WELCOME TO THE 32nd GOODLIFE FITNESS VICTORIA MARATHON!
Welcome to Victoria and the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon. The Garden City welcomes you and we hope you enjoy your time here on this Thanksgiving weekend. We have a great event for you – whether you are running the Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K Road Race or the Thrifty Foods Kids Run & Marathon for the first time or 32nd time, we know you will enjoy this experience for years to come. Victoria isn’t just about race day; it’s also about enjoying the festival of activities on race weekend. The Race Expo is a must do so after you pick up your race package so be sure to mix and mingle with our exhibitors. We also have a full schedule at the Speakers Series and are thrilled to welcome back running legends – Bart Yasso and Kathrine Switzer. There are so many people to thank for making the marathon the success it is. We have a 50-strong organizing committee and 1,500 volunteers on race day. We also have an amazing charity program – our four Official Charities and the 22 charities in the Times Colonist Charity Pledge Program who tirelessly fundraise for their respective causes. We have developed some valuable partnerships over the years with the City of Victoria, Municipality of Oak Bay, the Downtown Victoria Business Association, community associations and our many sponsors. We hope you have a great race and enjoy your visit. See you at the finish line.
Rob Reid | ||
PRESIDENT’S REPORT — VICTORIA MARATHON SOCIETY
As the 32nd annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K Road Race, Thrifty Foods Kids Run and Marathon approaches in October, runners of all shapes, sizes and abilities start their late summer and fall training for one of the most runner-friendly events in Canada. The event has continually grown in prestige, stature and popularity over the 32 years to attract over 12,000 competitors from all over the world. GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon is, and continues to be, the largest and most popular distance running celebration on Vancouver Island. In British Columbia, the BMO Vancouver International Marathon, held in May, and the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, held in October, complement one another in both numbers and services and they offer runners an opportunity to choose a quality spring and fall distance event. GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon offers four different events for all ages and adds excellent features such as our popular Race Expo, attractive New Balance technical race shirts, a beautiful, scenic water-front race course, top-quality participant medals and awards, nearby hotels including the Fairmont Empress, massage therapy, recovery zone, souvenir apparel and a host of other race intangibles. You won't find a more perfect backdrop for a finish line that the historic Parliament Buildings, the Pacific Ocean with sailboats in the inner harbour, the Empress Hotel, the Provincial Museum and the majestic Olympic Mountains. Last year's GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon produced two new champions with Kenyan Philip Samoei taking the victory in 2:23:24 and former Victorian, now living in Switzerland, Catrin Jones, snatching the win in 2:52:21 in a thrilling women's race. Victoria's Jim Finlayson and Calgary's Lisa Harvey were the Half Marathon champions in 1:07:57 and 1:18:34 while Peter Corrigan, 24:30, and Kirsten Sweetland, 27:39, claimed the titles in the 8K Road Race. There were 2,559 finishers in the Marathon, 5,698 in the Half Marathon, 2,679 in the 8K and over 1,500 in the Kid's Runs, including parents, brothers and sisters accompanying the ambitious youngsters. This led to a record year of 14,080 registrations and 12,436 finishers in all four races. The Board of Directors and Race Planning Committee combined is comprised of 55 hard-working, conscientious individuals. I am proud to be a part of this cooperative and energetic team. Our tremendous volunteer crew of over 1,500 is second to none in comparison to the hundreds of other special events and festivals that Victoria stages each year. The City of Victoria experiences a tremendous economic impact as over 60% of our participants are visitors from off-Island. An economic impact study conducted last year concluded that the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon generates $7.2 million dollars annually for the City. As a Society, we welcome athletes to Victoria, the "Running Capital of Canada" and the "City of Champions". We endeavour to host a first-class event and we sincerely hope that everyone returns home as a champion. The GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon is a popular destination marathon; it is a race "organized by runners for runners" with so many small, but very special touches. Best of luck to everyone participating in this 32nd annual event! Bob Reid, 2010-2011 President, Victoria Marathon Society |
