This RunVan medal almost eluded me. Two months before the event, the BMO Vancouver Marathon (RunVan) announced that the 42K category had sold out! Having planned to register at the race expo, I was caught flat-footed. But, thanks to Facebook and Jennifer of the Vancouver International Marathon Society (VIMS), I got in. The rest is history.
The road to Vancouver in Beautiful British Columbia went through Incheon, South Korea. I was going to Vancouver, ranked in quality of life
surveys done by The Economist Intelligence Unit and Mercer as among the top 5 most livable cities in the world, for very personal and life-changing reasons. Running the city was the exclamation point!
This was my already my 7th trip to Canada but only the second to Vancouver. Seeing the white sails of Canada Place- the site of the marathon's fitness and health expo- again brought me back to 2007, when I began a tour of several Canadian provinces in Vancouver with my family. We visited and even had a few photos taken at this same harbor years ago!
Claiming the race packet was a breeze. A few weeks before, Jennifer of the VIMS had manually registered me in the race via an international phone patch. It wasn't just me from overseas. The 5,000 runners for the 42K came from 50 countries and 37% of all runners were from outside British Columbia. With these numbers, RunVan became Canada's biggest marathon event.
The RunVan's Health, Sports & Lifestyle Expo was held for four days at a new venue- the Vancouver Convention Center East in downtown Vancouver. Free to the public, tens of thousands of city visitors as well as participants had their hands and eyes full sampling or viewing products from official outfitter Saucony plus over 60 other exhibitors.
A Speakers Series was also held at the expo featuring, among others, RunVan's race day emcee, Running Room founder, and running book author John Stanton, plus some elite runners, sports bloggers, and even Miss Teen Vancouver World. Featured speakers gamely granted autograph requests from awe-struck participants.
RunVan has come a long way since it was first held in 1972 with 45 participants running five loops around Stanley Park in what was then known as the British Columbia Marathon. Forty one years and 15,000 entrants later, with the Bank of Montreal (BMO) as sponsor, RunVan is now listed by
Forbes Magazine as one of the world's top 10 marathons worth travelling for.
And who, given the chance, wouldn't travel to join this year's marathon in Vancouver? Runners and race organizers both were full of excitement as RunVan was set to unveil two brand new point to point courses this year- the first major course changes in a decade. Two separate race routes for the 21K and 42K events, offering more stunning views of the city!
The common starting point for both the full and half marathon races was beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park on Midlothian Avenue that was efficiently serviced by Translink Canada on race morning. In itself a tourist attraction, the park is considered as Vancouver's horticultural jewel with its own arboretum and floral conservatory.
With the race morning temperature hovering below 10 degrees Celsius, half marathon runners were the first to arrive at the park for their appointed 7:00 AM start. The full marathon runners, who were starting at 8:00 AM, soon followed. The skies were just of the right shade of blue and brilliance, promising runners a great day to run a marathon.
Corrals, based on expected finish times, were being used for the first time to manage the flow of runners at both the RunVan's start and finish areas. The 21K and 42K routes shared only the start area and the last two kilometers. As the course was point to point, runners checked their gear in UPS vans that transported them to a claim area inside Canada Place.
Elite runners led both the half and full marathon starting waves. Ethiopian Gezahgn Eshetu, running only his second marathon, won the men's 42K category with a time of 2:21:53. Ultrarunning Magazine's 2011 Female Ultrarunner of the Year Ellie Greenwood of North Vancouver finished first for the women's side at 2:42.18. Both pocketed a cool CAD$3000 prize.
A short program was held before the half marathon starting gun was fired. Brief speeches were delivered by Vancouver city and BMO officials and by Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society, a non-profit organization run by a volunteer Board of Directors. Eighteen months of preparation were finally about to be put to the test.
The sun was up already by the time runners in my corral reached the starting line for our wave start. Everybody was excited to run the new point to point course that organizers had so designed to rival the world's famous and iconic point to point marathon courses including those of Boston and New York. Lured by this novelty, race registrations went up 25% this year.
