It wasn’t easy for road races to recover following the pandemic. 

But when you have local support like the WMass Mother's Day Half Marathon in Whately, things can get right back to pre-COVID levels.

The 14th running of the Mother’s Day Half Marathon will take place on Sunday, and race director Sue Monahan — who helped start the race — said it’s a great race to attend to honor moms who have impacted your life. 

“This is such a great race,” Monahan said. “I tell everyone it has a vibe like no other race. I run a lot of races but everyone is just so happy to be here and so appreciative of all the runners. It’s Mother’s Day so you have moms running the race, kids running for their mom, dads running it. You can run it as a mom, for your mom, because of your mom, because of someone else’s mom… You can honor someone by running.” 

The race begins at 8 a.m. at the Yankee Candle Production Facility in Whately (102 Christian Lane), and the 13.1-mile course will finish nearby at the Whately Police Station (77 Christian Lane).

“People can still take their moms out to brunch [after] and spend the day with the moms if they choose,” Monahan said. “We have a lot of people who run this race in memory of their moms which really helps tighten the community.” 

The Mother’s Day Half Marathon sees runners and spectators come back year after year. It’s the community feel that Monahan credits for that. The race set a record number of participants in 2019, then had to cancel in 2020 due to COVID-19. It saw numbers go down the last few years but this year, 422 participants had signed up as of Friday, with Monahan projecting as many as 470 once race day sign ups — which begin at 6 a.m. Sunday at Yankee Candle in Whately — commence. 

“I hoped it would get to this point but you just never know,” Monahan said. “You never know if it will fall apart and after COVID, you wondered if people would come back. What helps for us is how local the race is. The money raised stays local which is a big part of people coming back.” 

Monahan’s sons, while now grown up, will still be there at the race helping their mom out in any way possible. 

“My sons and my husband help out a ton,” Monahan said. “They’ll go get ice, they’ll be in and out. They’ll be there supporting.” 

While a Mother’s Day event, the race raises funds for Cancer Connection, an organization which states its mission is to provide a haven where people with cancer and their loved ones can learn how to navigate the complicated cancer journey through one-to-one guidance, education, peer support, integrative therapies and creative programs to strengthen body and spirit.

One-hundred percent of the proceeds go to Cancer Connection, adding to the local component of the race.

Easthampton’s Meridith Masloski — who works as a dispatcher in Agawam — saw signs for the race in 2014 while driving to work. 

After researching and seeing that the proceeds go to Cancer Connection, Masloski, who has lost family members to cancer, decided to run the race, her first half marathon ever.  

Masloski has been running it each year since, matching all donations that go toward her fundraising goal. Since her first ever running in 2014, Sunday will mark Masloski’s 113th half marathon.

“One of the best things about fundraising for the Mother’s Day Half Marathon is knowing all the money goes to Cancer Connection,” Masloski said. “I’ve lost relatives to cancer so knowing 100 percent of the money raised goes to Cancer Connection makes matching my fundraising goal a no-brainer.”

This year’s race is extra special for Masloski. She’s running for Brittney Bliss, who passed away just days after her fifth birthday from cancer.

“Every year I’ve run it for someone, whether it be a dear friend who passed away from cancer or a family member I lost to cancer,” Masloski said. “This year I’m running in memory of a little girl, Brittney Bliss, who passed away from cancer. Her family goes to the same gym as me and I’ve gotten to know them throughout all this. I wish there was more to be done to help fight childhood cancer and raising money for Cancer Connection is a great way to do it. I requested bib No. 5 to honor her.” 

Like so many, it’s the community aspect that keeps bringing Masloski back as she calls it her favorite race on the calendar.

“If they ran this race three times a year I would do it,” Masloski said. “It’s so well run and they do such a good job with it. My goal is to have fun and finish with a smile.”

For more information about Sunday’s race, visit www.mothersdayhalfmarathon.com