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Vancouver Marathon

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

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

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

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

Expo

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

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

[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
  • Note: Bold face text denotes current course record holder.

Current World Records established at the Vancouver Marathon

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)[8]
  • 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

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

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.[9]

See also

  • List of marathon races in North America

References

  1. ^ 14,395 Participate in BMO Bank of Montreal Vancouver Marathon, Canada’s 2nd Largest Marathon
  2. ^ Thousands run in Vancouver Marathon
  3. ^ [1]
  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. ^ Women's winner back on track
  9. ^ BMO Vancouver Marathon executive director talks traffic holdups Running Magazine

External links

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