‘Last great run of year’ expected to be wet, windy
Runners were preparing for soggy shoes and sopping spandex ahead of the annual Fall Classic at UBC, as a storm was expected to batter Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley with rain and wind Saturday night and this morning.
Environment Canada predicted up to 60 millimetres of rain Saturday, with wind up to 70 kilometres an hour starting early this morning. The wind was expected to increase up to 90 km/h before easing around midday.
The wild weather seemed to be no deterrent for the thousands of runners preparing to run the Fall Classic half marathon, 10K and 5K races this morning. Many of the people picking up race packages on Saturday at Forerunners on Main Street were in good spirits and prepared for wet weather.
About 3,400 racers were expected to lace up for today’s event, which has been going for more than 30 years, RUNVAN organizer Lara Penno said as she handed out race packages.
“We call it Vancouver’s last great run of the year,” said the manager with the Vancouver International Marathon Society.
Penno advised runners to be prepared with warm gear and a change of clothes for after the race.
Environment Canada said downpours Saturday night could cause flash floods and water pooling on roads, while localized flooding in low-lying areas was possible.
The rainfall warning issued Saturday was the second alert in three days. November began with heavy rain, which caused a small mudslide in the parking lot of Grouse Mountain, as well as several washouts on North Vancouver trails.