Runners, start your engines. This Thanksgiving, the Royal Victoria Marathon (RVM) is coming back to town and marathon and half marathon spots are already sold out for their 45th year.
Organizers say the spots sold out in early July, resulting in a waitlist of over 1,200 people.
“The speed at which the marathon and half marathon sold out astounded us this year, with the distances selling out over three months from our October 12 event” said Cathy Noel, executive director of the Royal Victoria Marathon. “And now, with still two months to go, we are only 500 registrations away from our best ever overall numbers, with the previous largest event happening in 2010 with 14,080 registrants.”
There is still room left for people who want to run in the Westland Insurance 8K, the Island Savings 5K, and, for the young runners (and walkers), the Thrifty Foods Kids Run.
Now entering its 45th year, the event has added a half marathon, an 8K race, a 5K and a Thrifty Foods kids run. They also started a charity pledge program back in 2006 and have helped thousands of charities raise as much money as they can.
The goal of this marathon is to offer a fun event for everyone involved, as well as those watching from the sidelines. An organizing committee of over 70 people and an army of volunteers help pull this off year after year.
The run is a Boston Marathon qualifier, with people from up to 30 countries all over the world coming out to compete.
“To help celebrate our 45th, we have brought back some favourites from the past and added some new things, including our Fuel Up Dinner with guest speaker Darrell Fox, brother of Terry Fox” added Noel.
The Fuel Up Dinner will take place on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Hotel Grand Pacific, offering runners the chance to get a good meal in and hear some inspirational stories before embarking on their own run the following day.
Plus, this year all marathon participants will receive a jacket to mark their achievement. RVM has also brought back a beloved souvenir item from the past—the Richard Hunt artwork on hoodies and t-shirts. Hunt, a local Victoria Indigenous artist, produced these incredible items back in the 1990s and 2000s.
The Island Savings 5K and the Thrifty Foods Kids Run take place in Oak Bay on Saturday, Oct. 11, with the marathon, half marathon and Westland Insurance 8K on Sunday, Oct. 12, starting and finishing in downtown Victoria.
