Runners from across the world came together in Barrington, NS to compete in the Nova Scotia Marathon.
The 55th edition of the race took place on July 19, but faced early delays due to weather conditions. Winds gusted at over 65 km/h and posed a significant challenge for many of the runners.
“The headwind was really hard, I’m glad it was delayed by an hour because that would’ve been even worse,” said Minjung Oh, who had the top women’s time on the day. “I just pretended each headwind was a hill.”
Oh, like many other racers, was hoping that her time would be good enough to qualify for the Boston Marathon, one of the seven world major marathons.
To qualify for the Boston Marathon, runners have to meet time benchmarks at officially designated qualifying marathons like the Nova Scotia Marathon. These benchmarks change depending on age and gender and because the spots are so competitive, runners often have to run many minutes faster to guarantee entry.
Oh travelled from South Thomaston, Maine, and with a time of 3 hours 17 minutes and 39 seconds, will most likely qualify for next year’s Boston Marathon.
She said she’s going to spend a few days enjoying Nova Scotia after the race.
“It’s so beautiful, I feel like I’m in paradise,” said Oh.
Harry Steinburg of Somerville, Massachusetts was the first man to cross the finish line after 2 hours 45 minutes and 26 seconds.
“It was awesome, it was such an awesome event,” said Steinburg. “This was my first marathon, the goal was to qualify for Boston, and hopefully my time does the trick.”
Not far behind Steinburg was Tanner Boisjolie of Vancouver, who came in fifth with a time of 2 hours 50 minutes and 52 seconds. Nova Scotians Walter Linthorne and Kyle Curlett both placed in the top 10 as well.
