The heart behind Hamilton’s Boxing Day Run: Joe’s story of community and connection at the YMCA
09-12-2025
For as long as he can remember, the YMCA has been a part of Joe Curto’s life.
He grew up in downtown Hamilton in an immigrant, low-income family, and like many local kids, he first discovered the Y as an 11- or 12-year-old looking for somewhere safe to play, swim, and just be himself. Back then, the building was still a men’s club, but for Joe, it was a place of energy, activity, and opportunity.
As he moved into his late teens, the YMCA became even more important. He joined so he could start working out—“trying to be that Mr. Atlas type of body,” he jokes—but what he found was a place that offered everything: the gym, the pool, classes, and people from all walks of life.
“I like diverse backgrounds,” he says. “I like talking to people from everywhere. You learn so much from each other.”
Decades later, Joe still uses the Y, still pops into different YMCAs when he travels for work, and still calls it his community.
It was also at the Y that Joe discovered something else that would shape his life: running. In the early 1990s, he joined the Hamilton Harriers, a club that at the time was based out of the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA and drew about 200 members. He ran his first marathon, Around the Bay, at 21. He hasn’t stopped running since.
But there is one race that holds a special place in Joe’s heart: the Hamilton Boxing Day Run.
Held every year on December 26, the Boxing Day Run has been a Hamilton tradition for more than a century. The 2025 event will mark its 102nd running, with both a 10-mile and a 4-mile distance. Historically, the race began at 79 James Street S, right at the doors of the Hamilton Downtown Family YMCA.
Joe ran the race for many years, but it wasn’t until an injury sidelined him that he discovered a new way to stay involved. Instead of racing, he volunteered. What began as a one-time gesture of giving back grew into a commitment spanning two decades. When the former race director stepped away, Joe stepped up.
He didn’t want to see a piece of Hamilton’s running history disappear.
“This race has been around a long time,” he says. “It’s part of the community. Like Around the Bay, you don’t want to lose something that’s been a staple for Hamilton.”
As the current race director, Joe is determined not just to preserve the Boxing Day Run, but to grow it. Now, he wants that growth to benefit the organization that shaped him from childhood through adulthood.
The YMCA.
“I keep coming because I know the Y helps people,” he says simply. It’s what motivates him to turn the Boxing Day Run into a yearly fundraiser for YMCA Hamilton|Burlington|Brantford. He imagines a partnership where runners and community members can help raise funds for the Y’s life-changing programs.
With the announcement of the new YMCA building planned for downtown Hamilton, Joe sees even greater potential.
“With the new building, I think this race could help raise money for the Y,” he says. “The more help we have, the more we can grow. And the more we grow, the more we can give back.”
The Boxing Day Run has always been about tradition, community, and resilience in the cold of winter. For Joe, it is also about gratitude—for the YMCA that shaped him, for the running community that embraced him, and for the city he has called home all his life.
On December 26, 2025, at 12 p.m., runners will once again gather for the 10-mile and 4-mile events. Joe will be there, as he always is, helping, organizing, encouraging, and dreaming of what the race can become.
