BMO Vancouver Marathon
Sunday, 5th May 2019
Report by Little D
If you’re looking for a marathon with PB potential then unfortunately this isn’t the one for you.
Don’t get me wrong. The route is fantastic, with plenty of long flat, wide straights, run mainly on smooth tarmac roads, and has an overall negative descent from start to finish.
The local support, although sporadic in places, more than make up for their lack of numbers with enthusiasm and humorous cheers.
And the organisation is faultless, with many of the cities roads closed or cordoned off for the race, and all cheerily marshalled by the local police forces and council authorities.
Heck, you couldn’t even pin the blame on the lack of feed stations as the first one appeared after 2k and just kept on coming.
No, the reason you’ll find running a PB difficult at this event is because the course is just so beautiful that you can’t help but slow down to admire the magnificent views.
Running through leafy suburbs, immaculately maintained Park areas and with panoramic views of snow capped mountain ranges as far as the eyes can see, it really is the most breath taking race I’ve had the privilege to run. And I haven’t even mentioned the stunning 5 mile long sea-wall path that convinced me to do the run in the first place.
Stanley Park seawall
I thought my previous marathon around the streets of Barcelona would be hard to surpass (with it’s numerous landmarks on the course) but as a complete package the Vancouver Marathon tops even that.
After several days of glorious sunshine, meeting some wonderful people and visiting some fabulous attractions, I can’t recommend the race, or the city itself, highly enough.
Results
Little D 3:19:03
Cat Eaton 3:41:57
