunny ears. Boyce will be carrying a sign with his predicted �n-ishing time -- 1 hour, 55 minutes -- and holding it high above everyone’s heads so racers can decide if they’d like to keep him in sight.

He had the same time goal last year and �nished in one hour, 54 minutes and 57 seconds -- just three seconds from the target. Boyce says many half-marathon-ers have a goal of breaking two hours, just like people running the full mara-thon often try to break four hours.

“It’s rewarding to help people meet their running goals, and get better than they were the day before,” says Boyce. “One year I had an older gentleman come up behind me after the race and say ‘�ank you very much. I’ve never gone that fast before.’ He’d come to P.E.I. all the way from Columbia.”

He says it’s nice to give back to the sport of running he loves so much, and he often volunteers at other running events -- working water stops or doing anything else that’s needed. He’s also the race director of the Freeze Your Gizzard race every February, where participants race in below-freezing temperatures.

Boyce says Pace Bunnies are useful for getting a good �nish time, but they also serve as helpful reminders not to use up too much energy at the beginning of the race when you’re raring to go.

“�ese runners spent 12, 16 or 18 weeks in a training program and then they’ve tapered o� in the last few weeks, so the challenge is making sure they don’t burn out too fast,” says Boyce. “Pace Bun-nies are there to set an example of run-ning nice and steady through the race.”

He says people will often run near him for most of the race, and there’s always a point near the end -- usually about 1km before the �nish line -- when they decide to break away.

“I have to hold the same pace, but once we’re far enough along the route you’ll see them start to take o�,” says Boyce. “�ey know they’re close to the end, and they don’t need to pace themselves any-more. �ey want to see how well they can �nish, so it’s time to leave me in their dust.”

Somebunny to followPace Bunnies are there to help you on the course

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As thousands of runners lace up their sneakers and tackle the P.E.I. Marathon, they’ll be doing wonders for their cardio-vascular health – as well as giving their mental health a nice boost.

Reid Burke, executive director of the Canadian Mental Health Association Prince Edward Island (CMHA P.E.I.), says physical activity is great for a person’s body, mind and spirit.

“Lots of runners say they run not just for their physical health, but for their mental health,” says Burke. “It gets your endorphins � red up in your system and it can be a great boost for your mental health.”

� is is the second year the P.E.I. Mara-thon is supporting CMHA P.E.I. Last year’s marathon raised an impressive $15,000 for CMHA P.E.I., and Burke is hopeful they’ll do even better this year.

“We’ve met with the corporate team captains and introduced the ability for teams to fundraise as a team and got them set up with fundraising kits,” says Burke. “Everyone’s very excited to see what they can fundraise.”

CMHA P.E.I. is a non-pro� t men-tal health agency comprised of more than 100 volunteers and more than 40

support sta� , o� ering a number of in-dividual and community programs to support islanders with mental health issues. Nearly everything is free so there’s no barrier to accessing support.

“Any money we’re able to raise just increases our capacity to provide sup-port for people struggling with mental health and addiction, as well as do men-tal health promotion work,” says Burke. “A lot of folks can’t a� ord to pay to par-ticipate in programming, so the more money we can raise, the more free sup-port we can provide the community.”

Burke says it can take a lot of e� ort to change the public’s beliefs about what mental illness looks like, so CMHA P.E.I. organized a popular radio campaign where people told their own stories.

“It was really powerful to hear from someone who has bipolar disorder but still coaches his kid’s team and holds a great job,” says Burke. “It helped to show mental illness in a di� erent light, and show people that living with mental ill-ness is still living.”

Burke says an estimated 1 in 5 Can-adians are dealing with mental health challenges, and at least 60 per cent of people with mental health issues don’t ask for help so it’s an ongoing challenge

to encourage them to speak up.

“Pretty much everybody you talk to will know somebody,” says Burke. “Men-tal health issues and addiction issues are the leading cause of disability in the workplace, so it’s important for us to teach people strategies on how to achieve and maintain good mental health.”

