Oakville Half Marathon helping those in need

The 13th annual Oakville Half Marathon will raise money for a variety of charities, as participants run, walk, or jog to help those in need.

Startline at the Half Marathon, courtesy of Oakville Half Marathon

The event takes place on October 6th, and includes multiple races: the Nutrience Half Marathon, a 10K and 5K. Families are encouraged to attend the Timbits 2K with their children as it is a specific race designed for kids to have fun. Attendees are also invited to bring their dogs to the pet-friendly 2K race, the Nutrience Mutt Strutt. This is the only race that happens on Saturday.

Somer Deschambault-Page, a worker for the Oakville Humane Society, says these types of charity events are especially important to the organization: “We have around 3,000 animals that come into the shelter, the donations allow us to get them in good health and get them ready for adoption.”

On October 5th at Shell Park, there will be a Runners Expo from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m, where participants can pick up their race bibs and kits. There will also be several exhibitors and charities that will have tents set up to showcase products and services.

All races happening on Sunday will run between 7:30 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. You can find the exact times of each of the races online.

Runners participating in the 2018 Marathon, courtesy of Oakville Half Marathon

There will be an emcee at the start line, a finish line announcer and an awards ceremony on the day of the races. There will also be a DJ playing music and food will be provided for all participants by Farm Boy, a fresh market company.

“We want to put on a fun, exciting and logistically sound event for our runners who have been with us for years, and those who are running our races for the first time,” said, Curtis Savage, marketing coordinator for the Marathon.

Route for Half Marathon, courtesy of Oakville Half Marathon

Even for those who will not be attending the race, there will be several road closures this weekend during the Marathon that will impact traffic.

  • Lakeshore Rd:  between Great Lakes Blvd & Burloak 6:30-8:15 a.m.
  • Lakeshore Rd: Great Lakes Blvd  to Bronte Rd 6:30-11:00 am (only WB traffic for Walton Memorial Church)
  • Bronte Rd: between Lakeshore & Ontario 6:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m.
  • Ontario St: between Bronte & East St  6:45 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
  • East St: between Marine Dr & Ontario St 6:45 a.m. -10:45 a.m.
  • Lakeshore Rd: between 3rd Line to Dorval Dr 7:15 a.m.- 10:30 a.m.
  • Suffolk Rd: between Rebecca  & Lakeshore Rd 7:15 a.m. -10:00 a.m.

The SickKids Foundation, Oakville Humane Society, Camp Ooch – a camp for children affected by cancer, Wellspring, St. Johns Ambulance and Commonwealth Sport are the charities that will be receiving donations from the Half Marathon. You can donate to these Charities at the event or online.