Older adults prepare to take on the Bluenose Marathon in Halifax

A group of walkers at a retirement residence in Halifax are training to participate in the 10K at the Bluenose Marathon.

What began as a one-kilometre walk has turned into a 10-kilometre goal for a group of seniors at a Halifax retirement residence preparing to take part in this year’s Bluenose Marathon.

Six residents from Parkland at the Common are set to participate in the marathon on May 17 after spending months training together as part of a walking group known as the “Pacers.”

The group includes residents who had never attempted long-distance walking before moving into the community.

Their training started modestly, with a one-kilometre walk during the first week. From there, the group gradually increased the distance each week, eventually completing a 10-kilometre route through Halifax on April 19 that sidewalks and the climb up Citadel Hill.

Anne Krane, 83, said joining the walking group dramatically changed her activity level after years of being largely sedentary.

“When I first came to Parkland, I couldn’t walk much more than a block at a time,” she said.

Krane said she stopped walking regularly after losing her dog and spent about four years inactive before moving into the residence in January. Now, she walks daily and joins the Pacers three times a week.

“I can easily do 7K now,” she said. “I walk from here to the library at least twice a week.”

While Krane will not participate in the 10-kilometre Bluenose walk this year, she plans to cheer on the group at both the start and finish lines.

“The distance isn’t important to me,” she said. “What’s important to me is being outside and enjoying the beauty of the outside.”

She said the walking group has improved her health and social life in only a few months.

“If I hadn’t come here, my health would have deteriorated markedly,” Krane said. “Instead, it’s just improved tremendously.”

Among those preparing for the 10-kilometre event is resident Ingrid Noseworthy, who said she has been increasing her hydration, watching her diet and fitting in additional walks between scheduled group outings.

“I’m looking forward to it,” Noseworthy said. “I’m kind of in with the crew, and I’ve had a lot of support from the fellow women who are in it with me.”

Noseworthy said her daughter will also be travelling from Toronto to walk with her during the marathon.

The walking group also includes Rod McCullough, one of the founders of the Bluenose Marathon.

McCullough said the experience of training with the group has differed from previous years, when most of his preparation was done alone.

“They’re all doing something that they haven’t done before,” he said. “Going through the training process is really good, because you need to do the training or else you can’t do the run.”

McCullough said the goal of the Bluenose Marathon remains the same more than 20 years after the first event in 2004.

“The purpose of the Bluenose is to get people interested in exercise and good health,” he said. “Whether they run or walk, the route is irrelevant. The issue is to participate.”

Other residents who are not taking part in the race this year still plan to support the walkers from the sidelines.

Gail Ure, another member of the Pacers group, said she hopes to eventually participate in a future Blue Nose event herself.

“I’m going to be at the end and at the beginning of the line to cheer them,” she said. “It’s always a next step.”

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