Fort Garry laces up for marathon’s return

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This article was published 10/09/2021 (1656 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Fort Garry Rotary Club’s half marathon and 5k fun run is returning after a year-long hiatus.

The ninth annual event takes place on Sun., Sept. 19 and aims to promote healthy living while raising funds for the Knowles Centre and the Bruce Oake Recovery Centre.

The Knowles Centre is a community-based, non-profit charitable organization for children, adolescents and young adults. The Centre’s six programs provide a range of therapeutic skills-based services.

The Bruce Oake Recovery Centre is a non-profit residential treatment program offering long term live-in and community-based services to individuals seeking recovery from drug and alcohol addiction.

“We’ve all been cooped up for the past year and a half, and this is really one of the first marathons people have had an opportunity to take part in,” Fort Garry Rotary Club past-president and co-director of the marathon Steve Gallagher said. “It’s good for mental health and physical health and we always have a blast.”

The Fort Garry Rotary Club consists of south Winnipeg residents interested in giving back to the community. They meet once a week at the Holiday Inn in Fort Garry to discuss how they can help the community.

“We do a school lunch program and we run the Rotary Villa on Hudson Street, which is a housing project for 55-plus,” Gallagher said.

Gallagher said it’s always a competitive race and the flat course attracts fast runners. The marathon starts in St. Vital Park at the duck pond and ends at King’s Park near Pembina Highway and the Red River.

Gallagher said the marathon usually raises up to $35,000, with a lot of that money coming from sponsorships.

At press time, the Fort Garry Rotary Club was still looking for a Platinum Sponsor.

“After this year, it’s important to have a healthy lifestyle event where you can get out and do something that’s family-friendly and supports the community,” Fort Garry Rotary Club promotions coordinator Colin Jackson said.

“The whole event is basically a chance to support the community, and that’s one of the biggest things that’s been missing these past few months. Being able to come out and see people and actually participate in something that’s making a difference is really meaningful.”

Jackson said the marathon has been notorious for late entries; as of three weeks ago, about 50 people had signed up to participate. The event previously brought in around 150 or 200 runners.

Jackson encourages everyone to share the event with those who might be interested in participating.

“Spreading the word is really helpful, because we do need more people signing up to help get this event to what it was in previous years,” he said.

Visit rotarymarathon.ca for more information and to register. Admission for the half marathon is $65 and the 5k is $25. Those who participate in the half marathon also get a t-shirt and medal at the end of the race, while the 5k fun run ends with a shirt.

Those interested in volunteering can also contact Steve Gallagher directly at 204-999-6900.