And what a stunning 42K course the 2012 RunVan had in store for all of us to experience and see! Beginning at the picturesque Queen Elizabeth Park, the marathon journey traveled south down the historical Cambie Boulevard adorned by cherry blossoms before turning west through Kerrisdale in South Vancouver on West 49th Avenue.
Then the course took us on a steep and difficult climb up Camosun Street in Dunbar. There was about a 50-meter elevation gain in a 1-km stretch at this second highest point in the marathon of over 100 meters above sea level. Residents, seeing some runners walk and struggle, offered drinks, cheers, and encouragement.
Then we circled around the lush greenery of Pacific Spirit Park, a 700+ hectares of forest and foreshore reserve west of the city. Separating the city from the University of British Columbia but very close to both, this urban hideaway is popular among visitors and nature lovers and easily reachable by foot, bike or bus.
Leaving the park, we then headed toward the University of British Columbia or UBC via West 16th Avenue lined up by lush forests and pine trees. At this portion of the run, I could only marvel at how lucky the city residents were to be with such luscious green surroundings.
Then we entered the UBC campus. This leg of the marathon journey was deja vu for me, bringing back a lot of memories from my 2007 visit with my family. That time, we toured the beautiful campus of the university, talked to students, staff and some faculty, and stayed on campus for three days.
The vintage pick-up truck, retro garb, and old-fashioned music sang by this lovely couple, Eva and Erik, participants of RunVan's Community Music Challenge who were stationed at UBC, didn't help any. Rather, their old songs only heightened the time-tunnel-like experience down memory lane at UBC for me.
Even this naked Barrel Man, unabashedly handing out flyers to the runners and all and sundry about a Bare Buns Run to be held in July reminded me of something rather funny. Full-of-curiosity, we gingerly walked along Vancouver's famous and clothing-optional Wreck Beach during our last time in this university.
We would then run on Marine Drive skirting the UBC campus. UBC is a premier public research university. It has the second largest library in Canada, with close to 6 million books, and is ranked second in the country and between 8th to 51st worldwide in various reputable surveys. There are seven Nobel laureates in its faculty.
It is UBC's readiness to accept and embrace new concepts and ideas that attract outstanding students and faculty. Waking up from my reverie, and continuing to run inside the sprawling 4-square kilometer campus of the university , we would get our first views of the Pacific Ocean, the Burrard Inlet, and the beautiful, snow-capped mountains of BC .
Then, after running on NW Marine Drive, we would eventually hit the Spanish Banks, west of Locarno Beach, where runners had to make a 100-foot out and back turnaround. The Spanish Bank hosts three of Vancouver's most secluded beaches while still offering some picture perfect views of the city skyline.
Up to this point, I was running strongly with the 4:30 pace group using a 10/1 Galloway run/walk strategy and led by a Running Room Pace Bunny. There would be 11 pace groups for the full marathon, aiming for finish times from 3:30 to 5:00. We would then continue on NW Marine Drive, greeted by cheering residents and relatives and friends of runners along the way.
Also, we would be serenaded by 'The Posing Till Closing Party Band' and the 'Miss You in Tuques', participants of the Community Music Challenge who, along with 15 other groups, provided music and entertainment along the course. The contest would be won by the Carnival Band (1st), Chibi Taiko (2nd), and Freddy Fuddpucker (3rd).
And as we went down the Jericho hill and on to West Point Grey, regarded as one of Canada's most exclusive neighborhoods and ranked the most expensive real estate market in North America, with minimum house prices upwards of CAD$2 million, we finally would be afforded the first clear view of the stunning skyline of Vancouver city.
The journey would then take us a few more avenues before running on Cornwall over the Burrard Bridge, one of three bridges crossing False Creek. This bridge was built in the early 1930s at a cost of CAD$3 million to connect downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano. An awesome structure, it was once hailed as 'A Symphony of Steel and Concrete'.
