New courses quickly attracting participants to the 41st annual BMO Vancouver Marathon…
VANCOUVER, BC, January 25, 2012 – The most recent count of registered Marathon participants has already breached the 70 per cent mark and continues to grow as the big day on May 6th, 2012 quickly approaches. With plenty of time still to register, the brand new courses are quickly attracting runners, and for many, the training has begun.
The BMO Vancouver Marathon is the flagship marathon in Vancouver and is capped at 5000 participants with over 70 per cent of the capacity already full. The BMO Half Marathon has a cap of 10,000 which is now being tracked at nearly 50 per cent full.
“We are just thrilled about the numbers,” said Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director of the Vancouver International Marathon Society. “The BMO Vancouver Marathon has a great legacy in the city and has incredible community support. Obviously, our new courses have sparked incredible interest from our passionate local runners, and from runners around the globe.”
The two new point to point, net downhill courses for the BMO Vancouver Marathon will showcase 11 Vancouver neighbourhoods and gives runners an opportunity to experience these amazing communities and give spectators, volunteers, friends and family an opportunity to gather in celebration of achievement, sport and community.
The Marathon and Half Marathon courses begin at one of Vancouver’s tallest points, Queen Elizabeth Park, and finish, downtown near the Vancouver Convention Centre. The new routes are the first change to the course in ten years. Though the two courses begin and end in the same locations, the journey for participants differs greatly and showcases different parts of the city of Vancouver.
With a vision to be the world’s best running experience, that celebrates all that Vancouver has to offer, the new 2012 BMO Vancouver Marathon is off to a great start and promises to internationally promote Vancouver and the healthy active lifestyles, which Vancouver is beginning to be known for.
BMO Bank of Montreal enters its seventh year as the title sponsor of the BMO Vancouver Marathon. “The Bank is proud to be aligned with such a strong community‐based organization that is well loved by spectators and participants alike,” says Joanne Gassman, Senior Vice President, BC & Yukon Division, BMO Bank of Montreal.
Please visit www.bmovanmarathon.ca for more information.
Media Contacts:Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director, Vancouver International Marathon Society, Office: 604‐872‐2928, Cell: 604‐374‐8999, [email protected] Laurie Grant, BMO Media Relations, 604‐665‐7596, [email protected]