All posts tagged with: Victoria

After months of training, over 14,000 participants will lace-up to run and walk to 24^th annual TC10K in Victoria, B.C. on Sunday, April 28, 2013. The 10km road running race is the largest on Vancouver Island and is a popular draw for many runners from Vancouver and across the Pacific Northwest.

The race starts at precisely 8:00am, on Government Street in front of the BC Legislature Buildings. Participants will follow a marked course around Victoria’s downtown core, to Fairfield, through Beacon Hill Park, around James Bay, and finishing back at the Legislative Buildings on Victoria’s inner harbour.

Road closures will be in effect along the race route from 5:00am until 12:00pm on race day. Roads within the race area will remain open, but drivers will not be able to cross the route until the roads re-open. Pedestrian traffic will be able to cross the course, providing they do not interfere with runner safety.

Participants can pick up their race packages at the race expo, located at the Delta Ocean Pointe Hotel on Friday, April 27 from noon – 5:00pm, and Saturday, April 28 from 10:00am – 6:00pm. Race-day package pickup will only be available for out-of-town competitors. Crystal Gardens (713 Douglas Street) at the following times:

• Friday April 26 → 9am – 11am, Corporate and Sports Team Package Pickup Only
• Friday April 26 → noon – 6 pm, Corporate, Sports Teams and Individual Package Pickup
• Saturday April 27 → 10am – 6 pm, Corporate, Sports Teams and Individual Package Pickup

The TC10K is also one of the few races in British Columbia that offer live social media tracking during the race. Pre-registered participants can sign-up online to have their race time published on their Twitter and Facebook status feeds as they cross special mats located at the 5km, 8km, and finish lines.

There is still time to register for the TC10K.

Starting April 29, 2013, WestJet will be flying daily to Dallas, Texas. The new flight is part of their 2013 expansion plan, opening up new routes to service more destinations in Canada and the United States.

If you need a place to stay, check out the Warwick Hotel.

When you go to Dallas, you gotta get the fried chicken and waffles from Lucky’s!

Dallas is a fantastic city to visit. From the Reunion tower and a bustling arts district, to authentic southern barbeque and great nightlife, there’s a lot to see and do. If you’re passionate about history, you can go to the exact location where President JFK was shot and walk through the Schoolbook Depository at the 6^th Floor Museum to see the recreation of the events of his death. For the history buff’s, there are many museums, cathedrals, church’s and other landmark buildings worth checking out too.

In addition to WestJet’s new daily flight to Dallas via Calgary, they will be launching a new daily flight to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina from Toronto’s Pearson International Airport.

Starting in June, WestJet will fly from Vancouver to Victoria

In Canada, WestJet will open up new routes to Fort St. John and Nanaimo, and a non-stop flight between Vancouver and Victoria. These new routes will begin June 24 and are expected to be dramatically lower in price compared to the competition.

These new routes are all possible because WestJet is taking delivery of new aircraft, including two new twin-prop planes, which will fly under the name WestJet Encore. Advertised pricing on WestJet’s website now also displays the total cost of the flight, including taxes, fees and other charges, in accordance to new airline pricing regulations.

WestJet has has the honour of having Mr. Gay Canada 2012 – People’s Choice (that’s me!) on their flights to get to many festivals and events across Canada to support the LGBT community.

If you have a trip coming up, check out WestJet. They offer competitive fares, have super-friendly and entertaining flight crew, and now offer even more options to get you to your business or travel destinations.

See you on a WestJet flight soon!

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.

A trip to Victoria, BC is like taking a step back in time. All across the city there are signs of their proud Victorian history, including horse-drawn carriage rides, wonderful rose gardens, red double-decker busses, cobblestone walk-ways, brick and stone heritage buildings, beautiful and beautiful Victorian homes.

One such Victorian home, the Gatsby Mansion, has been converted to a lovely Inn. Located at Bellville Park, the traditional 19^th century home overlooks the Victoria harbour and captures all the charm and splendor of the era.

The outside remains true to its heritage with traditional English gardens, cobblestone pathways and ponds, and a white picket fence.