CMHA P.E.I. has generated ‘Safe Talk’ – a free three-hour alertness training pro-gram that prepares anyone 16 or older to become a suicide-alert helper. � ey also work with people across the island to get them safe spaces to sleep, and operates nearly 200 units of housing.

Burke says their partnership with the P.E.I. Marathon is helping CMHA P.E.I. reach a wider audience to share the im-portant connection between physical health and mental health.

If you’re not a runner and can’t im-agine tackling a marathon, he says even a gentle walk around your neighbour-hood – breathing in the fresh air – can be incredibly helpful.

“It’s all about giving yourself a break in your routine and taking time for yourself,” says Burke. “When you do something for yourself, you often feel a lot better.”

‘Living with mental illness is still living’Racers fundraising for CMHA-P.E.I.


MAKE A DIFFERENCEHere are four di� erent ways you can support the Canadian Mental Health Associa-tion (P.E.I.) leading up to the P.E.I. Marathon:

1. Make a donation online when you register for a race

2. When you register, click the “Round to Raise” option to bump your fee to the nearest $5 increment – automatically donating the proceeds to CMHA-P.E.I.

3. Sign up to collect donations, and your registration fee will be refunded after you hit your fundraising goal

4. Donate directly to CMHA-P.E.I. whether you’re participating or not: https://raceroster.com/events/2018/15575/15th-annual-prince-edward-island-marathon/charity/donate/11402

REID BURKE executive director of the CMHA P.E.I.

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Francis Fagan didn’t start running marathons until he was 42 years old. Now he’s 68 and showing no signs of slowing down.

“I used to play softball but I got too long in the tooth for it,” chuckles Fagan. “I broke my leg when I was 41 and when I was rehabbing, someone mentioned running so I decided to try it.”

He liked running well enough, so when someone suggested he try doing a mara-thon, he agreed.

“I like the challenge of marathons,” says Fagan, who is originally from New-foundland but has called Charlottetown home for the last 50 years.

“No two marathons are the same, even if you’re doing the same course. Some-times you’re tired at this point and not that point. It’s always di�erent.”

He’s run 122 marathons including ones in Scotland and Dublin -- which gets close to 20,000 runners -- as well as the Boston Marathon “quite a few times.” He’s run marathons in every province ex-cept for three, but his favourite remains the P.E.I. Marathon -- which he’s run con-sistently for the last 14 years.

“�e P.E.I. Marathon was the �rst one I ever did, and I’ve done it every year,” says Fagan. “�ere are other marathons on

the same weekend, but I’d always rather do this one here at home.”

He’s gearing up for his 15th P.E.I. Mara-thon, where his wife will be cheering for him on the sidelines, along with one of his daughters. (His other daughter will be sending positive vibes from her home

in Fort McMurray.)

He says he likes meeting so many new people at marathons, and has grown many friendships with fellow runners. After he �nishes, Fagan plans to hit up the Old Triangle with some of his run-ning buddies.

“We usually get together there after the marathon, and have a meal and a few soda pops.”

As he creeps closer to his 70s, Fagan says running regularly has been an im-portant way to maintain good health.

“�ere have been a few times I’ve been injured and couldn’t run for 2-3 weeks, and I packed on the pounds pretty quick,” says Fagan. “If I didn’t run, I’d be heavier and not in the best shape.”

He says he typically runs 30 miles a week (48km) but bumps it up to 50-60 miles (80-96km) leading up to a mara-thon before tapering down again. He averages 5-6 marathons per year, and regularly encourages other retirees to give it a try.

“I’ve read stories about 80-year-olds getting into running, so it’s never too late to start,” says Fagan. “You don’t have to start with a marathon. Just run around the block, and next time try to get to a block and a half -- that’s how I started.”

His advice for �rst-timer marathoners is to relax and take everything in because it’s a special experience.

“Don’t get too concerned about your time,” says Fagan. “�e idea of your �rst marathon is to run and enjoy it. You can always work on getting faster in the next one.”


‘I like the challenge’Why Francis Fagan, 68, runs the P.E.I. Marathon every year

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Hit the road this Fall7695389


Everyone � ocks to Prince Edward Island during the summer months to play on its beaches and explore its seaside towns. But when the air turns crisp and the leaves start to change, it no longer means tourist season is � n-ished for the year.

