Mississauga Marathon Takes to the Streets First Weekend in May

Written by Stephanie Dwarka Wednesday, 14 March 2012 23:16

Sports

On May 5 and 6 Mississauga will host its ninth annual marathon.

The Hazel 5K Run, 10K Student Relay and Valeant Pharmaceuticals 10K will take place on Saturday May 5 this year. The Full Marathon, Petrillo Law Corporate/Team Relay, Half Marathon and 2K Fun Run will be on Sunday May 6.

"The Marathon is a vehicle to motivate local residents to get off the couch and push friends and family to stay active and also raise funds and awareness for local charities," said Ben McCarty, race director.

Each race event has a different fee. The rates are:

• Full Marathon                         $85 plus tax and processing fee
• Half Marathon                        $65 plus tax and processing fee
• 10K                                         $40 plus tax and processing fee
• 5K                                           $40 plus tax and processing fee
• 2K                                           $25 plus tax and processing fee
• Corporate Relay               ­ $400 plus tax and processing fee
• Student Relay                   $90 plus tax and processing fee

The purpose of The Marathon is to create a mass participation running event that showcases what the City has to offer.

The event started in 2004 and has grown dramatically in the number of participants from 5500 during the first year to 14,000 in 2010.

"It's grown over its nine years into an elite run on the World Stage and in 2011, we had 16 different countries represented at the start line. The event continues to showcase some of the City's beautiful neighbourhoods," McCarty said.

The money from registration is used to execute the event itself. It goes towards suppliers, goodies for each runner, permits, staffing, material and resources. A large portion of it is also used on the event itself and a portion is donated to charities throughout the year.

The marathon and the weekend supports eleven local and national charities and over the eight-year history the event has generated close to $250,000 for charities and their causes.

"It showcases the City of Mississauga on a world stage and also to give locals and elites an opportunity to run a scenic route and develop friendships in the running community," McCarty said.

The event organizers are hoping to raise awareness for the health benefits and positive reasons to become involved in your City and your community, he said.
This year 12,000 participants are expected throughout all seven different events.

The deadline to sign up is April 23 for those who want their name printed on a bib. Registrations will be accepted at the Runner's Expo, where race kits are picked up, for any latecomers.