The Vancouver Sun Run was a very cool experience. To be a part of something that big is just mind-blowing, plus how often do runners get to rule the roads? My favourite part was running in the middle of the Burrard Bridge... such a wide and beautiful bridge that you never see without cars (during the day anyway)... amazing. There were live bands along the route as well as spectator vantage points so it was a great vibe the whole way. I have a few criticisms though, which you will read ahead.

In the weeks leading up to the Sun Run, I've trained on the course and it's beautiful, such a great run... not too challenging, not too easy.... a good mix. Unfortunately because of the sheer amount of people participating in the Sun Run, you can hardly see any of the natural beauty because you are more focused on weaving, dodging, and trying not to run into anyone who decided to suddenly stop in front of you to take a photo (true story). Basically, my main complaint about this run is the people who don't know race etiquette. They hug the inside corners and slow down or block runners, and those who lie and seed themselves in the faster corrals just so they can start earlier. (Fyi I was seeded in the white corral - 1:00 to 1:15 finish time - and I didn't start until 45 minutes after the event started.) There were also a lot of water stations but that also meant a lot of plastic cups strewn all across the road and people slowing down for them. I hope the Sun Run had a great cleaning crew.

I knew ahead of time that the Expo was gonna be a gong show (I had been there previously when my ex raced) so I decided to just head home. I did go to the Expo the day before and bought some stuff. New Balance had a big store area where people can buy Sun Run branded tech shirts that were actually quite nice as well as other gear at a discounted price. There were other vendors there like Powerbar who gave out samples of their Gel Blasters (yum). I didn't like that the Sun Run swag was simply a cotton t-shirt - I figured with 40,000 registrations, I'm sure they can easily afford a tech shirt and/or medal to give away... but I guess you also get what you pay for... since registration was only $49.

The Sun Run is a Vancouver tradition that will most likely stay the same every year for years on end. It's something locals need to do at least once, in my opinion... but if you hate crowds, maybe you shouldn't do it... or train hard to be good enough for the earlier corrals with the more serious runners. That's definitely my motivation.

Check out my blog post on the Sun Run here: http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/04/vancouver-sun-run-2015/