Sunday’s First Half in Vancouver to feature some of Canada’s best

Vancouver, specifically the downtown core, will be a running hotbed on Sunday morning as the Pacific Road Runners host the First Half, one of most competitive half-marathons in Canada in 2016 thus far.

The race is part of the BC Super Series, a collaboration between BC Athletics (provincial governing body) and 12 of BC’s best road races.

Look who's running @VanFirstHalf next Sunday pic.twitter.com/FQ9XiDXiAo

— BC SuperSeries (@BCSuperSeries) February 7, 2016

The race begins at 8:30 a.m. PST and takes runners from downtown Vancouver through scenic Stanley Park.

RELATED: Rob Watson, Natasha Wodak kick off 2016 with wins at Pioneer 8K.

Eric Gillis and Krista Duchene, both with the Olympic qualifying standard in the marathon, will headline the men’s and women’s races. The race provides a prime opportunity for athletes looking to maintain their spot, or climb, on the Athletics Canada rankings for the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in Wales on March 26.

The top-three ranked Canadian athletes (six in total) will represent Team Canada at the event.

.@LGRoadRunners @kristaduchene @VanFirstHalf new elite female addition? 😉 pic.twitter.com/iFjp7QC3LU

— Eric Gillis (@EricGillis42_2k) February 13, 2016

Rob Watson, who’s well-positioned on the rankings and has expressed interest in representing Canada at the world half championships, is in the field and has the luxury of a 10-minute commute to the start line. He lives and trains in Vancouver and won the first race of the BC Super Series, the Pioneer 8K.

Number secured, almost time to roll! #fhhm16 @ForerunnersVan @VanFirstHalf https://t.co/s4Rxyfk0r6

— Rob Watson (@robbiedxc) February 13, 2016

Dayna Pidhoresky, the defending champion in the event, will look to rebound from a DNF at the Houston Marathon and get herself into contention for a spot on the Canadian half-marathon team. The Vancouver resident was on pace for Olympic marathon standard in Houston before being forced to drop out due to stomach issues around 25-30K.

Last workout done before @VanFirstHalf & getting excited to give it a good, solid effort! @BCSuperSeries #TeamNB @NewBalanceCan

— Dayna Pidhoresky (@DaynaPidhoresky) February 11, 2016

Kip Kangogo, who represented Canada in the marathon at the Pan Am Games in Toronto, is making the trip to Vancouver to test his fitness. Erin Burrett, the defending runner-up, is also in the field.