On Sunday, APril 20, I embarked on a 10k run held locally here in Vancouver: The Sun Run. The fantastic thing about the Sun Run is that it is the WORLD's (Yes, the world's) second largest race in terms of number of participants. As of 9:00 AM on race day, 59,179 runners registered for the race. By the end of the day, more than 56,000 of them had crossed the finish line.
It was a site to behold.
Expecting mayhem, I arrived at the start line (or the vicinity of the start line) early. We started on West Georgia, a 6-lane road on the north-end of downtown. The entire street, naturally, was blocked off. The "start line" was more than a block. When I arrived, there were 10 city blocks, 6 lanes wide, of runners. It was a literal sea of people. Young and old. Fat and thin. Pro athletes and couch potatoes with ambition. It was inspiring to say the least.
Especially because, for a race called the Sun Run, it was a particularly cold and blustery day in Vancouver. The temperature was hovering around zero. It had snowed the day before. And the sun was fighting with some on-coming clouds to make an appearance later.
Because of the massive onslaught of runners of every ability, the race is organized to start in waves. Over each city block was an arch of balloons. Each colour designated an ability level. I was white. Smack dab in the middle!
The Blues went first (the wheelchair racers), then a few minutes later, the yellows (the pros), then the greens, then the whites (me), and eventually the purples, reds, and pinks. I officially crossed the start line 30 minutes after the race had begun. So as the crowd thinned out (only slightly... just enough for elbow room), it was uplifting and down-right amazing to see a sea of runners as far as I could see in front of me. And an equal sea of runners as far as I could see behind.
I usually don't smile mid race unless I see someone I know, am high-fiving, or am crossing the finish line, but I was pretty darn happy.
The pace, of course, is pretty slow for the first few kilometres. The more I tried to find a pace, the more I found myself stuck behind slow runners, skipping over people who stopped to tie their shoes, etc. Eventually, I just resigned myself to enjoying the experience of the run and not worrying so much about the time.
As a result, the time flew by.
So much to look at, so many people to befriend, so many landmarks to pass, so many bands to listen to. It was a frenzy and a feast for my eyes and my mind. So much so that I forgot about the running.
At precisely 1 hr, 1 minute and 4 seconds since the start line, I crossed the finished line. Slightly off my usual pace, my time wasn't terrible. I placed 14,018 out of 59,000 runners (and walkers). Wow! A top 1/3 finish! I placed 1059 out of 3814 women in the 25-29 category , and 4762 out of ALL women racers.
And, aside from a chilly northwest wind, it was actually a beautiful day for a run with 59,000 athletic comrades.
Even as I headed home, 30 minutes post race, I looked back at Cambie Bridge, a 6 lane bridge that crosses English Bay from False Creek to downtown and the bridge was barrier-to-barrier filled with runners, walkers, and cheerleaders on the sidelines.
It seemed that the whole city woke up and went running that morning.
It warmed my soul.
(and tired my legs!)
