Very first Around the Bay Road Race winner took home a silver cup and cigars

It was an idea hatched between cigar store owner Billy Carroll and owners of The Hamilton Herald newspaper.

They scheduled a long distance race for Christmas Day 1894, with the winner taking home a $25 silver cup and some boxes of cigars. Thirteen runners competed.

More than 127 years later, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019 and 2020, the Around the Bay Road Race is the oldest road race in North America. It's been around three years longer than the iconic Boston Marathon.

The Around the Bay Road Race is known globally, and established Hamilton as a centre for long-distance runners.

Competitors come from all over the world and run for various reasons. Some are competitive, hoping to win. Others run as a personal challenge. The race has seen many Olympic medallists compete. There are cancer survivors. Sometimes the run is a fundraiser or a tribute to a loved one.