Inside there are elegant crystal chandeliers, stunning stained-glass windows, hand-crafted wooden handrails, and wonderful pieces of antique furniture. The Victorian-style rooms have modern conveniences including ensuite bathrooms, cable TV, coffee makers and twin or queen size beds. The largest suite offers a king size bed and overlooks the harbour.

On site there are two restaurants. Just down the street are the BC Legislature Buildings, Ogden Point, Beacon Hill Park and many other major visitor attractions.

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

It was unseasonably warm on Sunday, October 7, 2012, as over 11,000 participants took park in the annual Goodlife Victoria Marathon events in Victoria, BC. There were eight course records broke, including two in the full marathon, five in the half-marathon, and one in the 8km races.

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

Race Results:

Men’s Marathon

• Thomas Omwenga 2:20:41
• Gilbert Kiptoo 2:27:01
• Graeme Wilson 2:29:17

Women’s Marathon

• Hallie Janssen 2:47:03
• Nadyia Fry 2:47:36
• Catrin Jones 2:49:02

Men’s Half Marathon

• Rutto Kibet 1:04:27
• Geoff Martinson 1:05:39
• Willy Kimosop 1:06:01

Women’s Half Marathon

• Natasha Fraswer: 1:14:27
• Lucy Njeri 1:14:27
• Esther Kipserem 1:18: 23

Victoria lawyer, Adam Campbell, finished the marathon in 2:35:53, finishing in sixth place and setting a new Guinness World Record by running the full marathon in a business suit. Adam smashed the previous world record by an outstanding 49 minutes.

Other notable results included a 4:32:38 for Frank McKenna in the Marathon in the M80+ category, shattering the record he set in 2011 of 5:03:50. Betty Jean McHugh set a world record for 84-year-old female runners with a time of 2:23:26 in the Half Marathon.

There were 10,076 finishers in the event; 1,720 marathon, 4,755 half marathon and 2,501 8km. There was also a record of 1,100 kids in the Kids Run.

Full results are available at www.sportstats.ca.

The 34^th Annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon will take place on October 13^th, 2013.

Photo Credit: Jay Minter

Personal Race Results

While my personal best sits at 1h 39m 36s in the April 1, 2012 April Fool’s Run on the Sunshine Coast, the Victoria event is still a solid personal performance, especially after completing the Surrey Half Marathon the weekend prior and having taken the summer off training.

The Victoria Half Marathon is almost three minutes faster than the Surrey Half Marathon event the previous weekend – mostly in part because there were less hills on this course. The Victoria course was hillier than I has anticipated, however, the course was extremely well marked, and volunteers and course marshals were at every intersection. Despite the sunny weather, it was a cool start to the morning and there were not as many spectators as I had anticipated for such a major race. This race by far has the best finishers zone, stretching over one-block in length with distinct zones for medical, medal, space blankets, flowers, photo opps, hydration and nutrition stations – definitely sets the bench-mark for other races to achieve to. Overall, it’s a great course and I look forward to returning again.

• Gun Time: 1h 42m 24s
• Chip Time: 1h 42m 22s
• Pace: 4:52 minutes / km
• Overall Placement: 536/4,755
• Gender Placement: 408/2,069
• M30-34 Placement: 66/250

On Sunday, October 7, 2012, hundreds of participants of the Victoria Goodlife Fitness Victoria Marathon will lace up their shoes and reach for an all-time personal best. One participant, Adam Campbell, will be running to set a new all-time world record.

Adam is looking to break the Guinness World Record for being the fastest man to run a marathon in a business suit. The current record is held by Paul Buchanan of the UK who’s time is 3h 24m 46s, which he claimed the title on October 26, 2009 in the Adidas Dublin Marathon in Dublin, Ireland.

“Although I’m a self-proclaimed ‘serious’ runner, I recognize that sport is ultimately about having fun, so I was looking for a quirky challenge. The “suit marathon” world record attempt seemed like a good way to marry my dual identity as a lawyer and as an elite runner,” Campbell says.

Campbell is a ultra-marathon runner and an associate lawyer at Hemminger Schmid Lawyers and Mediators in Victoria, BC.

