Sun Run!

Yes! I participated in the largest 10k race in Canada. The organizers counted 59,000 athletes and I counted more than 10 bands playing live music while we ran along the empty streets of Vancouver with the mountains as a backdrop. After starting at the Vancouver Art Gallery, the route took us on Georgia Street towards Stanley Park, then through a couple of streets until we were running next to the beach and into Burrard Bridge. Then I got distracted by the people cheering and the masses of runners until I realized I was crossing the Cambie Bridge and into the finish line at BC Place Stadium... 52 minutes and 12 seconds later.

One of the things that I adore about races is the instantaneous silence that takes over the streets after the first kilometer (once you leave behind the speakers and noise at the start line). You're suddenly surrounded by hundreds of quiet huhh haaahh huuuh haaahs and the incessant tapping of rubber soles on the pavement. It is at this point that you realize you're really doing it, that you're really a part of this enormous group of people that defied the cold air and gathered for a morning of sweat and lactic acid. As any concert goer or sports fan knows, being part of a mass is empowering.

But the beauty of a race like this is that it's not about competition (unless you're part of the front teams) because almost anybody can run 10k. Unlike a marathon or a triathlon, a 10k race is also full of non-athletic people that show up simply to be a part of the race, knowing that they too can make it to the finish line. This gives the race a different tone of camaraderie, a certain air of equality. The race becomes a collective exercise in personal achievement. And that's what made me keep on running.