Commitment pays off for Vancouver’s most seasoned runners
Legacy Club members honoured at the BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 1st
Vancouver BC, March 30, 2016 –
Over 100 individuals with the incredible accomplishment of finishing 15 or more Vancouver Marathons, Half Marathons or 8KM races will be honoured in the BMO Vancouver Marathon Legacy Club. Exclusive benefits will be given to all registered Legacy Runners at the next BMO Vancouver Marathon on May 1st, 2016.
“These incredible runners have set a precedence to the Vancouver running community,” says Charlene Krepiakevich, Executive Director of the non-profit Vancouver International Marathon Society, organizers of the event. “We are so thankful to these individuals that have paved the way for the next generation of runners.”
From the programs beginning in 2014, the Legacy Club has grown from 70 to over 100 members. Included in that list are Lori Wong, Henny Coates, Karl Sturmanis, Robin Dickinson, plus Leith and Joan Campbell who have each raced in over 25 Vancouver Marathon events. All six committed athletes will return this spring to conquer another Vancouver Marathon.
“My motivation is simple, I run 6 days a week and then the payback is running the Vancouver Marathon,” says Robin Dickinson who will participate in his 32nd Vancouver Marathon on May 1, 2016.
The Vancouver International Marathon Society’s annual event dates back 45 years to 1972.
Runners who have completed 15 or more marathon events are strongly encouraged to self identify themselves online at runvan.org.
Legacy Club runners receive unique benefits including the following:
- Specially designed bibs at the Bronze (15 years), Silver (20) and Gold (25) levels
- Recognition on the Vancouver International Marathon Society webpage, runvan.org
- Access to express package pickup, and hospitality tents at the Start and Finish Lines
- Runners who have run and completed a Vancouver Marathon event 25 times or more may also be invited to the Media Reception with the Elite Athletes and will be assigned a bib number for life to commemorate their achievement.
Continuing this year is the Legacy Hub during the Health, Sports and Lifestyle Expo at the grand Vancouver Convention Centre West on April 28 – 30. The Hub invites all Legacy members to meet and share stories of their past running adventures.
In 1992, Lori Wong delivered her son eight weeks before the race on May 3rd, completing her second of 26 Vancouver Marathons. “I can totally remember the feeling of crossing the Finish Line and having my family greet me. I had just given birth two months earlier and there was my husband handing me back my eight-week old son.”
From its inception in 1972, the Vancouver Marathon has grown into one of Canada’s most prestigious running events and includes six different races for runners of all levels and abilities. 2016 will mark the 45th year of this award winning, marathon event.