This St. Patrick’s Day race is one of Canada’s fastest 5Ks

One of the most competitive road races in Canada is the St. Patrick’s Day 5K in Vancouver.

The green-themed event is Saturday in Stanley Park, one of the premiere spots in the country for a road race. Not only is it a competitive race at the front, the relatively flat and fast course is great for any runner looking to set a PB. Plus, the race is known for its after party.

In 2017, the Canadian 5K Championships had 49 runners under 17:00. Last year’s St. Patrick’s Day 5K was close to that with 44 runners under 17 minutes. The race hopes to have 50 runners under the mark this Saturday.

Note that the course has been altered slightly for 2018 to accommodate for construction in the park. Instead of a start on Pipeline Road, the race begins in the adjacent parking lot. The finish is no longer immediately in front of the pavilion and instead slightly short of the after party site.

According to BC Athletics, Commonwealth Games-bound 10,000m runners Rachel Cliff and Natasha Wodak headline the women’s field while Luc Bruchet, a 2016 Olympian, will attempt to regain his title from 2016 after being nipped at the line in 2017 by Ross Proudfoot. Bruchet (14:22) and Cliff (16:05) are the course record holders.

Winners receive $500 (if they’re from B.C., $300 to the winner if not) with an additional $250 on the line for a course record. A bonus of $150 is awarded for the first runner to pass the one-mile mark of the 5K, granted he and she finish within one minute of the men’s and women’s winner.

A Maserati will act as the race’s lead car.

The race gets underway at 9:30 a.m. local time.