Thousands brave cold and rain to race new route in Around the Bay

Justin Chandler · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 31, 2025 8:15 AM EDT | Last Updated: March 31

About 7,000 runners crossed the decorativeness enactment successful Hamilton's yearly Around the Bay roadworthy contention Sunday.

They ran successful 4 events — 30 km, 15 km, 10 km and five km — on a caller way that started and ended astatine Liuna Station connected James Street N.

Race manager Anna Lewis said she felt "a consciousness of gratitude to the participants for showing up connected a rainy day," and to the organizers and astir 500 volunteers who made the lawsuit possible. 

Hamilton experienced rainfall and near-zero temperatures Sunday morning, but successful overmuch of confederate Ontario, freezing rainfall caused powerfulness outages and unsafe driving conditions.

About 10,000 radical registered to run, but Lewis told CBC Hamilton immoderate decided not to be due to the fact that of the crystal storm. "Weather ever plays a relation successful turnout," she said. 

Liuna Station was a caller venue for the race. It has traditionally started and finished astatine FirstOntario Centre, which has been undergoing renovations. The 2024 contention started and ended astatine Tim Horton's Field. It was notable successful portion for having a longer-than-normal 34-kilometre way alternatively than the accepted 30 km. That way was extended by 1 much kilometre to debar a sinkhole successful Burlington, Ont. 

In September, Lewis said going backmost to 30 km was thing participants requested.

This year's 30-km contention took runners northbound from Liuna Station to loop astir Hamilton Harbour. At the 26-km people runners went done Dundurn Castle and backmost to Liuna Station. Participants successful the 10-km and 15-km routes ran on the aforesaid way but took shuttle buses to antithetic starting lines. 

The five-km way took runners westward to Dundurn Castle and back. 

Local runner raises $2,500 for infirmary wherever helium had country this year

Around the Bay is simply a "total adventure," Hamilton runner Drew Hauser told CBC Hamilton days earlier the race. 

"Some years you're successful shorts and a vessel top, and the adjacent twelvemonth it's a snowstorm oregon it's raining."

Hauser, who is progressive successful the Westdale-based nine Runner's Den, said Sunday would beryllium the seventh clip helium participated successful Around the Bay.

He was 1 of the galore who ran successful enactment of a origin — successful this lawsuit the infirmary wherever Hauser had country for kidney stones aboriginal this year. 

Starting Dec. 26, Hauser spent respective days fasting and waiting connected standby for a spot to unfastened up. He was capable to get the country astatine St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton and came distant feeling positive. 

"It's unusual to accidental this, but I had a genuinely large acquisition undergoing surgery," Hauser wrote connected his fundraising page. 

"It truly felt similar I got to cognize everyone" — from the administrator, helium would telephone portion connected standby to his nurse, who made him consciousness similar helium was her lone patient, Hauser said successful an interview.

"I felt sincere empathy erstwhile they were moving with maine and talking to me," Hauser said of the squad astatine St. Joe's. He thanked the workers who helped him by sanction connected his fundraising page, which surpassed its extremity of $2,500 for St. Joe's time country and urology squad connected Sunday afternoon.

After the races connected Sunday afternoon, St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation announced Around the Bay participants had raised implicit $400,000 to enactment robotic country astatine the infirmary network.

In robotic surgery, surgeons usage tiny robotic instruments that marque smaller incisions than 1 could by hand, spokesperson Debbie Silva said successful an email. "All of this reduces symptom post-procedure, minimizes humor nonaccomplishment and helps patients to heal faster."

Hundreds showed up to cheer connected runners

Hamilton's downtown was abuzz Sunday with runners and their supporters. Some supporters, similar Kerstin Steele from Toronto, made signs. 

Steele's read: "You are moving amended than the U.S. government! You got this!"

"I anticipation it's to springiness radical a laugh," she said. 

After the race, Steele told CBC Hamilton the motion prompted tons of laughs and thumbs up. "It was decidedly a hit."

The different broadside of Steele's motion promised Toronto Maple Leafs prima guardant Auston Matthews would beryllium waiting astatine the decorativeness line. That connection was for her daughter, Lily, who Steele said is simply a large instrumentality of the hockey player. 

The brace was readying to tally the 30-km contention together, but Steele couldn't owed to an injury. She said Lily — who fundraised over $2,200 for crab probe successful the lead-up to the race— finished the contention successful her people clip but "sadly, [Matthews] was not astatine the decorativeness enactment waiting for her."

Hauser besides had an wounded but was inactive capable to race. He said helium ran slower than helium mightiness person different but inactive had a large clip and celebrated with household and friends after.

The fastest antheral to tally the 30-km region was Phil Parrot-Migas from London, Ont., who finished with a clip of 1 hr 37 minutes 30 seconds. 

The fastest pistillate was Rachel Hannah of Port Elgin, Ont., whose clip was 1:47:38. 

Hannah and Parrot-Migas were besides the quickest pistillate and antheral past year. 

The fastest Hamilton runner to implicit the 30-km contention was Andrew Aguanno with a clip of 1:46:05.