It has been nearly a decade since a new running event began in Yarmouth, an 11-kilometre Remembrance Day event that will be held for the ninth time on Monday, Nov. 11.
Participants again will assemble at the Yarmouth cenotaph, which serves as the start and finish. The course goes by the Korean War memorial and takes runners out to Veterans Place, part of the Yarmouth Regional Hospital complex.
“We have also added a 5K walk/run for those who feel 11 km might be a little too much for them,” said event spokesman Scott Kennedy. “In this way, all participants finish about at the same time.”
In keeping with the event’s theme, participants are asked to make an $11 donation, which goes to the Royal Canadian Legion branch 61 (Yarmouth) poppy campaign.
There were even more 11s when the Poppy Run was introduced eight years ago. It was Remembrance Day 2011 and so the date of the event’s debut could be referred to as 11-11-11.
The event has been averaging about 30 participants per year.
That the Poppy Run is held pretty early – start time is 7:30 a.m. – means most participants should have enough time to attend the Remembrance Day service that takes place later in the morning, Kennedy said.
As far as weather is concerned, given the time of year, participants should be prepared for just about anything, from pleasant to not-so-pleasant conditions.
“The Poppy Run has seen all types of weather,” Kennedy said, “from beautiful sunny mornings to rain to snowfall ... none of which has reduced the enthusiasm of our participants.”
Last year there was a windchill of -4 and 40 km/h winds, he said, but in 2016 it was a sunny 11 degrees.
