Run for Women Vancouver 2019

A year ago, we met up with Michelle and Susan for brunch in Kits. They had just finished the Run for Women and they couldn’t say enough good things about it. Especially the amazing grab bag from sponsor Shoppers Drug Mart, crammed full of all the essentials. On top of that, it takes place in the scenic trails of Pacific Spirit Regional Park.

How could I resist, then, when they signed up again for the 2019 Run for Women? Well – I couldn’t!

It’s become a bit of a theme this year that I don’t make it to package pickup – and this race was no exception! Michelle kindly picked up my bib and t-shirt, and completed the picture by picking me up on the morning of the race! It’s a bit of a trek to UBC’s Wesbrook Village, so we headed out early.

Lots and lots of women were on campus when we arrived! Given that it’s the Run for Women (specifically, I should add, for the worthy cause of women’s mental health), female runners outnumber the males 5-to-1 in the two events (5K and 10K). Upside for me? No lineups for the men’s washroom! (Couldn’t say the same for the women’s!)

Susan joined us at Mundell Park, where the participants gathered before the race.

Of course, Debra was there, too! Plus, a great chance to catch up with Gord!

Susan and Michelle were doing the 5K, so I started first in the 10K. As we gathered in the starting corral, everyone held back…not a typical Vancouver race, where the elites are generally toeing the start line. We were encouraged to move forward, and finally a few intrepid souls (Judy and myself included) did so.

The race started with a loop around Wesbrook Village, before heading into the beautiful trails of Pacific Spirit Park. I was here not too long ago at the MEC Trail Race – but that was the north end of the park. We were now on the south side. I’ve done a bit of running here before with Laurel, but this was my first race and my first time on many of the trails.

Groomed trails are fantastic! And because more folks were participating in the 5K, I pretty much had them to myself. For the first few kilometres, I could really only see one guy ahead of me, but no one else around.

At the very southeast corner of the park, we made a sharp right, paralleled Marine Drive for a bit, and then started a steady slog upward. At this point, I realized I probably shouldn’t have had the extra glass of wine the night before. I was feeling dehydrated a touch headachy. But I persevered.

About 2 kilometres from the finish, the 10K merged with the 5K folks, who had started about 15 minutes after us. It was a wee bit tough to navigate because of the narrowness of the trails. On the up side, I caught up with Susan and Michelle!

At the finish line, I received my token bracelet, and cheered friends as they arrived soon after!

We lined up to receive our grab bags and before we got to the tables where they were being distributed, a gentleman came along the line and handed us bags bulging with…well, a bit of everything!

Walking to the car, we did a few swaps – trading things we didn’t need for those we wanted! The girls benefited from some of the more ‘feminine’ products, and I got some soap and protein powder in the deal.

Overall, I felt like the Run for Women was a really great community event put on for a good cause. It’s not the type of race to attract elite runners (although there were certainly a few speedsters!), but it was a lot of run and definitely worth joining. I was really glad to have the chance to run some of the park trails I had never experienced before.

Whatever calories we had burned in those trails were soon gained back over a delicious brunch at La Cigale – the same place we had brunched a year earlier. Things really do come full circle!

Final Results

Chip Time: 51:51
Overall Place: 27/493
Gender Place: 13/69
Place in Age Group (40-49): 2/13
Click here for full results