William Boyle was just 16 seconds away from beating the 1981 record for the annual Saint Andrews Father’s Day Road Race.
He said the punishing five-mile race was possibly his final race with his friends from the University of New Brunswick (UNB), who finished second and third and all recently graduated.
“Running means everything to me,” Boyle said. “I’ve been running at a high level for over 10 years now, all throughout high school and university, and now I just want to keep it going and see how good I can really be on the road.”
The three runners —Boyle, Jared Howse, and Quinn Eberts — finished the race within four minutes of each other.
Their times were 25:49, 26:27, and 28:00, respectively. The standing record is 25:33. It has been held by Jamie McSkimming since 1981, when he travelled to Saint Andrews from Toronto.
Boyle said his eye is still on breaking the record.
“I’ll definitely be back,” he said.
All 104 runners who completed the five-mile race were awarded a ceramic medal made by a local artist, Florence Small. Organizers also had special medals for those who completed on the podium.
The event included three groups: under six, seven to 12, and the full five-mile race for runners aged 12 and older.
Runners under the age of six raced 400 metres down the block and around a police car, some with encouragement from parents, holding their hands, on their backs or carrying them in their arms. All were being cheered on by other runners.
Brantley Buchannan of St. George won the under-six category.
As kids aged seven to 12 took off from the starting line on Prince of Wales Street, hollering erupted from the out-of-breath runners who just completed the 400 metres. The cheering continued as siblings and friends sprinted from Sir James Dunn Academy to the Algonquin Pool and back.
Tristan Henderson of Saint Andrews won the 800-metre.
Brian Frost is an example of how fatherhood fits into the running event. He recalled challenging his twin daughters in the five-mile when they were nine years old.
He said they became confident runners after winning their provincial track meet, and he wanted to compete with them.
“And they actually won the women’s division first and second,” he said. “It’s kind of funny.”
He said he trained for a year afterward and beat them in the following race.
“But that was the end of my running career,” Frost said. “After I beat them once, I knew I’d never beat them again.”
Frost said he’s been volunteering every year since.
Verne Cunningham, a volunteer, told The Courier about the event’s beginning. Teacher Brian Dickson started it in 1979 with a small group of anywhere between 12 and 25 students outside the high school annually on Canada Day.
He was one of those students.
After a decade as a small group, other runners from across New Brunswick began to join them.
“And then it grew and grew,” Cunningham said.
He said running fosters community.
“Whether you’re competing in school, or in the road race circuit, it’s only a tool to bring the community together,” he said. “If you look around you can see it.”
Some of the proceeds from the race went to the Charlotte County Shrine Club, which helps children and families with medical expenses.
And as Cunningham finished answering questions, he turned to an 87-year-old runner who had just crossed the finish line and gave him a high-five.
