Cape Breton Fiddlers Marathon set for this weekend

Runners in Cape Breton will get a chance to see of they’re as fit as a fiddle this weekend.

The Cape Breton Fiddlers Marathon takes place on Sunday with all four races beginning and ending at the Victoria Park Armouries in Sydney’s north end.

The marathon start time is 8:15 a.m., followed by the half marathon sat 8:40 a.m., the 10K at 9:20 a.m., and the 5K at 9:45 a.m.

This flat, paved course runs along Sydney’s downtown waterfront and serves as a Boston Marathon qualifying race.

The first part of the race will be run along the Esplanade on the south shore of the harbour. Runners will first pass by the Joan Harris Cruise Pavilion, home of the world’s largest fiddle, then Wentworth Park, before reaching 2.5-kilometres mark, which is the turnaround point for the 5K runners.

The remaining runners will continue along Kings Road to Sydney River where they will take their first turn onto Lewis Drive where 10K participants will turn around at the railroad crossing.

The remaining runners will continue on to Harbourview Drive after the railroad crossing before the second turn of their race onto Keltic Drive where they will cross over the harbour via the Sydney River Bridge.

On the north shore of Sydney harbour, runners will turn right onto Westmount Road, which will bring runners within a couple metres of the harbour as they run past more residential streets.

They will then past the Dobson Yacht Club before reaching the Royal Canadian Legion in Westmount, which marks the quarter-marathon point.

All runners will turn around and make their way back to the starting line, with full marathon runners returning for the second half of their race.

For more information, visit fiddlersmarathon.com.

Online registration closes on Oct. 16.

Participants can take part in the Fiddlers Race Expo and pick up race kits on Oct. 17 at Victoria Park from 1-5 p.m.