At 7:00 a.m. on Sat., April 27, well over 200 registered runners set out from Crysler Park Marina on the 42.2-kilometre marathon route that would see them finish up hours later at St. Lawrence College, in Cornwall. Tinkess Photo
MORRISBURG – Dedicated runners will usually run, regardless of the weather, but Mother Nature was generous on Saturday morning, providing the organizers of the 2024 edition of the St. Lawrence Marathon with a brisk, clear day.
The St. Lawrence Marathon, (formerly the Cornwall Run to end MS) started off near the old Aultsville train station at Crysler Park marina at 7:00 a.m. and from there the runners would enjoy some of the most scenic 42.2 kilometres you can imagine as they worked their way towards their final destination of St. Lawrence College in Cornwall’s east end.
The full marathon has been measured by AIMS (Association of International Marathons and Distance Races) standards and is certified by Athletics Canada, and as such can serve as a qualifier for the Boston Marathon, the New York Marathon as well as many other world-class marathons.
If you didn’t feel like a full marathon, there was also the half-marathon, and a 10k or 5k run. The shorter distances started from St. Lawrence College and followed designated routes which brought the runners back to the college.
For 2024, the event sold out with 223 runners registering for the full marathon, 281 for the half marathon, 193 for the 10k run, and 142 for the 5k fun, for a total of 839 registered runners.
In the full marathon, the top female was Ottawa’s Heather Ogilvie with a time of 3:18:54.
The top male was Simon Gareau also from Ottawa with a time of 2:41:50.
In the half marathon, the top female was Erin Savoie from Nepean with a time of 1:27:07, while the top male was Isaac Fraser of South Glengarry with a time of 1:11:57.
In the 10k run, the top female was Stephanie Gordon of Ottawa with a time of 41:36, while the top male was Matt Dowling from Syracuse, N.Y., with a time of 34:56.
Finally, in the 5k run the top female was Russell’s Rebecca Greer with a time of 19:14, while the top male was Ian McCosham from Lunenburg with a time of 16:40. (For a full listing of times you can go to sportstats.ca)
The St. Lawrence Marathon was previously known as the Cornwall Run to End MS, an event which was held for 17 years. In 2016, the event was recognized as a Boston-certified qualifier. It was re-branded in 2019 as the St. Lawrence Marathon, but due to the pandemic, it was not held again until the spring of 2022.
Terry Tinkess is a professional photographer, educator and journalist. He has been making a living with a camera and keyboard since 1999 and has been featured in such publications as The Ottawa Citizen, Cornwall Standard Freeholder, The Globe and Mail, The Miami Herald, Ottawa Construction News, The Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Home Builder Magazine, Reed Construction Data, Canadian Potato Business and most recently, The Record and Eastern Ontario AgriNews. Terry lives in Ingleside, Ontario with his wife Brenda, Mia the anxious Pittie and cats Wally and Chubbers.