� is is the 15th year the P.E.I. Mara-thon has been drawing thousands to the island in the middle of October.

“� e marathon falls on the weekend after � anksgiving, which used to be a very quiet time across the province, so now there’s something nice and big on the calendar,” says Cheryl Paynter, CEO of Tourism PEI.

“Around half of the participants are from o� the island, so organizers have done a stellar job of attracting them to our province during the o� -season.”

Paynter says all of these visitors are

providing a healthy boost to the prov-ince’s tourism during a time of year when business would ordinarily be slow.

“� ey’ve got to travel to the island, they’re renting hotel rooms or B&Bs on the island -- and most of them aren’t just coming in the night before the race,” says Paynter. “� ey’re eating in restaurants and checking out retail establishments and � lling up their ve-hicles with gas and generally adding to the economy of the island.”

Paynter says the whole island is alive with energy during marathon weekend, and everyone can feel the excitement leading up to the big day.

“� ere’s a lot of checking the weath-er forecast and folks getting to know the island from a runner’s perspec-tive,” says Paynter. “� ey love that they’re getting to explore so much of the province.”

During the full marathon, Paynter

says runners start on the beautiful north shore and run by beaches, light-houses and wharves. � en they’re o� to the rolling farmlands and onto Con-federation Trail, where the autumn leaves will be in dazzling shades of or-ange and red.

“� ey get to � nish by running down University Avenue into the heart of the city and � nish up in front of the Ceno-taph with everyone cheering. From a marathoner’s perspective, they really get to see it all,” says Paynter. “We hear all the time that P.E.I. hospitality is second to none, and it’s true.”

Wayne Long, events development o� cer with the City of Charlottetown, says the P.E.I. Marathon is a great ex-ample of “sport tourism” -- and a very prosperous market for the city.

“It has such a positive impact on the area as we move into our ‘shoul-der season.’ It’s a time of year when we really need that injection of people,” says Long.

He says sport tourism brings $43M to Charlottetown’s economy each year and a staggering $6.5B to the Can-adian economy.

“Charlottetown has won many na-tional awards for sport tourism -- more than any other city our size in the country,” says Long. “Global Sport Index recently ranked Charlottetown the 15th city overall in Canada for hosting sporting events, and we’re the

top city in Canada (with a population under 50,000) for hosting sporting events.”

Long says P.E.I. may be Canada’s smallest province, but Charlottetown’s status as a capital city and the birth-place of Confederation has made it a booming tourism destination.

“� e P.E.I. Marathon organizing committee has done a fantastic job over the last 15 years, making our marathon one of the top in the region and beyond,” says Long.

“It’s become a can’t-miss event that people around the world are talking about.”


Marathon boosts tourism across P.E.I.

CHERYL PAYNTERCEO of Tourism P.E.I.

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Whetheryou walkor you run,make sureto have fun!

Phone: 902-566-777770Email: sean.casey@@@parl.gc.cawww.seancasey.caaa

Sean CaseyMP Charlottttetown

To all PEI MarathonWeekend particccipants

7695407


Scott Clark is about to run his 70th marathon. It’s a milestone he never im-agined back when he started running just to lose a few pounds.

�e Summerside resident of one of many runners from around the world who use the P.E.I. Marathon to qualify for the famed Boston Marathon. In fact, the P.E.I. Marathon is one of Canada’s Top 5 Boston quali�ers.

“�e Boston Marathon is like the Masters in golf,” explains Clark. “If you’re really into running, you want to get to Boston.”

Clark says marathoners love the P.E.I. course because it’s relatively �at -- “other than a few speed bumps near the end” -- and the cool fall weather is com-fortable for a long run, making it easier to �nish with a good qualifying time.

Although the course is relatively com-fortable, race director Myrtle Jenkins-Smith says it undergoes rigorous test-ing to ensure it meets Boston Marathon standards. Someone from Boston runs the course each year, and a team trav-elled to P.E.I. two years ago to measure and approve minor changes after some road construction.

