Lacing up for literacy — that’s what around 1,500 runners and walkers will do this weekend in downtown Moncton.

It is the second in-person Legs for Literacy event since COVID that will see participants on the roads and trails in Moncton, Dieppe and Riverview.

“The vast majority are primarily from the Greater Moncton area and within New Brunswick itself, but we do attract runners from Nova Scotia,  PEI, Ontario, Quebec, and even the odd runner from the U.S. over the next few years, that’s one area that we really hope to try and develop because it has become an important event for the community. The more athletes that we can bring in from away, then they’re hopefully staying in the hotels for the long weekend, eating in the restaurants, doing a bit of shopping and spending their hard-earned disposable income in the Moncton area,” says race director Garth Millar.

Last year, the event raised $40,000, but Miller is hoping they can surpass that in 2023.

“We have a whole range of events, which kick off on Saturday morning at 11:30, with our kid’s family run. They’ll run one kilometre on the Riverfront trail. On Sunday morning we have a 5k, a 10k, half marathon and full marathon. It’s our first full literacy marathon since 2018. It’s just fantastic to see so many people on the starting line,” Miller adds.

There is a virtual component as well, something that was started as a result of the pandemic and has been maintained because not everyone is available on race weekend.

Registration has been ongoing for months, but there is still an opportunity to sign up on the day of the event.

If you’re not a runner, they are also looking for volunteers, “We’ll probably have in excess of 100 volunteers on the course this weekend supporting the athletes. We just cannot run these events without volunteers,” Miller says.

More information on how to participate can be found on the Legs for Literacy website.