On October 2nd, over 1400 competitors will head west along Lakeshore Road from Shell Park until they reach Burloak, then turn back, head East through Bronte, and all the way down past Appleby College to Brookfield Dr.
This is the Oakville Half Marathon - one of the most picturesque runs on the annual circuit here in the GTA.
The 2022 rendition will see the return of this event as an in-person competition since 2019.
“Everyone missed social settings, dinners, concerts, weddings and so on. Live events are also social gatherings, and their return is significant for participants and organizers”, according to Race Director Brad Melville.
The excitement will start to build for the Oakville Half Marathon on Friday, Sept. 30 as the runners arrive in town and pick up their race kits at Oakville Place. Saturday will see the last participants collect their bibs before the nerves really begin to set in.
The races kick off bright and early on Sunday with the showcase Half Marathon and 10k run starting at 7:30 am, followed by the 5k fifteen minutes later. Finally, the Timbits 2k begins at 10:30 am for the junior runners.
Due to popular demand, the 2k has already sold out, meaning there will be a full slate of youngsters competing for the first time.
Melville says, “The 2K sold out today (Friday, Sept. 23) and is truly a great way to include families to participate in the event.”
On Sunday, between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m., shuttle busses will stream athletes and spectators from Bronte Go Station down to Shell Park ahead of the opening gun.
"It is essential. There is no parking at Shell Park due to our staging/set-up. We also encourage people not to park, even legally, on residential streets as a courtesy to the residents." asserts Melville.
Each runner is outfitted with an electronic timing chip to track their time.
The Oakville half marathon has drawn the Ontario running community to what is widely considered to be one of the more picturesque races on the annual calendar.
As per usual, runners will be raising money for charity. The Charity Challenge is open to all participants. Last year, runners raised over $25,000, benefitting six community charities. Since the Charity Challenge was launched in 2003, it has raised over $62 Million.
Unfortunately, this year there will not an awards ceremony after the race but expect it to return, says Melville.
Registration is still open for those wanting to participate.