Event: Vancouver First Half Marathon
Location: Vancouver
Duration: 21 km
Extreme Factor: 2/10 as it is a flat course, the only issue is the distance on pavement.
Cost: 40$
Number of participants: 2000 limited entry. Sunday February 15th, the sun is shining, the mountains frosted with snow, it was the perfect setting to run your first half marathon. The course took participants along the Stanley Park sea wall, through English bay as well as the False Creek sea wall. It is a predominantly flat course, and the amazing weather conditions made it very easy to get lost in the scenery. Of course at 8:30 in the morning in February it was a little brisk, but at about the two kilometer mark people were shedding the extra layers, giving them to loved ones that were there cheering them on.
The atmosphere at the event is very energetic and it is easy to feed off of that to get over the initial butterflies. As soon as the gun sounded, people cheered and we were off. The event attracts all skill levels of runners, and let me tell you, if you can run a 10 km then you can run a half marathon. The First Half event is a very popular one, and for good reason. The course is great, the atmosphere is electric and the emotions of running your first half marathon are incredible. I personally, found it to be a very liberating experience; it just made me realize that anybody with the mental drive and commitment to complete an event like this is able to do it.
This year was the 21st annual First Half and the event raised and donated $40 000 to Variety the children’s charity. So, aside from being a fun and liberating event it is for a charitable cause! I would recommend this event to anybody who is interested in running and that has the drive to train for it. It is a great run for a beginner or an advanced runner, for a long slow training run, or for a competitive race. I will definitely be doing the First Half again next year!
