All posts tagged with: 10k

Don’t be surprised if you’re out-and-about on the seawall along Vancouver’s False Creek on Sunday, July 6 and you see hundreds of people running by in their underwear. They are part of the 2013 Underwear Affair. Runners will be stripping down to their underwear and raising funds and awareness for cancers below the belt for the BC Cancer Foundation.

Participants of the 10km run have pledged to raise a minimum of $300 for the charity race. Funds raised will go to help with research of prostate, ovarian and colon cancers. This is a race where everyone wins!

As a marathon runner, and an advocate for healthy living and sport, I not going to be shy about stripping down to my underwear to support this important cause. I also wouldn’t expect you to be shy about making a donation for my fundraising efforts.

Please make a donation today and help make cancer history! Thank you for your support and generous donation.

International elite athletes, recreational runners, joggers, walkers, wheelchair races, corporate teams, schools and kids are all getting ready for one of the largest 10km road races in Canada, The Vancouver Sun Run.

The Vancouver Sun Run has become one of the biggest spring traditions in Vancouver. Close to 50,000 participants will come together to celebrate healthy living, fitness, and community spirit.

The 2013 Sun Run is Sunday, April 21, getting underway at 9 a.m. in downtown Vancouver.  Individual registrations are being accepted until the final registration deadline, Saturday, April 20. Participants can save by registering online by midnight, Tuesday, April 16 ($48.37), or register at the Sun Run Fair ($60.00). There are currently over 43,000 registered participants.

Race package pick-up and the Sun Run Fair will be held a BC Place. Race packages include race bib, timing chip, and a souvenir 100% cotton t-shirt featuring artwork by Vancouver artist, Tiko Kerr.

• Thursday, April 18: 4:00pm – 8:00pm
• Friday, April 19: 10:00am – 7:00pm
• Saturday, April 20: 10:00am – 5:00pm

In 2012, the first place finisher was Kelly Weibe of Regina, Saskatchewan, with a time of 29:12, winning the Men’s Overall Division and Top Male Canadian. Second place finisher was Kip Kangogo of Kenya, in at 29:14.

The Vancouver Sun Run starts at 9:00am on Sunday, April 21 on West Georgia Street in downtown Vancouver. It is the third largest 10km race in North America.

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

After five days of heavy rainfall warnings for metro Vancouver, participants in the 2^nd annual WestVanRun 5K  and 10K run/walk woke up to clear, blue sunny skies for the Sunday, March 3, 2013 event held in West Vancouver, BC. The sold-out event had 98 participants in the 10k race and 198 in the 5k race.

The community run, targeted to both professional and recreational runners saw members of the UBC run team front and centre in both race categories. The majority of the participants were recreational runners of all ability levels.

The race started in Ambleside Park and worked its way 2.5km up the West Vancouver seawall, to the turn-around point. The 5k participants did one lap of the course, while the 10k runners completed two laps.

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

Along the fast, flat course, many on-lookers and spectators watched as participants dodging the waves that crashed against the seawall, spilling over onto the course. Runners were spoiled with stunning views of Stanley Park and the Lions Gate Bridge.

If you live in metro Vancouver and are looking for a good, early season 10k to test your time, WestVanRun is your run!

Personal Finish Results: While not a personal best, it was a solid 43m 33s finish time, coming in 13^th place overall (4^th place male 30-39 / 11 male overall), wit a 4:22/km average pace.

On Sunday, April 28, thousands of runners and walkers will lace up for the 24^th annual TC10K, held in Victoria, B.C. Registration is open for the 10km road race event. Adults can register for $40, and team for $35 each. The TC10K is the perfect race for anyone who is training for The Vancouver Sun Run or the BMO Vancouver Half Marathon.

“The TC10K is great value and the registration is one of the most reasonable race fees in Western Canada,” says Race Director Jacqui Sanderson. “Our run clinics are seeing larger than normal numbers and so we expect an increase in registration this year.”

Registration is currently at 5,300. In 2012, there were 12,483 registered participants in the TC10K and the Thrifty Foods 1.5k Family Run. For 2013, the running clinics at the 13 recreation centre locations have a record 483 participants.

“We are delighted with the response to the clinics. It shows that more and more people are taking up running and walking, and want to adopt a healthy lifestyle,” adds Sanderson.

