Wikipedia

Vancouver Marathon

The BMO Vancouver Marathon is an annual race held on the first Sunday of May each year in Vancouver, British Columbia. As the second largest international marathon in Canada,[1] it has a certified running distance of 26 miles and 385 yards long. The marathon saw over 14,000 people participate on May 4, 2014,[2] with over 3700 completing the marathon distance.[3] This marathon is certified by the International Association of Athletics Federations & Association of International Marathons and Distance Races as a qualifying marathon race.

Vancouver Marathon
BMO Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon Logo
DateFirst Sunday in May
LocationVancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Event typeRoad Race
DistanceMarathon
Established1972
Official siteBMO Vancouver Marathon

The race started in 1972, when a small group of 46 runners ran five loops of Stanley Park to complete the first Vancouver International Marathon (known as Lions Gate Road Runners International Marathon).[4] The marathon grew over the next few years to 300 participants in 1977. However the event suffered a major setback in 1976 when a participant, Dr. Leslie Truelove, collapsed mid-race and died due to aneurysm. The Dr. Leslie Truelove Memorial Trophy was established to honour the first male finisher in the 50+ age category. His widow, Rosamund Dashwood, subsequently took up running and became a national champion for her age group.

The 1983 race became known as the "Long Marathon" after runners were misdirected during its running — adding an extra 561 yards to the race.

Currently, several different options are available for participants:[5]

Its current title sponsor is the BMO Bank of Montreal thus the marathon is known as BMO Vancouver Marathon. Previous title sponsor was Adidas in 2001–2005, known as the Adidas Vancouver International Marathon.

Organization

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The event is hosted by the Vancouver International Marathon Society (VIMS), a non-profit organization run by a volunteer Board of Directors, and managed by staff of the Society.

Each year, VIMS recruit volunteers to help with pre-race preparations and race day operation. In total, about 4000 volunteers help to run the marathon smoothly. Volunteers help in areas such as water stations, medical stations, set-up/take down, food services, given out shirts & medals to runners.

Event details

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A free Friendship Run organized by the Running Room is held during the race week for those who wish to participate.

Expo

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The Marathon is kicked off by an Expo where runners to pick up their information packages and to receive promotional materials from various sponsors and athletic associations.

Race Day

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All participants start off using a staggered time system to ensure timing accuracy. Along the race course, various safety officials are on course, including paramedics and amateur radio operators from VECTOR (Vancouver Emergency Community Telecommunications Organization).

The award ceremony are held on race day. Cash prizes will be presented to the top three male and female full and half marathon runners while merchandise will be awarded to the fastest relay team.

Past winners – Full marathon

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[6]

Year Male winner Female winner
1972 Tom Howard   Canada 2:24:08 Patricia Loveland   United States 3:39:23
1973 Tom Howard   Canada 2:21:46 Deborah Collins   Canada 3:24:39
1974 Tom Howard   Canada 2:14:34 Maria Brzezinska   Canada 3:03:15
1975 Joe Skaja   Canada 2:22:30 Linda Winslow   United States 3:06:49
1976 Ross Jackson   New Zealand 2:22:30 Doris Brown Heritage   United States 2:47:34
1977 Chris Bolter   Canada 2:22:36 Meg Gordon   Canada 3:14:32
1978 John Hill   Canada 2:20:49 Gail McKean   Canada 2:55:33
1979 Bill Scott   Australia 2:15:56 Gail McKean   Canada 2:44:53
1980 Garry Henry   Australia 2:13:14 Marilyn Belwood   United States 2:45:27
1981 Brian Morgan   Australia 2:19:42 Nancy McLaren   Canada 2:48:23
1982 Steve Pomeroy   Canada 2:16:56 Sue Krenn   United States 2:45:25
1983 Paul Bannon   Canada 2:19:42 Beverly Bush   Canada 2:45:23
1984 Ric Sayre   United States 2:16:34 Carol Raven   New Zealand 2:52:03
1985 Adrian Wellington   Australia 2:24:24 Kikue Tejima   Japan 2:55:32
1986 Hiromi Nishi   Japan 2:21:14 Joi Belyk   Canada 2:45:37
1987 Tetsuji Iwase   Japan 2:21:12 Cathy Kroll   United States 2:46:50
1988 Mitsumasa Matsuyama   Japan 2:19:20 Isabelle Dittberner   Canada 2:50:33
1989 Shem-Tov Sabag   Israel 2:19:41 Anne Mangal   Canada 2:50:05
1990 Yoshikazu Tanese   Japan 2:23:47 Reiko Hirosawa   Japan 2:55:41
1991 Shigemi Tamori   Japan 2:25:01 Misao Miyata   Japan 2:52:14
1992 Masato Kojima   Japan 2:23:24 Yuka Terumuma   Japan 2:43:16
1993 Hayashi Morozumi   Japan 2:18:37 Eniko Feher   Hungary 2:47:27
1994 Makoto Sasaki   Japan 2:17:24 Eniko Feher   Hungary 2:46:24
1995 Graciano Gonzalez   Mexico 2:23:11 Yoko Okuda   Japan 2:48:50
1996 Juan Gonzalez   Mexico 2:17:47 Eniko Feher   Hungary 2:52:38
1997 Juan Gonzalez   Mexico 2:22:53 Eniko Feher   Hungary 2:49:56
1998 Juan Gonzalez   Mexico 2:22:48 Krystina Pieczulis   Poland 2:43:20
1999 Atsunari Saito   Japan 2:21:33 Krystina Pieczulis   Poland 2:43:46
2000 Ulrich Steidl   Germany 2:18:53 Krystina Pieczulis   Poland 2:45:32
2001 Ulrich Steidl   Germany 2:18:56 Leteyesus Berehe   Ethiopia 2:45:51
2002 Ulrich Steidl   Germany 2:17:01 Angela Strange   Canada 2:45:46
2003 Ulrich Steidl   Germany 2:20:22 Angela Strange   Canada 2:46:22
2004 Ulrich Steidl   Germany 2:18:26 Mary Akor   United States 2:44:43
2005 Kassahun Kabiso   Ethiopia 2:15:40 Rimma Dubovik   Ukraine 2:44:05
2006 Kassahun Kabiso   Ethiopia 2:18:28 Malgorzata Sobanska   Poland 2:37:06
2007 Thomas Omwenga   Kenya 2:25:27 Claudia Camargo   Argentina 2:35:50
2008 Thomas Omwenga   Kenya 2:15:59 Mary Akor   United States 2:37:54
2009 Benard Arasa Onsare   Kenya 2:28:26 Mary Akor   United States 2:46:24
2010 Thomas Omwenga   Kenya 2:16:55 Emma Muthoni Kiruki   Kenya 2:37:17
2011 Benard Arasa Onsare   Kenya 2:19:54 Keddi-Anne Sherbino   Canada 2:43:40
2012 Gezahgn Eshetu   Ethiopia 2:21:51 Ellie Greenwood   United Kingdom 2:42:16
2013 Thomas Omwenga   Kenya 2:24:09 Lucy Njeri   Kenya 2:40:34
2014 Berhanu Mekonnen   Ethiopia 2:21:08 Kimberley Doerksen   Canada 2:37:00
2015 Luka Chelimo   Kenya 2:18:37 Lioudmila Kortchaguina   Canada 2:37:37
2016 Daniel Kipkoech   Canada 2:21:04 Hirut Guangul   United States 2:39:52
2017 Daniel Kipkoech   Canada 2:19:09 Gladys Tarus   Kenya 2:39:38
2018 Rob Watson   Canada 2:27:38 Zhiling Zheng   China 2:43:50
2019 Yuki Kawauchi   Japan 2:15:01 Yuko Mizuguchi   Japan 2:41:28
2020 cancelled due to coronavirus pandemic[7]
2021
2022[8] Chris Balestrini   Canada 2:23:56 Dayna Pidhoresky   Canada 2:34:30
2023[9] Yuki Kawauchi   Japan 2:17:04 Dayna Pidhoresky   Canada 2:34:25
  • Note: Bold face text denotes current course record holder.

