Since it began, the race has been held every year except for 1917 to 1919 (due to World War I), 1925 to 1935, 1962 (due to construction), and 2020 and 2021 (due to the COVID-19 pandemic).[2][3][4]
History
The Hamilton Herald Newspaper and cigar store owner "Billy" Carroll, originated and sponsored the "Herald Road Race", the first Around the Bay Road Race, run on Christmas Day, 1894. Thirteen racers ran the 19 mile and 168 yard course around Hamilton Harbour. Billy Marshall won the race and was awarded a $25 silver cup and some boxes of cigars.[2][5][6]
Scotty Rankine won a record seven races in the 1930s and 1940s, while Peter Maher won his fifth Bay race in 1996, tying the record of local Gord Dickson, who had five wins in the late 1950s.[6]
In February 2020, race organizers announced that the 30k race route would change to exclude the signature trek up the Valley Inn Road hill after the city of Hamilton closed the road's pedestrian bridge due to safety concerns.[8] This ultimately didn't matter as, on March 13, the race was cancelled due to the rapidly progressing COVID-19 pandemic.[9]
2021
In 2021, the ATB held a virtual race in lieu of the regular in-person event due to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to ATB's 5k and 30k race distance, the virtual race included 2k, 10k, and 15k race distances as well as The Hammer challenge that honoured runners who completed all five race distances.[10]
2022
The ATB returned to in-person racing in 2022 following two years of COVID-19 related restrictions. The 30k race featured 3,362 participants and the 5k race 777 participants. The race raised $275,000 for the St. Joseph's Healthcare Foundation.[11][12]
Construction work on the Valley Inn Road bridge was completed less than a month before race day, allowing for the road's iconic Heartbreak Hill to be included in the 30k race route.[13][14][15]
2023
The Burlington Canal Lift Bridge, historically the ATB's 15-kilometre mark, was closed on January 5 for major maintenance and scheduled to reopen on March 20, less than a week before race day.[16][17] The bridge did reopen on March 20 as scheduled, allowing the race to proceed.[18]
Race day was March 26 with more than six thousand participants.[19] The men's 5k race had an unusual finish as several leading runners took a wrong turn onto Queen Street, missing out on their chance to win the race.[20]
Race
All races start on York Boulevard, one block west of the FirstOntario Centre. All races finish inside FirstOntario Centre. On Sunday, March 29, 2007, over 9,000 participants crossed the finish line.[21] Due to upcoming major renovations to FirstOntario Centre, race organizers announced that the start and finish for the 2024 race will move to Tim Hortons Field.[22]
The 30 kilometre race is also known as the Billy Sherring Memorial Road Race.[23] It is also called the 30K Around The Bay.
Winners
This section needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (December 2023)