Individual race package pick-up, which includes your souvenir race t-shirt, race bib and timing chip, will be Friday, April 26 from noon – 5:00pm, and on Saturday, April 27 from 10:00am – 6:00pm, at the race expo.

New for 2013, Frontrunners Footwear and New Balance Victoria will also be sponsors, providing technical gear for the official running clinics and offering souvenir garments for all participants at the race expo April 26-27.

Photo Credit: TC10K

The 23^rd annual TC10K got underway in Victoria, BC on Sunday, April 29 under cloudy skies – ideal conditions for the 10,258 finishers of the 10km race (11,883 registered).

Photo Credit: TC10K

The winner of the men’s overall was Kip Kangogo (2010 winner), coming in at 29:51, followed by Willy Kimosop (2009 and 2011 winner), at 30:05. Finishing in third place was nine-time USA National team ember, Joseph Gray of Newcastle, WA at 30:24.

“The crowds were great and cheering me on,” said Kangogo. “Because of my win, my company, Flaman Fitness will donate $1,000 to one of the charities supported by the TC10K.”

Kangogo is originally from Kenya and now lives in Lethbridge, Alberta. Already this spring he has placed first in Vancouver’s Harry’s Spring-Off 8km and second place at the Vancouver Sun Run.

Photo Credit: TC10K

First place women’s finisher was Natasha Wodak-Fraser of Port Moody, BC at 34:32.  She also took home the first place at the Vancouver Sun Run, and is the course record holder for the Goodlife Fitness Victoria Half Marathon. Finishing second in the women’s division was six-time TC10K winner, Lucy Smith of Victoria, BC, at 35:14 and Lisa Harvey finished this at 35:23.

Three-time Paralympic gold medalist, Michelle Stilwell came in second at 30:54 in the wheelchair race, which was won by Vancouver’s Masashi Shinoda at 29:19.

Individual participant results are available on the TC10K website.

According to the BC Cancer Foundation, an estimated 48% of all cancers diagnosed in British Columbia are below the waist, and are responsible for approximately 40% of cancer deaths in the province.

On Saturday, July 7, 2012, hundreds of men and women will participate in a 10km run or 5km walk in the hottest race in Vancouver to raise funds and awareness for cancers below the waist, the 6^th Annual Underwear Affair.

This Wednesday, April 18 is Awareness to Down There-ness Day and the BC Cancer Foundation’s Underwear Affair is encouraging people to sign-up to participate in the event and to attend the 2012 kick-off party from 6-9pm at Forum Public House at 1163 Granville Street in downtown Vancouver.

Proceeds from the Underwear Affair will support research into cancers below the belt including prostate, colorectal, ovarian, bladder, cervical, and testicular.

PS… it’s totally cool if you show up in your underwear!

After spending 18 weeks of grueling training five days per week, the last thing you want to do is throw away all your hard work. Sure, your body is tired and sore, and it deserves a break, but you can easily maintain your training and level of fitness with a simple maintenance program while you ponder your new goal.

After finishing a race your body needs recovery time. For the average recreational running this is usually about two weeks for a 10km race, three weeks for a half-marathon and four weeks for a full marathon run.

For 10km racers, try to keep up with your long-distance runs, 8km, once per week. Use your new-found skill of 5km fast run as your base training. You can even run the 5km races to keep your training up.

Half marathoners can maintain their endurance by continuing with the regular 12km run each week and enter into 10km races as alternatives. This will keep up your speed, strength and confidence.

Full marathoners need to work the hardest. Running a 16km run every other week will help condition the body long term to keep up the endurance. Maintaining a 16km run can shorten training for your next marathon to as little as 12 weeks and faster half-marathons in six weeks!

Remember to set realistic goal targets for both races and runs. This will keep you motivated, boost your self-confidence and stimulate your performance on race day.

Keddi-Anne Siterbino, winner of the 2010 BMO Okanagan Marathon

This week Kelowna welcomes the BMO Okanagan Marathon. There are 3,500 people expected to participate in the full, half and 10km events taking place in Kelowna City Park on Sunday, October 9, 2011.  So where is the best place to watch, get the best action photos and cheer on the crowds?

Many people select the finish area as the place to watch, cheer and photograph the participants. Here are some other great locations along the Okanagan Marathon race route that will have more space and be better for you as a spectator and to help encourage a positive running environment for the participants.

Here’s a link to the 2011 Okanagan Marathon half marathon race route. It will help you locate the KM markers and to choose where you are going to watch, cheer and photograph the event.