We would run on the western lane, next to the bike lane, of this 5-lane steel truss bridge. At times, race marshals on bikes would guide us and make sure that the oncoming car traffic gave way. The run on the bridge itself was memorable, with a man on a wheelchair shouting hurray and with RunVan streamers on both sides of the bridge.
Then it would be a run on the left lane of Pacific Avenue which turned into Beach Avenue and on to just before Bidwell to Kitsilano Beach Park. This very popular park is named after a pioneer who resisted, in vain, the Canadian Pacific Railway takeover of his homestead here during the 1890s.
On our left would be a wide expanse of sand where young guys threw Frisbees while couples gazed in silence at the pristine waters of the Pacific and/or simply enjoyed soaking in the rays of the sun with the beautiful views of English Bay and downtown Vancouver on the distant horizon.
On our right, the Lululemon Atletica cheer squad would remind us that, with such fresh air all around, we ought not to forget to breathe! They were participants of the BMO Cheer Challenge who were posted at 10 different points along the half and full marathon race routes. This spirit squad won the contest.
Before entering Vancouver's famous seawall, we would again be greeted by a phalanx of volunteers, part of the nearly 2,000 that helped stage the historic event. Known as the RunCrew, these tireless souls helped in the registration, water and medical stations, set-up/take down, food services, gear check, and t-shirt- or medal-giving.
Then it was on to the entrance of the seawall path at the inukshuk. Vancouver's seawall, that stretches from Kitsilano Beach Park to Coal Harbor via False Creek and Stanley Park to the Vancouver Convention Center at the waterfront. The seawall is the most popular recreational area in the city- a must-visit for tourists.
Along the seawall, one can bike, run, or skate using dedicated paths while enjoying magnificent views of the city and the sea. We would run along the entire length of the seawall surrounding Stanley Park, passing the 32 million-year-old Siwash Rock- a rock outgrowth or sea stack between Third Beach and Lions Gate Bridge.
And at Lions Gate Bridge, mariners aboard a passing ship shouted words of encouragement, keeping runners spirits high at this critical juncture of the race dreaded for the marathon wall. There would be more magnificent views along the way, perhaps way too many for the runners in a hurry.
In fact, in total, the seawall passes through 16 beautiful parks and past four community centers. Each park in itself being more than worthy of a full stop and exploration. And at this point in the course, the race organizers made sure that there was a rest and first aid area for runners who were injured, tired, or had hit the wall.
But instead of hitting the marathon wall, I hit the seawall instead! Camera in hand, I became more and more touristy. Then, after running almost 10 kilometers of the seawall at Stanley Park, we would finally be treated to the welcome sight of the skyline of Vancouver and the white sails of Canada Place as we approached the Nine O'clock Gun at 39K.
And with the last of the Community Music Challenge performers belting dance-ready tunes in Stanley Park, named after Lord Stanley, Governor General of Canada in 1888 when the park was officially opened, I drew on all my remaining energies to traverse the last 2K. By this point it was way past mid day.
As runners left the seawall, they were met and congratulated by youthful volunteers. Turning left on Denman Street and left again to the sidewalk on Georgia Street, we ran the final 1K. Along the way, we would meet and be greeted by half marathon and full marathon finishers on their way back to Stanley after calling it a day.
Turning left onto Pender, Burrard and then Hastings, I finally saw, took a snapshot, and reached the finish line awestruck and happy. I had just ran from Queen Elizabeth Park, the highest point in the city, to downtown Vancouver, near the level of the sea, passing nine city neighborhoods with magnificent scenery on a clear and sunny Sunday the first week of May.
The red on gray medal immortalized this 32nd finish of a marathon or ultra in 24-months in 20 US states or countries. This was my second marathon in Canada, but only the first, and surely not the last one, in BC. For, at the personal level, this finish was also a beginning. I had returned to Vancouver for another important reason- to land in this city in a more permanent way.
Truly and literally a destination city- Vancouver- and marathon- RunVan- for me!
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