“Although I’ve put in long miles on my feet and long hours in a suit, I’ve never combined the two, so it will be interesting to see what happens out there. I’m fairly confident that I can lower the current record of 3:24, but there are also a lot of unknowns and I also respect the fact that a marathon is still a long way to run and anything can happen out there,” he added.

“I’ve been looking forward to running the Victoria half marathon for three years, and it’s finally going to finally happen!”

With autumn just a few weeks away, it’s time for the fall running race series is just ramping up with an amazing series of 5km, 8km, 10km, half and full marathon events. The premier annual event in the Vancouver region is the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon. I am pleased to announce I will be participating for my first time in the Victoria half marathon event on Sunday, October 7, 2012.

Held in British Columbia’s capital city, Victoria, the Victoria Marathon is one of the largest, most anticipated fall races. It’s going to be an exciting day with streets lined with spectators cheering on all the participants as they go on a personal journey to get to the finish line.

2012 has been an epic personal race year, having achieved personal bests in 5km, 10km, and half marathon, plus a 4th place finish in a 5km race last month in Nashville, Tennessee. With all these great achievements behind me, I’ll be taking this run as a much slower pace to enjoy the race and to take in all the fun and excitement. I’m excited to participate in the Victoria half marathon, joining friends from the local running community and especially because this is a race I’ve been eagerly wanting to do for the past three years!

“Thanks to the volunteers, sponsors and committee we are hosting an amazing weekend of events that meet the needs and dreams of the first time runner, the champions and everyone in between,” said Cathy Noel, General Manager. “The participants feed off the energy and enthusiasm from each other which makes for personal best times and great memories.”

There are currently over 8,100 registered participants for the marathon, half marathon, 8k and kids run, and it is expected there will be an increase in registrations over the next few days before late registration fees apply.

All four of the races are capped. The marathon capped at 4,000, half marathon at 6,800, 8k-road race at 4,000 and kids run at 1,000.

The regular marathon entry fee is $105. The deadline also applies to the Half Marathon and the 8K Road Race where the fees are $80 and $40. After September 15 late registration fees will apply – $130 for the Marathon, $90 for the Half Marathon and $45 for the 8K Road Race.

For those traveling to the event, a few of the harbour hotels still have space available, but are being booked quickly.

It’s the middle of summer, and training, well, it might be in full-swing for some, and for others, the fall marathon season seems to be months away. The 33^rd Annual Victoria Marathon takes place Sunday, October 7^th, 2012. The Victoria Marathon early bird registration deadline is quickly approaching – it’s this Sunday, July 15, 2012.

Currently there are over 4,300 registrations for the four race events. The marathon will cap at 4,000, half marathon at 6,800, 8km at 4,000, and the Kids Run at 1,000. The half marathon is the most popular event and it always sells out early.

“It is time to commit to run, walk, or volunteer on October 7 and we encourage all participants to choose a charity to support,” says Cathy Noel, General Manager of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon.

The marathon early bird entry fee is $95. The deadline also applies to the Half Marathon and the 8K Road Race where the fees are $70 and $35. After July 15 regular registration fees will apply – $105 for the Marathon, $80 for the Half Marathon and $40 for the 8K Road Race.

For the fourth year in a row it will host the BC Marathon Championships. In 2011 three new course records were set. Thomas Omwenga set a new men’s marathon record in 2:14:33; Lucy Njeri broke the 22-year women’s marathon record in 2:37:56, and Natasha Wodak set a new women’s half marathon record in 1:15:27.

Downtown Vancouver

Boasting an all-seaplane fleet of over 50 aircraft, Harbour Air and West Coast Air are the largest operator of their kind of the entire world! It’s the way to travel between urban cities on the west coast. It’s fast, easy and convenient.

Snow-capped peaks of the Coastal Mountains

A fleet of  DeHavilland DHC-3 turbine single Otters and Twin Otters operate scheduled flights between the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.  They can be spotted taking off from downtown Vancouver at Burrard Inlet, at the South Terminal at Vancouver International Airport, Victoria’s inner harbor and Nanaimo harbor.

West Coast shoreline

If you’re visiting Vancouver, a scenic tour is a must-do activity. There are tours of the snow-capped peaks, rugged West Coast shorelines and past city landmarks – all postcard picture perfect moments.