The best location to watch the event is from Kelowna City Park. The half marathon will have the most participants and it kicks off at 7:45am. For the beginning of the race, spectators should plan to watch the start of the race from Abbots Street as the runners are leaving the park. Plan to be in your location 5-10 minutes before the race starts.

The best photo opportunities for action will be along the seawall at the 10km mark. This is a nice stretch along the lake. There will be lots of spectators and runners will be hyped from all the energy from the crowd. Participants should still be full of energy because it’s the halfway mark. It’s also only a few minute walk from the course start. Runners should start trickling through this area around 8:10am for elite athletes and about 8:25 for the fast runners.

During the run, participants really rely on the energy from the spectators. Some runners thrive and get a burst of endorphins, re-energizing their body. On this particular course, cheer squads are appreciated from KM 15 – 19. For many unseasoned half-marathon runners, this is the hardest part of the run, and it’s also the furthest they will physically be from the finish line. If you’re watching in this zone, plan to be there for 8:40. Runners will be coming through this area right through 10:00am.

If you are going to stake out the finish line, elite athletes should start coming through around 8:55am mark. Faster half marathon runners should start arrive around 9:15am right through to 10:30.

Remember, no matter where you are watching from, to stay off the racecourse and to obey all the volunteers. It’s for your safety.

Have fun watching the participants run tomorrow and enjoy the sunshine!

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Photo Credit: Jay Minter

It was a perfect summer afternoon in Vancouver as 600 runners dressed down to their underwear and laced up running shoes to participate in the 2011 Underwear Affair 10km run on Saturday, July 9. 

Thank you to everyone who donated to my Underwear Affair run. Your contributions will go a long way to help the BC Cancer Foundation fight cancers including prostate, colorectal, ovarian, testicular, bladder, cervical, and uterine. Although I did not reach my fundraising goal of $1,000, I was still able to raise $959! Between the 10km run and the 5km walk, 1,076 people raised an amazing $630,000!

In the 2011 Underwear Affair, I finished 18th overall and 15th in the Male division with a time of 44m 59s, just one second short of tying my personal best timed 10km race, which was at the 2011 Vancouver Sun Run.  

Individual and team race results can be found here.

The TC10K will have a new course for 2011. The 22nd annual race takes place on Sunday, May 1, 2011. The previous out and back route will be replaced with a loop course that takes in downtown Victoria and Dallas Road.

The new route starts at Government and Belleville, heading north on Government/Wharf to Johnson, east on Johnson, south on Vancouver, east on Richardson, south on Moss, east on May, south on Memorial to Dallas Rd. The course then continues on Dallas, following the former route, finishing in front of the Legislative Building.

“We have been working with the city of Victoria for over a year to develop a new one loop course for the TC10K. This is exciting as it will allow the race to continue to grow and with any luck we will achieve our goal of 10% of the population participating,” said Race Director, Jacqui Sanderson.

The course will see less congestion at critical points on route and allow more spectators to view the race.

“The new course is very spectator friendly, and there will be many opportunities for family and friends to cheer on participants,” said Sanderson.

“The TC10K is an event that our city looks forward to every year. Whether you’re running, walking, rolling or watching, it is a family event that celebrates our active lifestyles,” said Mayor Dean Fortin.

To register, click here.

Photo Credit: The Vancouver Sun Run

Like many people in Vancouver, you probably had a New Year’s resolution to lead a healthier life. By signing up for the Vancouver Sun Run, you will improve your wellness and get inspired by others.

Although the Sun Run InTraining Clinics started in January, but there’s still time to register and train for this year’s 10km Sun Run, held at 9:00am on Sunday, April 17, 2011.

To get your training started today, join the SportMedBC virtual training clinic.

Some helpful things to keep in mind as you train and prepare for the Vancouver Sun Run:

• Consult a trained professional for the appropriate shoes and running gear
• Adjust your diet to maximize your training
• Drink more water
• Gradually increase your fitness activity to prevent injury
• Seek a running coach to help train and motivate you, or join a running group or clinic
• Consult your doctor if you have health risks

With over 60,000 participants, the Sun Run is Canada’s biggest 10K road race, and ranked as the second largest 10K in North America. The Sun Run is also proud to be the first Canadian road race to include Nordic Walking.

