Honda Waterfront Run returns to Barrie after three-year hiatus

After a three-year pandemic-forced pause, a popular outdoor run returned to Barrie, shutting down much of the city's downtown core.

The Honda Waterfront Run was last held in June of 2019. This year participants laced up for either a half-marathon, 10km or 5km run along Kempenfelt Bay. Organizers say the weather for its return could not have been better.

"It's so amazing. We have had some rainy days here in the past," says Jason Vurma, the president of Multisport Canada, the producers of the Honda-sponsored run. "I can very distinctly remember starting some races in a raincoat. But I mean, the sun's just coming out even more now. It's going to be a great day; low humidity, low temperatures, so an absolutely perfect day for a run."

This year there were approximately 1250 registered runners. While that's down from the typical 1500 registrants, Vurma says they wanted a phased return after a few years with no run.

"Coming back from the pandemic, we thought let's just keep it simple, keep it manageable," Vurma says. "There were a few people that were a little late to the party that want to mark June 4, 2023, in their calendar for the next iteration of the Honda Waterfront Run!"

The run was made possible thanks to multiple community partners coming together. Various volunteer partners included the Barrie Trojans, the Kempets Gymnasts and the Barrie Sailing Club, the City of Barrie, city police and other groups.

"Gilda's Club, Seasons Center for Grieving Children, Autism Ontario are going to be down here to help us with our kids run a little bit later, and Candlelighters of Simcoe County are helping with one of our water stations," says Vurma. "So gluing all of those partners together is what makes it fun. It's a lot of work; there's no doubt about that. But it's what we love to do, so we wouldn't want to be anywhere else on a Sunday morning in June."