UPDATE. Our auctions have begun. The first auction benefiting the BCSPCA brought in $200. A new auction will be held every week. Go to the First Half page and enter your bids!
800+ spots opened at 3:50 pm Sunday November 7and sold out by shortly after 4:30. If you didn’t get into the race - watch the race website for auction entries! Also - 200 entrants are expected to transfer out of the race - you may be able to find one of those people. And finally - Forerunners has a few clinic spots available. You must visit the store in person - and you can only sign up for yourself. No phone, no fax, no signing up for friends.
Thank you all for your patience. See you on Feb 13!
It’s over for another year! 80 club members - assisted by 170 friends, family and fabulous community volunteers made 2009 a great success. And we had a little help from the weather!
Here’s how the day unfolded for club members:
After a full day of prep on Saturday ( and for some a full day on Thursday/Friday as well) Sunday’s start time came VERY early.
The first volunteers arrived at the Roundhouse at 5:00 am to setup the start/finish and the course, get the water to the water stations, prep for packet pickup and bag check, and prepare food to serve to 2000 guests.
The first runners started to appear around 6:30am. At 8:20 most runners were in the “corral” ready for the start (as per Ellie’s instructions). And promptly at 8:30 the race began.
About 3 minutes after the start, the trucks were at the start line to move the assembly to the finish area. Packet pickup had shut down and bag check was busy organizing all of the packs so that they were ready for the runners when they returned.
There’s a brief lull in the volunteer activity at the Roundhouse while the course volunteers - marshalls, water stations, advance cyclists and sweeps - become the stars of the show. And they continue to diligently serve the 2000 runners until the last man or woman goes by.
Then again activity shifts to the Roundhouse. Finish line timers, medals to be handed out, food, food, food (thank you IGA, Ethical Bean, Mount Royal Bagels, Powerbar, Gatorade …) and finally stage presentations. Thank you to Mizuno - our new race sponsor, and Forerunners - our loyal sponsor for the past 21 years.
Congratulations to the following club members who ran the race:
Sukhi - PB of 1:33:53
Emma - 1:38:52
Janet - 1:41:17
Monique - 1:48:56
Premica - 1:49:18
Paul B - 1:50:22
Brian - 1:53:31
Samantha - 2:14:41
Note to those who know about our “we don’t run the First Half - we work it” policy. Five lucky club members are drawn in a lottery to run the race. This year 3 new members joined the club after they had already signed up for the race. BUT they only get to do that once. Next year the “work it” rule applies!
Here’s a few moments captured in film:
Photos by Bettie Neels:
http://flickr.com/photos/lmnphotos/sets/72157614034988904
Photos taken by Colin Mills
Highlights set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knepomuk/sets/72157613848442254/show/
Long Set: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knepomuk/sets/72157613849493910/show/
We’re justifiably proud of the job we do organizing the First Half Half Marathon. It’s one of the few remaining club-run events of its size. And it’s you - our club members who lead the teams that make it a success. It takes 250 volunteers and over 1500 volunteer hours to pull off the event. We’re deeply grateful for the generous support of our sponsors and for the 180 non-club members who come out and help us! It can’t happen without you.
So click here and sign up for one of the many volunteer positions. http://www.pacificroadrunners.ca/firsthalf/vol.php
It was another great race in perfect running conditions: cool and DRY. Congratulations runners. While you may not all have recorded a personal best, we certainly hope you had a great experience. We’ve had some amazing feedback from you already about the race, the course, the food and the volunteers. We knew our volunteers were fabulous and we thank you for taking the time to acknowledge it. A huge heartfelt thanks to the volunteers who come out to support us, especially those of you who keep coming back year after year.
And of course to our club members and the alumni who still help out on race day - WOW. Once again you proved what a small group of dedicated people can accomplish.
As a result of the combined efforts of the runners, the volunteers, and past and present club members, we raised $40,000 for Variety this year. To put that in perspective - $20 or over 60% of the $32 entry fee goes to charity. How many other races can boast that kind of statistic?
Let’s see what we can do for 2009!
7:00 pm to 9:30 pm Friday, February 8, 2008
Roundhouse Community Centre,
181 Roundhouse Mews (Pacific Blvd @ Davie St.)
Tickets available by donation ($10 minimum) at:
Forerunners in Vancouver, 604-732-4535
Forerunners in North Vancouver, 604-982-0879
New Balance & the Pacific Road Runners are proud to present an inspiring speaker, Dick Beardsley, as part of the ‘First Half’ Half Marathon weekend on Friday, February 8th, 2008 at the Roundhouse Community Centre. Motivational. Inspirational. Captivating. Dick Beardsley is a professional speaker who speaks at sporting events, schools, non-profit organizations, and large corporations. His comfortable style and inspiring message has endeared him to audiences all over the world.
Dick Beardsley is a champion - in running and in life. Although his competitive running career ended in 1986, Dick still has the 5th fastest U.S. men’s marathon time in history. Best known for his 1982 Boston Marathon “Duel in the Sun” with Alberto Salazar in which Dick finished two seconds behind Salazar. It is often called the most memorable race in marathon history. It was the closest finish ever at the world’s premier marathon, and both runners broke the course and the American records. Dick is also a two-time Olympic Trials Marathon qualifier. He is a two-time winner and course record holder of the Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, Minnesota and has won the London and Napa Valley marathons. But Dick is more than a running champion. He is a fighter. After a series of near-fatal accidents and a journey of self-discovery, Dick has turned his life around. Join us as he shares his stories of inspiration.
Presented by New Balance, Pacific Road Runners and Roundhouse Community Centre.Calling all volunteers. First Half is coming. Sunday Feb 10, 2008!
Every year PRR organizes a highly regarded race for the running community. But it takes every club member and 150 extras to make it happen. Please volunteer and be part of this successful event. Sign up by visiting the First Half page on this site.
The First Half is now full but you still have a chance to run by bidding on one of five auction entries for the race. We’ve completed four successful auctions - the last one closes on December 8th.
This year we’ve chosen these 5 local charities as recipients of the auction donations. Thanks for your support!