Current World Records established at the Vancouver Marathon

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MARATHON

  • May 1, 2005 BJ (BETTY JEAN) McHUGH of North Vancouver, BC Canada established a world W77 single age Marathon record with a time of 4:11:28
  • May 3, 2009 GWEN McFARLAN of Richmond, BC, Canada established a World W75 age group Marathon record for and a W75 single age world record with a time of 3:57:30

HALF MARATHON

  • May 4, 1997 BJ (BETTY JEAN) McHUGH of North Vancouver, BC Canada established a world W69 single age Half Marathon record with a time of 1:41:39
  • May 4, 2008 BJ (BETTY JEAN) McHUGH of North Vancouver, Canada (Single age record for Women aged 80 years old, 2:04:19 Half Marathon)[10]
  • May 2, 2010 GWEN McFARLAN of Richmond, BC, Canada established a World W76 single age Half Marathon record a world record with a time of 1:52:23
  • May 2, 2010 BJ (BETTY JEAN) McHUGH of North Vancouver, BC Canada established a W82 world single age Half Marathon record with a time of 2:23:08

Race Dates

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The race is held on the first Sunday of May each year.

  • May 2, 2010 (39th)
  • May 1, 2011 (40th)
  • May 6, 2012 (41st)
  • May 5, 2013 (42nd)
  • May 4, 2014 (43rd)
  • May 3, 2015 (44th)
  • May 8, 2016 (45th)
  • May 7, 2017 (46th)
  • May 6, 2018 (47th)
  • May 5, 2019 (48th)
  • Due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, the 2020 race was cancelled, while the 2021 event was virtualized.[7]

Controversy

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After the 2015 Vancouver Marathon, a video surfaced regarding the lack of coordination with traffic police. Runners were stopped mid-race at intersections. The Marathon director addressed the video and as of 2016, the race no longer begins in waves. Now all runners begin once the gun goes off.[11]

Cancellations

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The 2020 edition of the marathon was replaced with a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] The 2021 edition was also cancelled and replaced with virtual events.[13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 14,395 Participate in BMO Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon, Canada’s 2nd Largest Marathon
  2. ^ Thousands run in Vancouver Marathon
  3. ^ "Marathon | BMO Vancouver Marathon".
  4. ^ Association of Road Racing Statisticians Accessed May 5, 2008
  5. ^ General Info
  6. ^ Association of Road Racing Statisticians Accessed April 20, 2008
  7. ^ a b NON-PROFIT ORGANIZERS CANCEL THE 2020 BMO VANCOUVER MARATHON AMID COVID-19 CONCERNS
  8. ^ "2022 | BMO Vancouver Marathon".
  9. ^ "BMO Vancouver Marathon - Marathon".
  10. ^ Women's winner back on track
  11. ^ BMO Vancouver Marathon executive director talks traffic holdups Running Magazine
  12. ^ Crawford, Tiffany (April 18, 2020). "Covid-19: Sun Runners plan solo 10 K runs to mark cancelled event Sunday". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Pawson, Chad (May 22, 2021). "Running was supposed to be the perfect pandemic pursuit, but not for this blind B.C. runner". CBC News. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
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