ELMSDALE: After an eight-year absence, the Penguin Run returned to Elmsdale on Sunday, bringing runners, walkers, families and plenty of community spirit back to a local tradition.
More than 350 participants, including children, took part in this year’s event, which featured a 5K adult run and a 1K kids run through the Elmsdale Business Park.
The event began at the Lloyd E. Matheson Building, home to the Municipality of East Hants, blood collection services and the library.
For organizers Rachel MacPhee and Felicia Hatcher, bringing the event back was both exciting and a little nerve-wracking.
“It hasn’t happened since 2018, so we are nervous, excited. Our first time as race directors,” the organizers said. “But the community definitely has shown interest and people are really excited, so it makes us really excited to bring it back.”
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Hatcher has a personal connection to the event. She ran the Penguin Run for the first time in 2013 and looked forward to participating every year, including running alongside her son.
“When it went away, we were really sad,” she said.
The idea of reviving the event began about a year ago when Hatcher and MacPhee started talking about bringing it back.
The pair also received valuable help from Mike and Lexi Juurlink, who had organized the run in the past.
That community support continued right through Sunday’s event.
The organizers had originally hoped to return to the traditional Penguin Run route, but construction in the area meant they had to come up with a new plan.
“The original race route is actually under construction right now,” they explained. “So that was our original plan was to go back to where it used to be.
“So we had to kind of pivot.”
With the Elmsdale Business Park having grown considerably since the last Penguin Run in 2018, organizers felt the area offered a safe and contained location for participants.
The decision appears to have worked, with the turnout exceeding expectations.
“We have way more than we ever expected,” the organizers said. “We’re exceeded our expectations, for sure. Absolutely. We have over 350 participants, including the children.”
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Making an event of that size happen also required plenty of helping hands.
More than 30 volunteers were on hand to assist with the return of the run.
“It takes a village,” the organizers said.
The Penguin Run name itself is part of the event’s history and community connection. When the run was first established, it was named after the Penguin running club, which had ties to the local hockey association and its Penguins connection.
Over the years, the name became a fun and lighthearted part of the event, with participants encouraged to embrace the penguin theme — whether they choose to run, walk or simply “waddle” their way through the course.
After disappearing from the local running calendar following the 2018 event, Sunday’s return showed there was still plenty of interest in bringing the tradition back.
For MacPhee and Hatcher, the hope now is that the Penguin Run has once again found a permanent place on the community calendar.
“Good luck to all the runners out there,” they said, extending the invitation to both runners and walkers. “Just see you guys next year and cross the finish line.”
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