Mississauga Marathon Continues to Grow
Published May 4, 2015 at 1:31 pm
Thousands of runners, walkers, fundraisers and spectators took to the streets this weekend to participate in and celebrate the Mississauga Marathon. With 8124 runners and walkers registered, the 12th anniversary of the event was one to remember.
“We are proud to have hosted another successful event this year” says Elliott Kerr, Race Chairman and President of Landmark Sport Group, organizers of the Mississauga Marathon. “We are grateful for the support the community has shown over the last 12 years here in our great City of Mississauga.”
“Some of the best news,” adds Chris Kowalewski, Marketing Manager at Landmark, “is that we have a clear forecast for continued growth. This year we increased our limit for our 5K race distance, as it sold out in 2014 and we shattered expectations by selling out early once again! Lots of our 5Kers are beginner runners and we are so excited to be a part of their running careers for years to come. Our 10K Student Relay also sold out, so we can see that there is a growing interest in running among youth as well.”
Within the Mississauga Marathon there are seven different races which cover five distances ranging from a Full Marathon to a 2KM Fun Run. Part of the tremendous success of the event has been its ability to attract participants with a wide variety of athletic abilities. Casual participants are drawn in by the overall festival atmosphere and family friendliness of race weekend. Elite runners from around the world participate in the Mississauga Marathon in order to set personal records by taking advantage of the net downhill route which is also a certified qualifying course for the prestigious Boston Marathon.
On a competitive note, Patrick Kelly of Ottawa and Sharlene Cobain of Toronto were the big winners of race weekend, completing the men’s and women’s Full Marathon with times of 2:47:49.0and 2:55:09.8, respectively. Dozens of athletes were awarded prizes for placing within their respective age and gender categories for each distance and everyone who participated received their own piece of hardware to symbolize their personal achievements – the finisher’s medal. 13 year old Alex Weir impressed greatly and set a new course record for the NOVO NORDISK® “Hazel” 5KM presented by Starbucks with a time of just 18:06.1.
Truly a community event, the Mississauga Marathon received help from more than 1,500 volunteers over the weekend and attracted thousands of spectators showing their support along the running route. Water, banners and cheering squads appeared all across the race course, and the finish area at Lakefront Promenade Park offered live music and entertainment for all runners as well as their friends and families.
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