WINNING AT HOME: Andrew de Putter finishes first in Valley Harvest Marathon

The third time was a charm for Andrew de Putter.

The Greenwich resident, who grew up in Wolfville, won the Valley Harvest Marathon in 2:31:33 in his hometown on Oct. 11.

“It’s really amazing,” he said after crossing the finish line. “I have been training since May.”

He ran the marathon in 3:08 in 2024 and in 2:55 in 2022. He credited his work with coach Johanna Kariankei from Kenya for helping him improve.

“It’s just been such a blessing, such a privilege,” de Putter said. “The other (marathons), I really hit the wall. This time, I felt like I hit it less.”

De Putter planned to head to his parent’s home and have Thanksgiving dinner with them and his aunts and uncles.

Alexandra Quimby won the women’s division in 2:54:49.

“It was really fun,” the Halifax resident said. “It was a really beautiful course, gorgeous this time of the year, and nice on-course support.”

It was her first time running the Wolfville marathon. She ran the marathon in Toronto during the spring, but it didn’t go as well as planned. After dealing with some injuries, she concentrated on a consistent training schedule and decided to run the Valley race, which starts and ends at Acadia University.

She said the morning started out cool and crisp, but warmed up during the race.

“A perfect day for running.”

She said her family, including her toddler, and friends might head to a pumpkin patch before heading home to relax.

“It’s a great marathon. I’d definitely run it again.”

The 34th annual marathon, a Boston qualifier, attracted 247 runners. There were 3,111 entries in the other four divisions ran on Oct. 11.

Beechville’s Ian Loughead won the ultra marathon in 3:27:47 while Halifax’s Michelle Kemigisha won the female race in 4:40:47.

Erin MacLean Coates capped off an impressive eight days by winning the women’s half marathon.

The Greenwood native was inducted into the Kingston Greenwood Sports Hall of Fame on Oct. 3 and the St. F.X. Sports Hall of Fame about 24 hours before the half marathon. She called it an “incredibly humbling” few days.

“(I am) truly honoured to still be doing the sport and healthy,” she said. “Coming and having a really great race is kind of like the icing on the cake at this point.”

MacLean Coates stopped the timer in 1:21:15. It was the first time she had run the Wolfville-Port Williams course and her first Valley Harvest Marathon.

“It’s so exciting,” the Halifax Road Hammers runner said. “I am a true Valley girl. To come here and have some fun with the race and with my teammates and the people I train with, it’s been a great day for that. You couldn’t ask for anything better.”

She was excited to share her training mates all turned in personal-best times.

Joe Stewart won the men’s half marathon in 1:10.

“It’s amazing on a course like this, which is a pretty tough course, to go that fast,” he said. “I didn’t think I was going to go that fast today at all. It was awesome.”

He said the conditions suited him. The temperature was recorded by Environment Canada as 2 C at 8 a.m. in nearby Kentville. The marathon and ultra marathon runners hit the course at 7:30 a.m., 15 minutes before the half marathon participants.

“It was beautiful – perfect temperature, no wind,” he said. “Coming over the dikes, just absolutely gorgeous as the sun was rising. It was like a perfect day.”

He ran the full marathon, which is two loops of the half marathon course, two years ago. That familiarity helped him prepare for this year’s race.

“I knew exactly where all the hills were,” he said. “That helped a lot to kind of ease up the effort on the steep hills and then really send it on the descends.”

MacLean Coates commended the organizers for a well-run marathon and the local community for turning out to support the runners.

“Look around at all the people here, it’s something special,” she said at Raymond Field on the Acadia campus. “That certainly speaks volumes to the Valley.”

Halifax’s Daniel Boyle turned heads again this year as he ran the course in a suit while carrying a briefcase.

It wasn’t that he was trying to set a fashion trend, but punishment for finishing last in his fantasy football league in 2025-26. It was the second year in a row he found himself in the basement. A year ago, his team was 1-4 when he ran the marathon.

“It didn’t get any better from there,” he said after crossing the finish line.

“We lost again, but we came back, we did it. I am really happy with my time, and again, what a race – a fun course.”

