FIVE ISLANDS – A famous run on the bottom of the ocean will be the highlight of the weekend in Five Islands.
The sixth annual Not Since Moses Run takes place this Sunday. A five and 10 km run begins at 8:30 a.m. while the basket run for children gets underway at 10:30 a.m.
Participants run and walk on the bottom of the sea during the summer's lowest tide. In the Minas Basin where Five Islands is located, the tides range daily from as low as .4 metres to as high as 15 metres.
“There’s no run in the world like it,” said organizer Dick Lemon of Five Islands.
“It’s not competitive or for elite athletes only … and people come from all over to do it,” including from throughout Canada, the United States, Germany, Kuwait and others.
In the beginning, in 2007, about 180 people did the run. Last year, about 900 people participated. Lemon estimated more than 1,000 people are signed up for the event, but he anticipates that number could go as high as 1,200.
There are a few changes this year. For one, runners will race “more toward the shore” instead of across the mud flats. The change comes at the request of the Clammers’ Association to avoid their work beds.
“We will get some mud, just not as much,” said Lemon.
Water will also be available on the course at the halfway point of the 10km run and at the 5km turn-around point.
“Water will be tossed from a boat,” explained Lemon.
The public is encouraged to watch the event.
