Frozen Nose and Toes Marathon

Racers braved the cold at Fredericton Marathon’s first every Frozen Nose and Toes Marathon. Organizers say they wanted to get people out of the house and bring the community together.

“February can be a blue month for people, so we just wanted people to get physically active and that was the whole point of today’s event,” said Bruce MacFarlane co-organizer.

Snowshoers and runners danced around as they battled the 24 km winds and negative six-degree weather. They were given free hats as a token for finishing the race.

To complete a 4k, runners started at the Victoria Health Centre parking lot and ran a to the Bill Thorpe walking bridge and returned to the finish line.

Snowshoers started at the pedway and made four laps to the bridge and back to complete a 2k snowshoe.

Overall, the race was more of a social event than it was a race with racers hugging and greeting each other catching up on each other’s lives.

“When you get at a race there such a sense of community. These people are in the same mindset as you are. They’re there doing the same things. There’s a huge motivation,” said Rachel Ducet, a runner at the race.

She like many others love to run and are always looking for more opportunities to get with friends and run. The race was an addition to Fredericton Marathon’s annual May marathon.

To warm up, racers gathered at the Delta Hotel for free hot chocolate and cookies.

The marathons head organizer, Paul Lavoy, revealed Fredericton Marathon will be partnering with the Anglophone School District to fund a track and field program. They will be giving $2,500 per-year for a total of $7,500 over three years.

“We thought giving back to the community would be totally appropriate, and especially giving back to the kids,” said Macfarlane.