Despite the unusual running attire, Boyle completed the five-kilometre course in 23:16 – a 17-second improvement from 2025.

“I thought I’d dress up a little more, get a nicer suit,” he said, noting he added a tie and belt to the outfit this year.

While the suit was nicer, he said, it was restrictive in the shoulders. Boyle also invested in a better pair of running shoes for the endeavour this year.

He said this season’s fantasy team is looking better and was boosted by a big performance by Tampa Bay running back Bucky Irving on Oct. 8.

“I am liking my chances. I think I see a championship in my future,” he said, before quickly asking nobody to jinx it.

There are 12 teams in his fantasy football league. Two teams have two managers, so there’s 14 managers in the league. About half of them were in Wolfville to support him. They complimented him on how good he looked in the suit and tie before the race.

“They’re here, they’re supportive, and I love them for that,” Boyle said. “Not all of them could make it today, but they all sent me their best wishes this morning.”

Boyle said people noticed him from 2025 before and during this year’s race. They were friendly and cheering him on. While he appreciated the support, he’s hoping this was his last time running the course in a suit.

A look at the top-five finishers in each category from the Valley Harvest Marathon.

Ultra marathon

Men

Ian Loughead, Beechville                                              3:27:47

Philipe Frenette, Halifax                                                3:36:32

Diego Alexei Jaramillo Moreno, Charlottetown, P.E.I.   3:54:36

Jamie Veinotte, Pine Grove                                           3:55:57

Ondrej Tomek, Wolfville                                                4:04:33

Women

Michelle Kemigisha, Halifax                                          4:40:47

Youmn Young, Halifax                                                   4:56:54

Brianna Myer, Halifax                                                    5:00:27

Juliane Heidrich, Port Dufferin                                      5:20:49

Susan Hardiman, Cole Harbour                                    5:22:13

Marathon

Men

Andrew de Putter, Greenwich                                     2:31:33

Kevin LeBlanc, Brookside                                            2:40:23

Brody Wright, Halifax                                                 2:52:52

Matthew McGrail, Halifax                                          2:54:39

Evan Trites, Kingston                                                 2:58:28

Women

Alexandra Quimby, Halifax                                       2:54:49

Gina MacInnis, Antigonish                                       3:05:48

Tanna Burke, Dartmouth                                          3:07:07

Marielena Zimmermann, Halifax                              3:10:44

Stephanie Seaward, Dartmouth                               3:21:23

Half marathon

Men

Joe Stewart, Halifax                                                 1:10:00

Alec Freeman, Halifax                                              1:10:26

Jordan Thimer, Dartmouth                                      1:18:08

Ivan Lewis, Antigonish County                                1:18:17

Dave Espeseth, Dartmouth                                      1:18:17

Women

Erin MacLean Coates, Halifax                                   1:21:15

Ivy Białowąs, Fredericton, N.B.                                 1:24:55

Mila Souilliere, Ottawa                                             1:27:28

Andrea Sin, Granville Ferry                                       1:28:46

Kelly van Niekerk, Wolfville                                      1:28:55

10 kilometre

Men

Sondre Tragethon, Oslo                                             33:26

Jonathan Peverill, Halifax                                           33:49

Espen Vasby, Halifax                                                  34:08

Jeff Gorman, Dartmouth                                           35:12

Peter Smith, Dartmouth                                            36:04

Women

Kyla Gillis, Kentville                                                   36:48

Charlotte Thibault, Dartmouth                                 38:12

Erin Poirier, Halifax                                                   38:36

Laura Hill, Bedford                                                   39:59

Robyn Manning, Kentville                                       41:02

Five kilometre

Men

Riley McCulloch, Port Williams                               15:20

Dan Lord, Windsor                                                  17:06

Zachary James, Windsor                                         17:10

Matt Parker, Dartmouth                                          17:48

Dillon Burgess, Kentville                                          17:56

Women

Debora Beach, Dartmouth                                      19:03

Nevaeh Spinney, Halifax                                         19:28

Bailey Milos, Halifax                                                19:59

Clara Wieczorek, Halifax                                          20:41

Emily Burns, Kentville                                              20:48