Freighters are always found heading in and out of Vancouver

Flights on North America’s first carbon-neutral airline start from $66.09 per person (books of 10). Book online.

Vancouver, BC

From sipping tea in a formal dining room, to taking a tour of the historic and notable landmarks on a horse-drawn carriage, Victoria, B.C., is the best place to experience a taste of British heritage on the Pacific coast.

Victoria is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. It’s like stepping into a wonderful blend of Victorian heritage and modern culture. From the landmark Empress Hotel and the Provincial Legislature, to the Royal Victoria Museum and the inner-harbour, there is so much to see and do.

Year round there are beautiful flowers that fill the gardens, amazing restaurants to tempt the palette, and a fantastic array of contemporary art on display. You could easily spend a weekend in Victoria and never run out of things to do.

When you’re traveling, sometimes you’re in a hurry, or like to treat yourself. It’s not always about the destination – it’s about the journey getting there. This summer if you have travel plans between Victoria and Vancouver, HeliJet is offering mid-week one-way flights from $179 per person!

It’s an amazing experience from the time you arrive until you arrive at your destination. Plan to arrive about 20-30 minutes before your flight time. After you check-in you can enjoy complimentary snacks and refreshments including coffee, tea, oatmeal, cookies and yogurt.

When it’s time to board, the passengers are escorted to the aircraft. It’s perfectly normal to get one of the staff to get your photo taken with the helicopter – after all, you want to document that you flew on a helicopter!

The Sikorsky helicopter is comfortable and very spacious. The pilots will take you through a quick briefing and then you’re off on your 25-minute harbour-to-harbour scenic journey. Remember to bring your camera!

Even during inclement and most rough weather conditions, daily scheduled flights continue to operate – ensuring passengers arrive safely and on-time.

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.

The 23^rd Annual TC10K will take place on Sunday April 29, 2012. The 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, finishing in front of the Legislative Building.

The start/finish area at Government and Belleville will be closed from 5am until 12:00pm on Sunday April 29. All intersections along the race route will also be closed. Roads inside of the race route will remain open, but motorists will not be able to leave this area until roads re-open. Pedestrians will still be able to cross the race course, though there may be some delays.

There will be no on-street parking on the race route from midnight until 11:00am on Sunday, April 29. All cars parked on the race route during this time will be towed at the owner’s expense.

The current race course offers a significant advantage to motorists in that it allows for rolling openings of roadways as soon as the last runners pass through various points along the route.

All streets on the race course will be closed as of 7:45am on Sunday, April 29. Re-opening times will vary by location. The following is a list of approximate opening times:

• Government at Humboldt: 8:21 am
• Johnson at Douglas: 8:35 am
• Johnson at Quadra: 8:41 am
• Vancouver at Richardson: 8:49 am
• Richardson at Moss: 8:59 am
• Dallas at Memorial: 9:24 am
• Dallas at Cook: 9:48 am
• Dallas at Douglas: 10:14 am
• Belleville at Oswego: 10:33 am

The City of Victoria will be posting no parking signs on the course two days prior to the event to ensure that all residents are notified of road closures. The Victoria Police Department will be assisting with traffic control for this important community event, to ensure the safety of all participants.

This could quite possibly be the coolest thing this year at any road running race in British Columbia in 2012. It’s a game-changer and it sets the bar for other races to embrace technology and how they need to apply social media, not with just on-the-ground teams, but actively engage running participants.

Participants in the TC10K will be the first participants of any road running race held in British Columbia to have their time and placing posted live on Twitter and Facebook during the Sunday, April 29, 2012 race.

The TC10K social media tracking service has officially launched and participants can sign-up to transmit their standings live as they cross special timing mats at the 5km, 8km and finish lines. Victoria-based Race Day Timing is providing the free service.

“In addition to having your 5km, 8km, and finish time shared live on your Facebook or Twitter account during the race, friends and family will be able to track a participants progress on our live leader board and athlete tracker,” says Mark Nelson, Owner, Race Day Timing.

