There was no danger of heat exhaustion for participants of the Sudbury Rocks! Race, Run or Walk for Diabetes Sunday morning.
More than 2,000 people — from babies in strollers to moms and dads to grandmas and grandpas — flooded downtown Sudbury streets, participating in one of five distance events.
The temperature hovered around the freezing mark, and even a few snowflakes fell. But that didn't stop the throng of runners and walkers from doing their thing.
Caroline Gordon, and her son, Huntley, who is almost two years old, were among the sea of participants. Huntley and mom participated in the kids run, but he also joined dad in the five-km run, except he would enjoy it from the comfort of his stroller.
“It's a good cause,” said Caroline, after the race. “I've always enjoyed running, and I want Huntley to enjoy running. He did great. He ran most of it. This is his second year participating. Last year, he participated before he was even one year old.”
The event is held to coincide with Mother's Day, and every lady who crosses the finish line is given a carnation to honour them, said Vince Purdue, one of the organizers of the race.
As for the weather for the race, he said he can't really complain about it.
“It's not exactly warm, and we did have a couple of snowflakes, but we haven't had any real issues, and everyone seems pretty happy,” Purdue said. “There was lot of rain yesterday, and the weather forecast kept changing, so I'm really happy to see so many people out here helping us do what we want to do – make Sudbury healthier and drive diabetes out of town.”
Race results will be posted at sudburyrocksmarathon.com.
