Celebrating the 45th year of Vancouver’s only marathon, the ‘Legacy Talks’ video series interviews those who have played key roles in helping grow the event from its early beginnings. Today, we talk with Frank Stebner, former course director, marathoner, and current historian of the Vancouver Marathon.
In this interview, Frank talks about the progression of the marathon event, event records, and the prestigious William Chandler trophy.
“Participation has increased immensely. It started out being arranged for mainly elite runners, people who would runner under three hours and now it attracts runners of all abilities. [From] the 2:15 hour marathoners to the six hour marathoners.”
Frank recollects the course changes that happened throughout the years. “My personal best was on the two-bridges course, running over the Lions Gate Bridge to North Vancouver and then coming back over the Second Narrow Bridge. It was considered as the toughest of all the courses that we’d had over the years.”
“The Vancouver Marathon is one of the oldest running marathons in the world. It’s important to document the history of the Vancouver Marathon so that we know how the marathon progressed over the years.”
The BMO Vancouver Marathon now has events for everyone, including a Half Marathon, Relay, 8KM, 2.5KM Walk, and Kids Run. Join in now to experience all the exciting on May 1!
To watch more Legacy Talks and BMO Vancouver Marathon videos, click here.