Vancouver Running Festival

Vancouver Running Festival

Vancouver Running Festival

( 9 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Vancouver,
    Canada
  • October
  • 3 miles/5K, 6 miles/10K, 13.1 miles/Half Marathon
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Paul

North Vancouver, Canada
9 6
2014
"2000 Calorie Concert"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Paul 's thoughts:

The Vancouver Rock 'n Roll half-marathon was a really fun event to run in. More often than not, half-marathons tend to start in one place and then in a completely different place altogether. This can be a bit of a hassle, trying to get back to your car, when you're tired and just want to go home! Not the case here, though. The race starts downtown and then ends in Stanley Park, right on the edge of downtown. There are plenty of parkades and strett parking about half-way between the two, so you can park your car in the morning and then return to it easily after the race.

The expo was good too. Not quite as large as the Vancouver Marathon's, but still worth visiting. It's a two day event at the Vancouver Convention Centre. While collecting your race bib and t-shirt (which was very nice), you can take in all the exhibitors and pick up a few freebies along the way. If you need to stock up on gels or running socks etc, this is also a good place to do is, as most exhibitors offer fairly deep discounts as an expo special.

The race is part of the Rock 'n Roll series, so the idea is that there are lots of bands playing on the way around. The year I did this race, 2014, I wasn't particularly impressed with the bands. There weren't as many as I thought there would be and the overall quality seemed to be a bit lacking. The Vancouver Marathon is not a Rock 'n Roll event, yet it also has a good number of bands playing, so I think Rock 'n Roll could do a bit more.

The route is fairly decent and takes in some nice scenery along the way, particularly around False Creek and Stanley Park. The route kinda cuts through a road in Stanley Park, rather than taking in the more scenic seawall, which I would have preferred. Less in the Gastown and the Powell Street area and more on the Seawall would be a big improvement IMO. The aid stations were good. Plenty of volunteers and no difficulty getting water when I wanted it.

The medal at the end was awesome. The Rock 'n Roll medals are usually super nice and this one was no exception. There wasn't a great deal in the way of food at the end and everything was kind of spread out. It was difficult to see where everything was, especially with so many people hanging around. A bit better organization could go into the finisher's area I think, but overall I had a good experience here and would do it again. I'd also recommend it if you're into road running and looking for something in Vancouver later in the year!

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