Five miles on Father’s Day
June 16th, 2017

 

ST. ANDREWS, N.B. – The St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler was only in its third year when Jamie McSkimming set the course record of 25:33. Thirty-six years later, it remains untouched.

“We have some pretty fast runners come to our race,” said Mike Power, who shares race director duties with Vern Cunningham. “Nobody has ever come close.”

Several more will try on Sunday, June 18, for the 39th annual running of the event, which has become a Father’s Day tradition for many in southern New Brunswick. Power is expecting about 200 participants.

It wasn’t always that large, however.

The 39th annual St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler will take place on Sunday, June 18. Shown here are participants lining up in the rain during last year’s race.

Photo courtesy of the event Facebook page

“For many years, it was a really small race,” he said. “Usually we had fewer than 50 people. Since about 2000, when we got involved with Run New Brunswick, it’s been up around 100-150.”

It has also received plenty of upgrades in those years, including improvements to course safety, the closing off of some streets for the kids’ races, and the addition of chip timing to the event. All of this and it still manages to keep its registration fees low, at only $25 per person, $5 of which goes to the Shriner’s children’s hospital.

It is put on each year by the Charlotte Track Club, with support from the local Kiwanis club as the main sponsor. Community support has been one of the reasons for the event’s longevity, according to Power.

“Probably a lot of it has to do with our little organizing committee,” he said. “We put it on every year, but the Kiwanis club supports it, and the local people support it as well.”

It continues to be a “local race” in many ways, with many runners not registering until and hour before the race, but Power said this year has seen the most pre-registrations ever, having reached the 145 mark as of Friday. 

One reason for that could be the event’s participation in the Southern New Brunswick Challenge, a partnership with the Across Town for Crosswinds event in Sussex and the Marathon by the Sea event in Saint John that sees a unique medal presented to everyone who completes all three races.

The race is also part of the Run New Brunswick Super Series for the five-mile distance.

Proceeds from the event go to the Charlotte Track Club, which in turn helps support local athletes, mostly in cross-country and track and field, as well as local schools.

The five-mile race also serves as a nice showcase of the picturesque community, as it takes participants around the perimeter of St. Andrews in a single loop that includes views of Passamaquoddy Bay and a trip through the downtown core of St. Andrews. Much of the course is flat and fast until a short but steep hill in the final mile before a 500m downhill race to the finish line.

The race has seen participation from many fathers, sons and daughters over the past four decades, many of those returning in more recent years with their grandchildren.

“It’s very much a family event,” said Power.

For more on the St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler, visit the Race Roster page here.

ST. ANDREWS, N.B. – The St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler was only in its third year when Jamie McSkimming set the course record of 25:33. Thirty-six years later, it remains untouched.

“We have some pretty fast runners come to our race,” said Mike Power, who shares race director duties with Vern Cunningham. “Nobody has ever come close.”

Several more will try on Sunday, June 18, for the 39th annual running of the event, which has become a Father’s Day tradition for many in southern New Brunswick. Power is expecting about 200 participants.

It wasn’t always that large, however.

The 39th annual St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler will take place on Sunday, June 18. Shown here are participants lining up in the rain during last year’s race.

Photo courtesy of the event Facebook page

“For many years, it was a really small race,” he said. “Usually we had fewer than 50 people. Since about 2000, when we got involved with Run New Brunswick, it’s been up around 100-150.”

It has also received plenty of upgrades in those years, including improvements to course safety, the closing off of some streets for the kids’ races, and the addition of chip timing to the event. All of this and it still manages to keep its registration fees low, at only $25 per person, $5 of which goes to the Shriner’s children’s hospital.

It is put on each year by the Charlotte Track Club, with support from the local Kiwanis club as the main sponsor. Community support has been one of the reasons for the event’s longevity, according to Power.

“Probably a lot of it has to do with our little organizing committee,” he said. “We put it on every year, but the Kiwanis club supports it, and the local people support it as well.”

It continues to be a “local race” in many ways, with many runners not registering until and hour before the race, but Power said this year has seen the most pre-registrations ever, having reached the 145 mark as of Friday. 

One reason for that could be the event’s participation in the Southern New Brunswick Challenge, a partnership with the Across Town for Crosswinds event in Sussex and the Marathon by the Sea event in Saint John that sees a unique medal presented to everyone who completes all three races.

The race is also part of the Run New Brunswick Super Series for the five-mile distance.

Proceeds from the event go to the Charlotte Track Club, which in turn helps support local athletes, mostly in cross-country and track and field, as well as local schools.

The five-mile race also serves as a nice showcase of the picturesque community, as it takes participants around the perimeter of St. Andrews in a single loop that includes views of Passamaquoddy Bay and a trip through the downtown core of St. Andrews. Much of the course is flat and fast until a short but steep hill in the final mile before a 500m downhill race to the finish line.

The race has seen participation from many fathers, sons and daughters over the past four decades, many of those returning in more recent years with their grandchildren.

“It’s very much a family event,” said Power.

For more on the St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler, visit the Race Roster page here.

ST. ANDREWS, N.B. – The St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler was only in its third year when Jamie McSkimming set the course record of 25:33. Thirty-six years later, it remains untouched.

“We have some pretty fast runners come to our race,” said Mike Power, who shares race director duties with Vern Cunningham. “Nobody has ever come close.”

Several more will try on Sunday, June 18, for the 39th annual running of the event, which has become a Father’s Day tradition for many in southern New Brunswick. Power is expecting about 200 participants.

It wasn’t always that large, however.

The 39th annual St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler will take place on Sunday, June 18. Shown here are participants lining up in the rain during last year’s race.

Photo courtesy of the event Facebook page

“For many years, it was a really small race,” he said. “Usually we had fewer than 50 people. Since about 2000, when we got involved with Run New Brunswick, it’s been up around 100-150.”

It has also received plenty of upgrades in those years, including improvements to course safety, the closing off of some streets for the kids’ races, and the addition of chip timing to the event. All of this and it still manages to keep its registration fees low, at only $25 per person, $5 of which goes to the Shriner’s children’s hospital.

It is put on each year by the Charlotte Track Club, with support from the local Kiwanis club as the main sponsor. Community support has been one of the reasons for the event’s longevity, according to Power.

“Probably a lot of it has to do with our little organizing committee,” he said. “We put it on every year, but the Kiwanis club supports it, and the local people support it as well.”

It continues to be a “local race” in many ways, with many runners not registering until and hour before the race, but Power said this year has seen the most pre-registrations ever, having reached the 145 mark as of Friday. 

One reason for that could be the event’s participation in the Southern New Brunswick Challenge, a partnership with the Across Town for Crosswinds event in Sussex and the Marathon by the Sea event in Saint John that sees a unique medal presented to everyone who completes all three races.

The race is also part of the Run New Brunswick Super Series for the five-mile distance.

Proceeds from the event go to the Charlotte Track Club, which in turn helps support local athletes, mostly in cross-country and track and field, as well as local schools.

The five-mile race also serves as a nice showcase of the picturesque community, as it takes participants around the perimeter of St. Andrews in a single loop that includes views of Passamaquoddy Bay and a trip through the downtown core of St. Andrews. Much of the course is flat and fast until a short but steep hill in the final mile before a 500m downhill race to the finish line.

The race has seen participation from many fathers, sons and daughters over the past four decades, many of those returning in more recent years with their grandchildren.

“It’s very much a family event,” said Power.

For more on the St. Andrews Father’s Day 5 Miler, visit the Race Roster page here.