THUNDER BAY -- The city’s only marathon scheduled for 2015 hit the track Sunday morning.
The sixth annual Thunderwolves Indoor Marathon was run Sunday morning at the Lakehead University Hangar, with about 165 participants competing across the event’s different races.
With the cancellation of the Miles with the Giant, the indoor race is the only opportunity for runners to cross off the bucket list item in their hometown.
Diane Walker, chief executive officer of Thunder Bay Children’s Centre, said organizers are committed to ensuring the race continues into the future. Her goal is to see the event celebrate its 10th anniversary.
“These kind of events take a lot of work and need good participation in order to make them cost effective but we really believe in this connection between physical health and mental health,” said Walker.
“My hope is that we keep it going and make it bigger next year and more of a community event, not just for runners but for people that really want to support physical and mental health.”
Since its inception, the event has served as a fundraiser for the Thunder Bay Children’s Centre.
While exact dollars weren’t yet known, Walker estimates the indoor marathon will raise about $10,000. That is on par with past years.
“The money goes towards great causes and allows children and families to access services faster,” she said. “It provides child care and it allows us to provide programming at schools.”
The winner of the marathon was local runner Doug Rivard, who crossed the line in a time of three hours and 34 minutes.
It was his first time running the indoor marathon, which covers 211 laps of the university track.
One of the most difficult obstacles to tackle is getting across the mental barrier of going around and around in the same oval.
“It’s a nice venue. It gets a bit monotonous but that’s to be expected,” Rivard said.
The event featured both full and half marathon options, along with a 10 kilometre distance. There was also a relay category where teammates split up covering the 42 kilometres of the marathon.
For the first time walkers were actively urged to participate, something organizers said they would like to grow in future years.
