Vancouver Sun Run

The Vancouver Sun Run is Canada's largest 10K road race, drawing tens of thousands of runners to downtown Vancouver every spring. Founded in 1985 by The Vancouver Sun newspaper, the event grew from about 3,700 participants in its first year into a signature spring tradition that has topped 50,000 finishers in recent editions, with a peak of roughly 60,000 in 2011. The race is currently presented by Herbaland Naturals. The 10K course starts at Burrard and Georgia in downtown Vancouver and heads north through the West End toward Denman Street before tracing the English Bay waterfront along Beach and Pacific Avenue. Runners then cross the Burrard Street Bridge, pass through South False Creek and Mount Pleasant, and finish outside BC Place Stadium. Held on the third or fourth Sunday of April each year, the race uses wave starts based on projected finish time so both competitive runners and first-time walkers can take part comfortably; the course closes 2 hours and 30 minutes after the start. Alongside the main 10K, race weekend includes the EVA Air 2.5K Mini Sun Run, team divisions for workplaces and youth groups, and a competitive wheelchair race. Since 1997, a dollar from every registration has supported the Raise-a-Reader children's literacy program, and the event has raised more than $1.1 million for local charities since it began. Live entertainment, cheer zones along the route, and a post-race festival at BC Place round out race day.