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Monday, October 25, 2004 - 04:49 PM
 The fall marathon is a competitive business as marathons across North America and around the world try to attract runners. Some will advertise their flat and fast course which appeals to first time marathoners as well as those trying to set personal best. The Royal Victoria Marathon in Victoria, British Columbia is held each year on the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. For those runners looking for a beautfiul course in a beautiful city I highly recommned putting the Royal Victoria Marathon weekend on your must do marathons. The Royal Victoria Marathon has a race for all runners from the 1K kids run, an 8K, half marathon and the full marathon distance. All races start and finish in the downtown area near the legislative buildings of BC's capital city. The half marathon and full marathon courses wind their way through some of the scenic downtown area before moving on to Beach Drive which as the name suggests runs parellel to the coast of the pacific ocean. Part of the marathon course is an out and back route with some varying sections allowing runners to see different sections of the city. The course has some rolling hills to keep things interesting but is mainly a flat course.
In 2004 the Royal Victoria Marathon hosted approximatly 9000 runners in all four of the races (about 3000 in the full marathon distance). The race expo on the precedding Friday and Saturday was highlighted by a variety of speakers including Boston Marathon hero Dick Beardsly. I personally did not attend the pasta dinner on the Saturday night but as it was at the elegant Empress hotel I'm sure it was a highlight for those who were there. Oh, and something all runners need is another shirt and a great long sleeve shirt if provided for all half and full marathoners. I was also impressed how the race organizing committee treated the athletes both prior to the race and after the race.
Overall, I would highy recommend a trip to the west coast next fall for the Royal Victoria Marathon. Next years date - October 9, 2005.
Cheers,
David
Note: Submitted by David Jackson. David recently moved from St. Catherines, Ontario to Vancouver Island to run more and improve his performances - you may recognize his name from many races here in Ontario, including a stellar 2:28 at the 2003 Scotia Bank Waterfront Marathon. David had some injuries flare up at the 2004 Victoria Marathon and ended up dropping out at 30km.
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