It's been three years since Oakville hosted a half marathon road race - after the pandemic, it seemed like the Nutrience Oakville Half Marathon was gone for good.
That is, until new organizers came on board to revive and revamp Oakville's premiere running event. So after years of waiting, more than 2,100 runners took to Oakville’s streets last Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, for the new Oakville Half-Marathon.
Starting at Shell Park, participants from across Canada, the U.K., and as far away as Dallas, Texas, suited up bright and early for the half-marathon, 10K, and 5K races.
"We really appreciate the support Oakville residents are giving us with volunteer sign ups, and hope residents will take a moment on Sunday to cheer on the runners," said Cindy Lewis-Caballero, co-race director.
"We’ll see some fast times as well as new runners taking on their own personal bests."
The runners approached the start line and the race set off along Lakeshore Road through the parks and neighbourhoods of Oakville.
Making good time along the course, the first place finishers eventually crossed the finish line.
"I like this race a lot," said first place finisher Sergio Raez Villanueva. "I know it wasn't there last year, and I'm very glad it came back again this year. I've been doing the Oakville races for quite some time ever since I was in high school, mind you it was the 10K back in the day. I would run every other year, my family always comes out. I'm from Mississauga, so I'm not too far away. So to me, it means Community. Everybody comes and has a good time. I see a lot of friendly faces and I love running the Oakville roads."
For Villanueva, the race holds both personal and communal significance. "I always think about my family," he said. "We come from Peru and we moved to Canada in 2010. I come out here and make my parents proud. They come out and support me and I guess a little bit, it's for them when I run my hardest. I want to have a good time and make everybody smile."
Putting on an event like this is no simple task. Event organizer Sandy Orlando says it takes a lot of work and collaboration leading up to race day. "Starting to work with the city to make sure that we can get all of our things laid out, working with our crew, getting the course figured out, and then working with the sponsors," are the main parts of the process according to Orlando.
"Then, getting people signed up, and that's all of the work behind the scenes that makes a successful race."
As this was the first year the event returned, the team wasn't sure what to expect but was thrilled with the outcome.
Orlando and Lewis-Caballero set a fundraising goal of $15,000, but the event surpassed expectations, raising over $27,500, according to the event's fundraising page.
"We really didn't know what to expect and we've got such a great response from the town and the runners. People coming from across Canada and overseas," said Orlando.
The funds will be divided among Fare Share Food Bank, the Oakville Hospital Foundation, and Lymphoma Canada.
Donations are still being accepted through the race's website.
Ben Brown contributed additional reporting to this story.