Maritimers set to run Boston Marathon despite Trump, tariffs

With one month to go before the Boston Marathon, Maritime runners are eager to hit the start-line.

The 129th Boston Marathon is one month away and despite the current political climate between Canada and the United States, plenty of Maritimers from all three provinces plan to run the world’s most famous footrace.

“If you asked me about six years ago, this would not have been on my radar,” said Krista Starzomski of Howie Centre, N.S. “During COVID, I got into running.”

Starzomski, a French immersion teacher at Whitney Pier Memorial Middle School, is set to run her third consecutive Boston Marathon.

“It’s a pretty humbling feeling to be there to represent your community,” she said. “I have a whole school of kids who know what I do, and they cheer me on all the way.”

For Garett Landry of Thorburn, N.S., this will be his first Boston Marathon. The 38-year-old plans to run it with Pictou County pride.

“It’s something really big for me, because it’s something that I didn’t even have the confidence to think that I could do,” Landry said.

Having run the Chicago Marathon last fall, Landry said he has some idea what to expect from the big Beantown crowds.

The streets are lined from start to finish," he said. “There’s runners on both sides of you - front and back of you - the whole time. It’s just… the energy that you absorb during this run, that I did in Chicago, it just changes everything.”

Starzomski was asked whether she has any misgivings about travelling to the United States given the tension surrounding Canadian tariffs and President Donald Trump.

“I would be a little apprehensive if I had not gone before, but I know what it’s like when I get there,” she said. “I know how warm and welcoming the town - all of the towns are, as a matter of fact.”

Starzomski said as an example to her students, she owes it to them to keep going.

“It’s great for them to know that later on in life that you can actually try new things,” she said. “You’re never too old, and it’s never too late.”

“It’s just recognition that I did something that I didn’t think I could do myself,” Landry said. “I’m really excited to be able to hang that medal on the wall.”

This year’s Boston Marathon is set for April 21.