Photo Credit: Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Sun Run

This spring and summer there are a number of excellent and well organized running events taking place in Vancouver. These are fun, high-energy races that will get your adrenalin pumping.

If you haven’t already, register now for these races and get into full training mode.

• Vancouver Sun Run
  • Sunday, April 17
  • 10km run
  • 65,000 participants
• BMO Vancouver Marathon
  • Sunday, May 1
  • Full (42.2km), Half (21.1km), 8km run, Wheel Chair Marathon, Nordic walk, and Kids Fun Run
  • 14,000 participants
• Scotia Bank Half Marathon
  • Sunday, June 26
  • Half (21.1km), 5km run
  • 15,000 participants
• Underwear Affair
  • July 9
  • 10km run, 5km walk
  • 1,000 participants

If you’re a beginner, if you start now, you can still be ready to run your first 10km race this spring!

Race organizers are always looking for volunteers too! You can sign-up today!

On Saturday, July 10, I participated in the Underwear Affair, benefitting the BC Cancer Society. It is a 10km race on Vancouver’s beautiful seawall around False Creek. An estimated 10,000 people participate in the 10k run and 5k walk. The purpose of the run is to raise funds to fight cancers below the waist – hence the underwear theme.

To participate there is a $25 registration fee, which includes a t-shirt and your timing chip, and each participant must raise a minimum of $300 in donations. I would like to thank the following individuals for making a donation:

• Eleanor Klassen
• Jacyln Ng
• Jay Minter
• Jennifer Warawa
• Lisa Harding
• Lisa Marshall
• Maria Louie
• Mark Hubbard
• Michael Anthony
• Pauline Tu
• Rick Christiaanse
• Sarah Wielens
• Tim King

My fundraising goal was $450, and I am proud to say, thank you to your support I raised $470!

When I first registered for this race it was because it was a mid-summer 10k run that I could look forward to. It wasn’t until about an hour before I was to start the race that I remembered that my grandpa had prostate cancer  and has survived. It made the race all that much more special for me.

Once again Jay came as my support person. I highly recommend runners to always have someone attend races with them – it’s these people that can truly make or break a run for you. They can take away all the stress so you can just focus at the task ahead.

This race I was not running alone. I was running with Fred Masse, the co-founder of Survivor Bootcamp. I have known Fred since I began bootcamp 3 years ago and he has really helped me achieve a lot of my physical goals and kept me on track. We met up just before the race began and decided rather than competing in the elite run, we could do a solid run in the general race.

I was not so keen that everyone was crammed into the Armoury to start the race. They really should have started on the road where there was more room. The race started and we crossed the start matt and we were off.

The first four kilometres were great – there was a cool breeze, there were shady sections and there was a good group of people running together. Around kilometre five, as I was approaching the TELUS World of Science I started to get a cramp – I grabbed some water and kept on going. At this point I had been either side-by-side or following right behind Fred.

By kilometre seven, Fred and I had to stop and walk – we were both getting heat exhausted from running in the evening sun. We walked for a minute and then started running again. At kilometre eight we took another quick walk break – this one much shorter – just to catch our breathes and cool down. Sweat was pouring off us.

As we wrapped up-and-around the Burrard Street Bridge I started to get really down. There were tons of people passing me and I was getting further-and-further behind Fred. Although there were lots of people watching and cheering on, which was encouraging, I just wasn’t feeling the energy like I have in all the other races that I have completed as you approach the finish line.

On the last half-kilometre I decided I had to book it. It was all downhill and I just put it into high-gear. I caught up to a lot of people that had passed me coming up the bridge, and in the last 200 metres I was in a full-on sprint. Another guy decided he was going to race me to the finish – that was really fun!

When we crossed the finish line, heading back into the Armoury, I went right to the water table and downed lots of water to get rehydrated. I’ve never had so much sweat pouring off my body. It was crazy how hot I was. I called Jay because I desperately needed the towel in my bag to dry off and the water to cool down.

This was my best timed 10k race this year. I finished in 46:52.65. I was 59th place overall, 46 in my category. Official race results

After the run we stuck around so I could have my two free beer courtesy of Red Truck, had some photos taken and then we went back downtown for dinner.

I would close with a big thank all the volunteers for their hard work organizing the event, setting up the race course, handing out water, cleaning up and of course cheering on the participants all along the race route. The volunteer support for all of the races I have participated in have been outstanding and they deserve a huge thank you!