Royal Victoria Marathon organizers prepare for in-person fall race
Along with a months-long virtual event that started in May, the Royal Victoria Marathon will feature an in-person race in October
The Victoria Marathon Society announced on Wednesday that the Royal Victoria Marathon (RVM) will be back with an in-person race this fall. The event will feature an 8K and a half-marathon, and it is set for October 10 (Thanksgiving Sunday). Organizers already had that date set aside in the hopes of hosting an in-person race, but the ever-improving COVID-19 situation in B.C. allowed them to confirm their plans. Registration for the event opens on June 8.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CPoQg0NtHQ1/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
Earlier in the year, uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 prevented RVM organizers from locking in an October race date. While they set a tentative date for the in-person event, they created the Royal Flush Virtual Series, which features five races that started in May and will run until September. The series includes a mile run, a 5K, a 10K, a half and a full marathon.
RELATED: Royal Victoria Marathon announces 5-race virtual series
Now that the in-person RVM is a go, organizers have offered any Royal Flush participants who entered all five of the races in the virtual series the chance to run on October 10 as well at no additional charge. These Royal Flush runners would get to swap their virtual half-marathon for the in-person race or their virtual 10K for the live 8K. Runners who only signed up for the virtual half-marathon or 10K in the series don’t get the option of switching over to the in-person race for free.
While there won’t be a marathon held on October 10, organizers have said the distance will make a comeback at the 2022 event.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CNk-g6zj5Kc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
“The marathon has traditionally attracted participants not only from Victoria and Vancouver but across Canada and abroad,” says Jonathan Foweraker, president of the Victoria Marathon Society. “Not knowing exactly what travel will be like in the fall, we would prefer to stage the 41st Royal Victoria Marathon in 2022, when we can truly celebrate a return to running.”
To find out more about the return of the RVM and to eventually register for the race on June 8, click here.