BMO road race among world’s most enticing
The BMO Vancouver Marathon runs this Sunday, beginning at 8:30 a.m. at Queen Elizabeth Park.
With $40,000 in prize money up for grabs, the road race, one of Vancouver’s signature events, will attract some of the top distance runners from around the world.
Jonathan Chesoo of Kenya enters the event with the strongest personal best among the field, having run the full marathon in 2:10:57 in 2011.
Chesoo also placed second in the 2015 Calgary Marathon before the first- and third-place finishers were disqualified for missing one kilometre of the course and Chesoo was promoted to first place.
Here are five things you should know:
1. Entire route is scenic Regarded as one of the most beautiful marathon courses in the world, the BMO Vancouver Marathon route begins in beautiful Queen Elizabeth Park, then just gets more lovely as the kilometres add up.
Seventy per cent of the course boasts shoreline views.
After a run through the park, racers will head through the Kerrisdale and Dunbar neighbourhoods before reaching the University Endowment Lands around the 15-kilometre mark, then follow the shoreline around the Point Grey Peninsula, past Spanish Banks and Jericho Beach, across the Burrard Bridge, and finally around the 10-kilometre seawall before arriving at the finish line downtown at Pender Street. And if the route doesn’t already sound enticing, here’s one more fun fact: the road race is a net downhill. 2. Expect road closures With 5,000 runners in the full marathon and another 10,000 registered for the half-marathon, drivers should expect several road closures and delays.
With all that foot traffic, regular traffic is a secondary concern for the whole weekend.
Race routes will have an effect on Riley Park, Coal Harbour and downtown on Saturday, and on Sunday, Riley Park, Cambie, Oak ridge, Fairview, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, UBC, Point Grey, Kitsilano, False Creek, Chinatown, Yaletown, West End, Coal Harbour and downtown neighbour-houds will be affected until the marathon draws to a close at 3:30 p.m.
3. Run as long as you want In addition to the 42-kilometre full marathon route, Sunday’s event also features a kids run, a relay, an 8K, and half- and full marathon options.
The 21-kilometre half-marathon sounds excellent, and while it may not have the swing through the Point Grey area, one could argue it takes runners on an even more beautiful route, down Cambie Street and over the bridge before winding through Chinatown, Yaletown, and the West End. The half-marathon begins in the same place, at Queen Elizabeth Park, but 90 minutes before the full marathon at 7 a.m.
4. Next stop: Boston Many who run the Vancouver Marathon go on to run the historic Boston Marathon, the world’s oldest annual marathon.
According to Marathon-Guide. com, the BMO Vancouver Marathon is continually one of the top 25 qualifying races for the Boston Marathon in the world.
Over the past five years, approximately 400 runners have participated in Vancouver’s road race and gone on to qualify for Boston.
5. Street festival There’s plenty of action at the finish line besides other runners gasping for air and water.
Even if you don’t run, it’s worth heading downtown for the entertainment and food sampling, as Hastings Street becomes a family-friendly street festival on race day.
The half-marathon winner is expected to finish around 8 a.m., with the full marathon winner expected around 10:45 a.m.