Sun Run 2008

Destination: 2008 Vancouver Sun Run
Location: Vancouver, BC.?
Duration: 30min – 2 hours
Rating/10: 8 – If you don’t mind the crowds, this is one of my favorite Road Races
Extreme Factor: Moderate – keep your elbows up – rugby players will like the jostling of crowds a the beginning!
Cost Factor: registration fee - cheap.
Group recommendation: for anyone and all abilities – sign up 12 weeks in advance and get on a training program


Over 59,000 runners braved the unusually cold April morning for the 24th annual
Vancouver Sun Run. The largest 10km race in Canada, and one of the largest in the world – people from all over the world take part in this historic Vancouver event. Thousands lined up along Georgia street – many finishing and cooled down before the last groups even got to the start line. Many have been training for weeks leading up – for some this was their first 10k race and for others it was an opportunity to use the crowds to pace them to a personal best time.

Innovative Fitness and Team Average Jo had over 150 training and taking part in the event today! We all met just after 8am on the steps of the Vancouver Art Gallery for some hype and pictures before taking off for warm ups and to our respective ‘color areas.’ Everyone’s race number was one of several colors according to predicted race time. The faster you were expected to race the closer to the start you would be. Myself, Justine Boulin, and fellow Innovative Teammate, Josh Allen, were lucky enough to have blue numbers, which meant we were right near the front. This allowed us to have lots of room to warm up, complete warm up strides and drills, and throw our bags and gear in a minivan minutes before the gun went off.

An ‘Oh Canada’ rendition, and off we were – all 59,000 of us – young and old, this race draws all levels of runners! The 10k is such a great race to run – it’s a good distance that anyone can do – even if you’ve never run before beginning to train. And the Sun Run is a fun ‘community event’ in Vancouver. Lots of bands are playing along the way and crowds are cheering you along to keep you motivated. The race starts by heading down Georgia so the first bit is fast because it is all down hill. It then winds along the edge of Stanley Park to head towards English Bay. Down Pacific Avenue and up over the Burrard Bridge. Once at the top of the bridge you’ve hit the halfway point and the down hill is a nice treat to pick up the pace a bit. You continue running down west 2nd and across Cambie Street Bridge and finally all downhill into BC Place Stadium for the sprint to the finish!

After the race is over you are treated to lots of post race fueling and fun in BC place stadium – bagels and chocolate milk while listening to local Vancouver Bands and mingling with other racers. Lots of personal achievements and good times had by all! It was great to listen and hear the stories of all the participants in the stadium. All had their own victories, personal bests, first races, etc. This race is a definite must for anyone who lives in Vancouver – Anyone can do this race. There were walkers with their kids, people in wheelchairs, some who have completed in all 24 sun runs!

Afterwards it’s important to celebrate and fuel up – as a group of us are doing – having a post Sun Run Hungarian feast, and Mexican hydration – supplied to us by our very own Joshy J!