While the PEI Marathon had provided a continuing venue for runners in recent decades as one of the top five qualifying races in Canada for the fabled Boston Marathon, the history of organized running goes back many years on the Island.
The PEI Roadrunners have compiled a history of their early efforts in establishing marathoning on the Island starting in 1979 and continuing into the 1980s as well as documenting some outstanding runners historically in the Maritimes and on PEI.
In PEI, Michael Thomas established himself as one of Canada’s best distance runners prior to WWI - in 1911 he finished 26th at Boston.
Following in the footsteps of Michael Thomas, another Island Mi’kmaq runner, John Paul, established himself as a premier distance runner in the 1930s. His record included a 13th place finish in the 1936 Boston Marathon. Like Thomas, Paul has been inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame.
The full article is here.
As well the club maintains a full history of running and club activities as well as scans of many news clippings.
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