The 2025 St. Lawrence Marathon Saturday drew 1,250 runners to Cornwall for one of Eastern Ontario’s most scenic and popular races.
Featuring a net-downhill, Boston-qualifying marathon course starting at Crysler Park Marina and finishing at St. Lawrence College, along with a half-marathon, 10K, and 5K, starting at the college, the event attracted participants from across Canada and the United States.
Sebastian Warner, Race Director and participant in the 5K, said this year’s event broke records for registration. “We had a record number of entries this year, 1,250,” he said. “About 80 per cent are from out of town, and we had runners from places as far away as Nashville, Florida, and Minneapolis. We also had about 25 students from Paul Smith’s College just across the border.” Warner, who finished 11th in the men’s 5K with a time of 21:57, noted the wet weather didn’t dampen spirits. “Some people love running in the rain, some people don’t show up, but personally, I run a little hot so it’s nice having the rain cool me down.”
In the men’s full marathon, Jacob Cameron of Ottawa captured first place in 2:37:51. Christian Belair of Cornwall finished 34th with a strong time of 3:11:41. “I’m very happy with that time, considering the bad weather,” said Belair. “I’m training for an Ironman in Ottawa this August, so today was about making sure I’m in good running shape. Plus, I think I’m one of only two people who’ve run every marathon here, so I wanted to keep the streak going.” Green Valley’s Jeff Lapierre also had a notable result, finishing 24th in 3:07:01.
On the women’s side, Laurence LaPlante from Lanaudière took top honours in the marathon with a time of 3:11:56. Robyn Major of Summerstown impressed with a fifth-place finish in 3:22:51, while Gabrielle Laframboise of Bainsville placed 12th (3:32:15), Jennifer Bonneville of Ingleside finished 13th (3:35:51), and Karen Brink of Cornwall crossed the line 32nd (3:52:50).
In the men’s half-marathon, South Glengarry’s Isaac Fraser dominated with a winning time of 1:11:45. Other local finishes included Mark Williams of Lancaster in 16th (1:30:23) and Laughlin Franklin of Alexandria in 23rd (1:34:00). In the women’s half-marathon, Callie Smith of Cornwall finished 24th (1:49:42), followed closely by Leah McDonell of Williamstown in 25th (1:49:46) and Emily MacLachlan of Summerstown in 30th (1:52:03).
The 10K saw Cornwall’s Yanik Demers finish 15th among men (44:10), while Williamstown’s Jared Johnson placed 13th (42:20). Among the women, Cornwall’s Lauren Templeton placed fifth (47:35), with Melanie Samis of Long Sault 18th (53:59) and Kelsey Cook of Ingleside 20th (55:40).
Cornwall runners also excelled in the 5K, with Dylan Gillespie winning the men’s race in 17:20. Alejandro Garcia (7th, 20:22) and Neeray Mullur (10th, 21:04) had top finishes alongside Warner. In the women’s 5K, Josee Daze of Cornwall placed fourth (22:48), Zoe Hannah Meunier seventh (22:50), and Emily Vallance of St. Andrew’s West eighth (22:53).
Warner praised the efforts of over 160 volunteers and community partners like Cornwall Tourism and SDG Tourism for making the event possible. “We give back to over 13 local charities, nonprofits, and service clubs,” he said. “Without the volunteers, this wouldn’t be possible.”
Alexandr Sergheev of Montreal finished 33rd in the marathon with a time of 3:10:27.
