BMO Vancouver Marathon
Deferral Runners
Thanks for your continued enthusiasm in the BMO Vancouver Marathon. Your patience has been appreciated as we navigated the COVID-19 global pandemic. Your unique deferral discount code was emailed to you on January 26, 2021, and your deferral rate has been extended an extra two years so it may now be redeemed in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025. Should you have additional questions, please reference the FAQ section below or email: [email protected]
As a passionate run community, we shared in your disappointment of not hosting Vancouver’s only Marathon event in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was sad for us all, and we apologize for the inconveniences it brought upon you. Thank you for your patience as we worked through the fall-out of that unprecedented situation and tabulated all associated costs. While the majority of funds dedicated to the cost of running the 2020 event had already been allocated, thanks to the support of the Government, our valued sponsors and many suppliers, our local non-profit improved upon the initial deferral offer.
BMO Vancouver Marathon 2020 registered runners all received the Virtual Race, exclusive tech tee and medal, plus had opportunity to receive Option A: 100% deferral to the Great Trek Fall Classic 2020, plus 40% off the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2021, 2022 or 2023 event, or Option B: 75% off the BMO Vancouver Marathon 2021, 2022 or 2023 event. Since the COVID-19 global pandemic has been more impactful than initially anticipated, RUNVAN® has since extended that deferral discount an extra two years making it valid in 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 or 2025.
RUNVAN® redirected all savings from the 2020 event cancellation back to registered runners through future race offerings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Additional Event Cancellation FAQS
Why couldn’t the 2020 race be rescheduled?
COVID-19 concerns were proving to be dynamic and ever changing, and we could not predict when the Public Health Agency of Canada would have deemed it safe to hold a large scale public event. We respect decisions that are being made by the health authorities to keep our communities safe, and we wanted to be part of the solution. We also wanted to give you, and our stakeholders, time to create alternative plans. Marathon planning for our non-profit starts more than a year in advance, and Provincial health authorities ultimately did not permit the in-person Marathon event in 2020 and 2021.
What was the decision making process?
The decision to cancel the in-person portion of the 2020 and 2021 events was made in response to COVID-19 concerns, and directive from the British Columbia Provincial health officer to ban all mass gatherings. Postponing the event did not address unknowns around COVID-19 concerns. The non-profit Vancouver International Marathon Society is led by a volunteer Board of Directors who are all runners, and is supported by nearly 3,000 volunteers. As a passionate run community, we all shared in your disappointment of not hosting Vancouver’s only Marathon event in-person in both 2020 and 2021.
Why are the new deferral options better than the initial offer?
Vancouver’s only Marathon event relies on registration and sponsorship funds and is operated and managed by the local non-profit RUNVAN®. While the majority of funds dedicated to the cost of running the 2020 event had already been allocated, we kindly requested you to be patient as we continued to work through the fall-out of the unprecedented situation and continued to tabulate all of the associated costs. Thanks to our sponsors and suppliers, who were generous with contracts despite the event’s cancellation, better deferral options were ultimately shared with you.
Why can’t you just refund my 2020 registration?
Entry fees are non-refundable as per race policies agreed to upon registration. While it would be ideal to offer refunds during this difficult time, our non-profit would not be able to financially sustain refunds given the majority of the budget had already been allocated. In other words, funds have been spent per traditional ordering timelines and can’t simply be returned without causing serious cash-flow concerns that may jeopardize the overall sustainability of this long-standing community event. RUNVAN® has instead redirected all savings from the 2020 event cancellation back to registered 2020 runners through future race offerings. As a non-profit, RUNVAN® is still forecasting to operate at a financial loss in the short-term.
Where was the money spent?
The majority of the event’s initial 2020 budget was already committed to prior to the in-person event cancellation in 2020. RUNVAN® invests in a marketing campaign that helps to attract runners from 65+ countries, has fixed operational costs, plus makes large advance purchases. Since that product was ordered months in advance of the event cancellation, refunds on products like the 2020 tech shirts and medals are unavailable. Many supplier deposits were also non-refundable. The event still offered in-person Package Pickup for local residents when it was safe to do so, allowing runners to collect those commemorative rewards. For non-local residents and those unable to make an in-person pickup, rewards were mailed at no additional cost to participants. If you didn’t receive your race kit, please feel free to still contact us: [email protected]. Thank you for understanding.
What is COVID-19?
On March 11, 2020, the COVID-19 outbreak was characterized as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. March 12, B.C. Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry stated that event organizers are to cancel all gatherings of 250 people or more. Restrictions continued into 2021 within BC and globally. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) further suggested a ban of large scale events. Given the directive of the health organizations, the in-person portion of the BMO Vancouver Marathon could not safely proceed as initially planned in 2020 or 2021.
How do I receive my 2020 Race Kit?
2020 rewards were mailed at no additional cost to participants. The BMO Vancouver Marathon traditionally attract runners from 65+ countries. If you didn’t receive your 2020 medal and tech shirt, please email us: [email protected].