On the Run In… Vancouver

Chris Cole, owner and operator of The Run Inn store in the community of Kerrisdale at the south end of the city, selected three scenic routes for visiting runners: a loop through Pacific Spirit, a slightly longer seawall run, and an exciting 17K route with a detour into Beaver Lake in Stanley Park. “For me Stanley Park is one of the best parks on the planet to run in,” says Cole. “You can do a two-hour run through it if you know the trails, without even touching the seawall.”

Pacific Spirit Wilderness Trail – 8K

With more than 763 hectares of forest trails, the Pacific Spirit Regional Park is a wilderness within the city, easily accessible to the public. This is a great route for first timers to the trails as it is a simple route to follow. 

Starting from Camosun and West 38th Ave., enter the trail opening and turn right at Salish No. 21. Head along Salish, cross No. 3 Clinton Trail, and continue until No. 12 Imperial Trail. Turn left, run down Imperial staying to your left, for about 800m, and turn left onto No. 24 Swordfern Trail. Exit Swordfern onto No. 28 SW Marine Trail, turn left, and follow the trail for about 2.5K. At the end of SW Marine, make a sharp left back onto No. 21 Salish and jog back to the start. You can turn this into a 14K by starting from The Run Inn at 2236 West 41st Ave. 

False Creek Seawall Run – 9K 

Arguably one of the most scenic runs in the city, the key to this run is to stay next to the water on the right. Cruise by the marinas, Science World, Winter Olympic Athletes Village, the ever-popular Granville Island, with its public market and local artisan shops.

Start from the Vancouver Aquatic Centre, underneath the north side of the Burrard St. Bridge. Head east, keeping the water on your right and follow the seawall along to Science World, carrying on along to Granville Island. Dip under the bridge, run about 250m, turn left on West 1st Ave. and turn right onto Burrard St. Cross the bridge, and at the foot of the north side of the bridge, there’s a set of stairs. Make a hard right, go down the stairs and you’ll see the parking lot where you started. 

Places worth checking out:

Stay: Granville Island Hotel 

Shop: Ainsworth Custom Design. 

Eat: Go Fish, voted the city’s best fish and chips, not to mention the fish tacos. 

These are all located on or around Granville Island, which you hit at about the 7K mark of this run.

The Stanley Park Beaver Lake-Lost Lagoon Run – 17K

This is another panoramic oceanfront run, but the clincher is the little detour about one-third of the way into Beaver Lake. Most people don’t even know the 1K loop is there. 

Start at the Vancouver Aquatic Centre on the north side of the Burrard St. Bridge. Run toward English Bay, keeping the water on your left. About 2K along, enter Stanley Park and curve along the seawall, clockwise, past Siwash Rock toward Lions Gate Bridge. Go under the bridge to the 5K mark and after about 800m, turn right into a small tunnel and up a trail for 200m to Beaver Lake. Run either way around the 1K lake loop and back down the trail you came up, to the seawall. Turn right, and continue for 3.5K where you will come to what many people consider the start of the seawall. Veer right, and go under the pedestrian tunnel, and you will come out around Lost Lagoon. Make a sharp right and do a lLoop of Lost Lagoon. At the most northerly point of the lagoon, follow the pedestrian path and continue to Second Beach Pool. Turn left and retrace your steps along English Bay back to the start. 

Places worth checking out:

Eat and Drink: The Irish Heather, 217 Carrall St. Gastown, Vancouver’s best gastro-pub. Stay: Four Seasons Hotel, in the heart of downtown Vancouver

Shop: Robson St., Vancouver’s premier retail strip.