What’s New
I’ve run the longer distance in this event before and the biggest change is the start/finish line. It’s no longer at the Stanley Park Pavilion, instead it’s at Lumberman’s Arch. It was a short walk from the Rose Garden Bus Loop so taking transit was still a great option if you could.

The Course
The 5k course starts with an uphill heading south towards Devonian Harbour Park. We then ran around the small park and then followed the seawall back to Lumberman’s Arch. Watch out though, there’s a short uphill finish… it’s not bad, just a few meters. The 10.4k takes you all around the Stanley Park seawall and Devonian Harbour Park. No more long uphill finish like the one at the old location. That is an improvement 😛 The weather gods were kind to us on this day because it was gorgeous and sunny (but cold). It’s the perfect way to show off Stanley Park’s picturesque seawall and natural beauty.

Package Pickup and Swag
Package pickup was once again held at Lady Sport in Kitsilano on the Thursday before the race. On Friday, package pickup was in another location in Burnaby. Pickup hours seemed very limited though… 4pm til 8pm on the Thursday and 11am til 3pm on the Friday. It worked out for me but I wonder if other people had trouble finding the time to go. For those who needed race day pickup, it was available but you had to notify them ahead of time and pay a $5 fee.

The Try Events Hot Chocolate Run gives you a great bang for your buck. For about $45-65 each runner gets a nice long sleeve tech shirt, medal, ceramic mug, Tim Hortons hot chocolate at the finish, timing chip and après race snacks. That’s a lot! As an added bonus, I got a $2 discount because I had also signed up for their previous race. I won’t say no to a discount.

Would I Do It Again?
Yes! Loved the value, swag, and the great new start/finish location. I’d want to do the longer distance though. Keep up the great work, Try Events!

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