Montreal Rock ‘n’ roll Marathon sees record participation

An unexpectedly warm weekend in Montreal meant beautiful weather for the Montreal Oasis Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon on Sunday.

With temperatures reaching the mid-20s, many runners actually noted that the weather was too warm for a marathon, but it didn’t stop them from coming out in record-breaking numbers for the third year in a row. Between the 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon, the event saw 35,000 runners, making it among the largest in Canada.

The event has had a rocky road getting to where it stands now. Over 30 years old, it wasn’t held during the ’90s up until 2003. It has since grown substantially and each year attracts more runners. The event embraces Montreal’s French Canadian and music cultures and, in turn, the city has embraced the races.

“Organizing this kind of event takes logistics and a demanding organizational structure. We could not have met our objectives without close collaboration from the city,” said Dominique Arsenault, a spokesperson for the race.

The winner of the men’s marathon, American Ben Bruce, told CBC he came to Canada in hopes of cooler weather, but that wasn’t what he was greeted with. He said unseasonably hot temperatures slowed many runners down, but Bruce still ran 2:22:38 to win the marathon. Lévis, Que., runner Joanne Normand won the women’s race in 3:01:27.