Clark has run the Boston Marathon nine times so far, and says while there’s “a lot of hype,” it’s certainly exciting to be running in a crowd of 25,000 people.

He �rst ran the Boston Marathon back in 2003, after qualifying at a race in Columbus, Ohio the previous fall. But he says it was really nice to be able to qualify for the Boston Marathon by run-ning the P.E.I. Marathon in 2005.

“You always want to be able to do the marathon that’s in your own backyard.”

Clark has participated in the P.E.I. Marathon every year, either in the 10K (once, due to injury), the half mara-thon or the full marathon. He’s run the full marathon 12 times consecutively, and says it’s “amazing” because of the unique scenery you get to enjoy.

“You’ve got the surf crashing in from the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the sand dunes, and then you head into rural

P.E.I. -- which is road running at its �n-est, on a nice quiet Sunday morning,” says Clark. “�en you’re on the Confed-eration Trail, which is very forgiving for sore knees or feet or hips.”

He says it sometimes starts to drag around the time you exit the trail, and luckily that’s exactly when you meet up with runners doing the half.

“You’re feeling tired and lonely and then suddenly you’re meeting these other runners. It’s really uplifting,” says Clark. “�en you’re hitting the city and there are all these people cheering you on, and you can see the �nish. It’s a great ending.”

When it’s all over, Clark says he’ll be heading straight for a large Tim Hortons co�ee -- which he’ll sip while cheering on the rest of the runners.

He’s already registered for this spring’s Boston Marathon, after running the Johnny Miles race back in June. But if he improves his time running the P.E.I. Marathon, he can use it to bump up his starting position in Boston.

“�ey place you in corrals according to your qualifying time, and each corral holds about 1,000 runners,” says Clark. “Last year I was in Coral 2, so there were already 1,000 people ahead of me. You always want to get as close to the front as you can, to see the pros and the elites.”

His time was three hours and 10 seconds, so he’s hoping to �nish in less than three hours this time.

“You have until January to improve your position, so this is a great oppor-tunity,” says Clark. “I’m feeling really �t these days, so we’ll see.”

In the last few weeks leading up to any marathon, Clark says his training is mostly �nished and it’s all about careful preparation. He watches what he eats, stays hydrated, decides what he’s going to wear and tries to prevent injuries.

�e night before the P.E.I. Marathon, he’ll eat a nice meal and try to go to sleep early. When he wakes up, he’ll eat very little so he doesn’t risk feeling bloated and overfull.

He says rookie marathoners often make the mistake of starting out too fast, either from excitement or to show o� their speed right out of the gate.

“You’ve got to run 42km so you’re not winning it in the �rst few kilometres, but you can de�nitely lose it then -- or cause trouble for yourself,” says Clark. “Patience is key.”

On the road to Boston 11THEGUARDIAN.PE.CA OCTOBER 2018

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You’ve work ed for this,you’ve trained for this,and finally it’s time

HauntedMansionHalloween

Nig h t s o fF ear !

Will you survive?HalloweenNights ofFear!

www.hauntedmansionpei.ca81 Victoria Street West, Kensington, PE Canada

You’ll have torun for your life!

Open October 13-30(on the following dates & times)

Oct 13 & 14 - 2-4pm & 6-9pmOct 19 - 6-9pm

Oct 20 & 21 - 2-4pm & 6-9mOct 25 & 26 - 6-9pm

Oct 27 & 28 - 2-4pm & 6-9pmOct 29 & 30 - 6-9pm

Prices2-4pm - 10.006-9pm - $17.00

[email protected]

Visit the HauntedMansion for Halloween

fun!On Saturdays & Sundayswe will be open 2-4pmwith a family friendly

haunt. Dr. Jack will evenhave the rides running for

the kids!Nights, from 6-9pm, all ofthe ghouls will be here tograsp onto your darkestfears and terrify you!

Runners wear your marathon medal foropening weekend, October 13th & 14th,

and get 40% off your admission

7695405

pei marathon 15th anniversary edition - the guardian · 2018. 10. 9. · october 12th-14th, 2018...

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