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| Whoohoo! Yatta! |
This past weekend was fantastic. I had been anticipating this weekend for quite some time, and as the date approached, I became more excited. You see, this was the weekend of the
BMO Vancouver Half Marathon. Eek! It would be my second half marathon ever (the first was in Calgary last May), and the first of two scheduled half marathons for this year. I can’t say that I was consistent with my training, but regardless of the runs I completed prior to this race, I was going to get myself to Vancouver and conquer this beast. I had planned the race with a few people, but after some scheduling conflicts and cancellations, there were only three brave souls willing to rise to the challenge: my good friends Shari and Sanjay and myself.
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| Calgary to Vancouver: 14.5 hours by bus :S |
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| Sanjay ordering from Tim Hortons |
The fun began when we met at the Greyhound bus station. That’s right- again, due to last minute plan changes, we ended up booking bus tickets to Vancouver. The chatting and laughing began immediately, and would continue throughout the remainder of the weekend. And thank goodness for that, because that was one crazy long 14.5 hour bus ride! I’ve taken the long public bus from Toronto to New York several times, and each time, the passenger list has been full of sketchy people. This trip wasn’t too bad, but the requisite food stop at a closed location seemed familiar. Thankfully, Tim Hortons’ drive-thru was still open, even if we had to walk up to the window and order.
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| Enjoying that ocean air in Vancouver |
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| Picking up our race kits 🙂 |
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| Represent! |
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| Represent! |
Obviously, we didn’t get a ton of sleep, so once we checked in to our hotel, we all crashed. Then it was off to Canada Place to the Health Sports and Lifestyle Expo to pick up our race kits, followed by a high-carb meal at Tropika Malaysian and Thai Cuisine. Yum!
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| Carb loading at Tropika |
Then yesterday was race day. The alarm was set for 4 am *yawn*, and although we were tired, we were pumped. We consumed bagels, muffins, bananas and the like, and before we knew it, we were off to find the starting line. Both the marathon and half marathon course maps were changed for this year and very much set up to take advantage of public transit. Our hotel was located close to the Canada Line, one stop north of where we needed to go, so we made our way to the station… and apparently so did everyone else running that morning! The trains were completely packed. Thankfully we didn’t have to travel long.
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| Running: It’s a fashion show. |
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| En route to Queen Elizabeth Park… with everyone else! |
As we emerged from the train and headed toward Queen Elizabeth Park (the start of the race), we were greeted with the most amazing weather. A little chilly, yes, but definitely nothing to complain about, especially since we’d be warming up quite a bit once the race started. It was sunny, which was awesome, since I expected it to rain. It IS Vancouver after all. Everything was green; the air was crisp. I knew it was going to be a great day.
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| A fantastic race morning in Vancouver |
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| At the starting line. We were pumped! |
The BMO Vancouver marathon/half marathon is a huge event. There were 15000 registrants, and that was obvious. Gear check took a while, and the line ups for the porta potties went on for what seemed like miles. But once the nervous peeing was complete, Sanjay, Shari and I were ready to do this. A few ‘whoop!’s and ‘yeah!’s later, the gun went off, and we found ourselves running.
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| Running down Cambie street shortly after the start of the race |
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| Passing an aid station on the Cambie street bridge |
And what a fantastic run it was. Vancouver is such a gorgeous city, and every time I’m there, I realize how much I miss it since my semester there in 2006. The course took us from Queen Elizabeth Park, down Cambie street with scenic downtown Vancouver and the mountains in the distance; we ran through Chinatown and trendy Yaletown; along the beaches of English Bay and into Stanley Park; we passed BC runner Harry Jerome (100-metre run bronze medalist at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics); and then we endured the final stretch on Hastings Street downtown, close the Vancouver Convention Centre. I took the time to enjoy the scenery, admire my surroundings, and reflect on the going-ons in my life, while running a race of which I am proud. I even had time for a few photos. Crossing that finish line was an incredible feeling. In the end, my chip time was 2:02:34 and my gun time was 2:10:57. My average pace was 5:49, and I’m quite pleased with my results :). But my concern wasn’t the time. Running this race with two of my good friends in beautiful Vancouver was priceless :).
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| Running through Stanley Park |
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| Harry Jerome |
Thanks to everyone who supported me through texts, FB and in person. I couldn’t do it without the support of you all. Karmen and Casey- even though I didn’t catch a glimpse of those awesome cheer costumes, I appreciated it so much! Even when you were screaming “Dicky”, I felt the support. You guys are clearly awesome, and Jen and I are fortunate to have such amazing supporters.
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| This blew my mind! Karmen and Casey- thanks for the cheers! |
Congrats to all the other runners of the day. Dan and Carolyn in Toronto with your great times (Dan- congrats on your sub-4 marathon!); and Ry and Kelly in Mississauga- you guys rocked it! Ry- as always, your race times blow me away and continue to inspire me. You’re still ugly though :D.
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| Post-race celebrations with sangria 🙂 |
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| Well-deserved 🙂 |
And to Shari and Sanjay- I had an absolutely fantastic weekend. Congratulations on running a great race! Sanjay, you destroyed it despite injury, and Shari, you smashed your previous half marathon time! The days may have flown by, but I really cherish the bonding time with you both throughout the weekend. There were so many laughs and good times- this triad of sexy hit Vancouver by storm! I look forward to another crazy adventure with you both 🙂
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| This triad of sexy just killed the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon! |
And with that, the Vancouver weekend is over :(. I’ve now traversed the country and I’m sitting at a coffee shop in Montreal and getting some R&R. Life is pretty amazing like that. 😀
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| I conquered you! |
Author: rickohikes
Avid hiker, mountain lover and fitness enthusiast with insatiable wanderlust. Usually battling with an injury and my mental health, but I always persevere!
View all posts by rickohikes
HIKES & HAMSTRINGS 
Nice work Bro, congrats on a great race and great time! Btw, you’re ugly!
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Your supporters are AWESOME!!! I have to step up my spectating game. I couldn’t even manage a freaking picture of Dan yesterday. Really excellent job on the half, considering that you pretty much just recently stepped up your run training. I kind of hate that you manage to look great after running a half, though. I personally look like a dirty backpacker at the end of a race. But let’s see how you look at the end of a full. I’m just assuming that there will be a full. 😉
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Congrats on the great race time! I’m glad Vancouver decided to show you her sunny side for race day!
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Love the post Rick!! You really captured what a fantastic weekend it was. So glad to have went to Vancouver with you, it was a lot of fun! And you two inspire me-finishing the run in style and with great times! Congrats! =)
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