The live social sharing requires each participant to register for the service after they have registered for the TC10K event. Participants registering to run after April 16 will need to wait 48 hours before they can register for the social feeds.

Many Vancouverites have been training all spring for various races including the Vancouver Sun Run. The TC10K in Victoria on Sunday, April 29, is another great reason to keep up with your training and keep focused on your goals. Registrations are still being accepted for the Victoria 10km race.

Individuals can register online until midnight on Wednesday, April 25. Late registrations will be accepted on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28 at the Race Expo, located at the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort (45 Songhees Road). There are no race-day registrations.

Individual race package pick-up, which includes your souvenir race t-shirt, race bib and timing chip, will be Friday, April 27 from noon – 5:00pm, and on Saturday, April 28 from 10:00am – 6:00pm, at the race expo.

If you’re not a runner but still want to get involved, volunteers are still needed too!

Photo: Contributed by TC10K

Registration is now open for the 2012 TC10K. At 8:00am, Sunday, April 29, 2012, 14,000 people will run or walk the new 10km course in Victoria, British Columbia.

The 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.

Package Pickup will take place at the Delta Ocean Pointe Hotel and Spa on Friday, April 27 and Saturday, April 28.  Race-day package pickup will only be available for out-of-town competitors.

The Thrifty Foods 1.5K Family Run will also have a new route. Kids will line up on Government and Belleville and run to Superior, turning right onto Oswego and right onto Belleville finishing in front of the Legislative Building.

For more information and to register, visit the TC10K website.

Join 15,800 participants on Sunday, October 9 in Victoria, BC when they lace up their runners for the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon.

“The temperature is perfect for training so if you have been thinking about registering, now is the time to stop thinking and make the commitment,” says Cathy Noel, General Manager. “For those first timers to the event, I promise you that the energy you will feel at the start line, the encouragement along the course from other participants, and the people lining the route, will be memories you can look back on for years to come.”

Regular rates for the full, half, 8k and kids run ends this Friday and to date they already have 8,600 registrations. Organizers expect each of the race categories will fill up quickly over the next three days before late registration fees kick-in.

In 2006, Steve Osaduik broke a 25-year record by winning the Marathon in 2:16:49. Think you can beat his time? The only way to find out is by registering and showing up on race day. There’s over $37,500 in prize money.

For registration information, course map, race-day information and how to volunteer, visit the Victorian Marathon website.

The GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon has been named the Best Marathon in Western Canada in Get Out There Magazine’s 2010 Readers’ Choice Awards. Each year they welcome over 14,000 runners and walkers from around the world.

The race will be held on Sunday, October 9, 2011 in Victoria, BC. Registration is now being accepted and race limits are in effect:

• Marathon – 4,000
• Half Marathon – 6,800
• 8K Road Race – 4,000
• Kids Run & Marathon – 1,000

The GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon Race Expo and race package pickup hosts over 40 exhibitors from Oct 7-9, 2011 at the Victoria Conference Centre.

Participants who register prior to the posted deadlines will receive technical shirts by New Balance featuring artwork by local First Nations artist, Tom Spetter.

The host organizing committee, Victoria Marathon Society, offers $37,300 in prize money as part of the Dairyland Elite Athlete Program.

Finding accommodation in Victoria for this race weekend is difficult, so be sure to book your hotel stay now.

For more information or to register please visit the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon website.

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.

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Built in 1876, the Dalton Hotel and Suites and has the distinct honour of being Victoria B.C.’s oldest hotel.

The red brick exterior exterior is almost the same now as when it was originally built. Much of the original architecture still remains in the interior too. The lobby features oak paneling, marble and brass – providing a feeling of warmth and character. Many of the rooms feature antique furniture including bed frames, side tables, desks and more.

The new owners of the Dalton Hotel are currently renovating the hotel; preserving its history and installing modern luxuries. Rooms range from standard rooms to boutique suites.

The hotel is located within walking distance of the harbour, shopping districts, Royal BC Museum, China Town and the Provincial Legislature.

The Dalton is a great hotel in Victoria if you’re looking to experience the warmth and comfort of the Victorian era on a reasonable budget.

To make your reservation at the Dalton, including a free continental breakfast, visit their website.