Forerunners, one of the sponsors of the event, held package pickup at their 4th Avenue store. As soon as I entered the door, I was greeted by one of the friendly staff and directed to the board to find out what my bib number is. I then went to the back of the store to collect my bib, black RUNVAN gloves and a $20 Forerunners coupon for any New Balance item. I liked the RUNVAN gloves, they also had special fibers on the fingertips so you can still use touchscreen devices while wearing them. They’re also thicker & better quality than the gloves I got from the BMO Half.

The Course

The half marathon course is a double loop of the 10k course. It takes you out of the main campus, going south along old Marine Drive, doubling back on NW Marine Drive, then you run a good chunk of Main Mall, pass the School of Engineering’s E and then head back to the start line/finish line at East Mall… times 2! I found the course quite hilly actually. They weren’t short hills either. You’d be treated to a long downhill, then a good chunk of uphill, then another nice long downhill, and before you know it, you’re climbing back up Marine Drive. Getting into the campus was practically another hill until it flattens out a bit at Main Mall… but that didn’t mean it was easy. The Main Mall drag was, well… a drag. I didn’t go to UBC, which meant that I’m not that familiar with the campus. As a result, everything seemed much further than it actually was. I was also worried that a double loop was not a good thing but it turned out to be awesome. By the second loop, I already knew what to expect from the course so I was able to plan where I would attack and where I would ease up. I was very happy to see the aid stations throughout the course and the fact that they had porta-potties were such a big help.

Post-Race

After the race, I was so cold, all I wanted to do was stay inside. I got my medal from a volunteer and grabbed a banana. They were also giving out chips and water but I didn’t take any. We managed to get into the rec centre and exchanged my food voucher for two thick slices of pizza. I was very happy about this, I was expecting only one slice. If pizza wasn’t your thing, you could’ve exchanged it for a bowl of chili or sushi. Great choices for food, I think. The Beer challenge games were outside, I decided not to take part because, like I said, I was just too cold and also kinda beat. I didn’t want to wait in line and try my luck. The toques they were giving away looked pretty cute though.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes! I need to redeem myself. Luckily we had some sunshine and UBC really is beautiful in the fall… but I need to conquer this so I’ll most likely be back next year.

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