Safety is the priority
With COVID-19 still circulating in our province, this year’s events will be a little different. To keep everyone safe and healthy, all volunteers, participants and spectators who are age 12 and over must be fully vaccinated. There are also limits on the number of runners who can take part in each race and other COVID-19 measures in place, such as pre-event race kit pickup and masking in start areas.

Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run
The Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run will kick-off on Saturday, Nov. 6. Participants aged 12 and over must be fully vaccinated. One support person (masked and fully vaccinated) can accompany a participant who is under 12. Runners can choose between two distances for the youth run – a 2K starting at 10 a.m. and a 4K starting at 10:15 a.m. To help manage the crowds, each race is capped at 500 people. Click here for more details.

As always, Doctors Nova Scotia is proud to be sponsoring this event, which has become one of the biggest youth runs in Canada. Blue Nose organizers have proven with the previous races they’ve hosted this year (including the Valley Harvest Marathon and the Popsicle Run) that they can deliver safe (and fun!) in-person events. We know that the Doctors Nova Scotia Youth Run will be no exception.

Get outside and move!
If you’re not ready for an in-person event, you can also register to complete the Youth Run virtually. You’d pick up your race kit in person and then complete your distance in a place and time of your choosing.

Don’t want to race? Just get outside and celebrate being healthy in your own way: head out with your kids for a run in your neighbourhood or try a fun fall activity where you can get in some movement and enjoy the autumn colours.

Kids Run Club connection
Many of the young runners who take part in the Youth Run got their first taste of running with the Kids Run Club (KRC), a free running program offered at schools across Nova Scotia. More than 17,500 kids take part in this amazing program each year, which not only teaches them how to run, but also how to set goals and have fun getting fit together.

Kids Run Club will be gearing up again in the new year – click here for more details and learn how your school or community group can take part.

Inspo for teachers
In the meantime, many teachers and coaches are taking part in KRC Let’s Move, a free, bilingual program that helps get students moving, whether in the classroom or during at-home learning. It features KRC Let’s Move Videos – a fun series of five-minute movement breaks kids can do anywhere.

Have you or your family taken part in the Blue Nose Marathon? Tell us about your experience in the comment section below.

Nova Scotia quick links

Drop-in vaccination clinics in Nova Scotia
Getting vaccinated against COVID-19
List of COVID-19 exposures in Nova Scotia
Getting tested for COVID-19
Public Health mobile testing unit locations
Rapid testing locations
Self-isolating guidelines
Mental health and well-being
Nova Scotia COVID-19 resources
Download the free COVID Alert app