No day of race registration for any of the eight races

No day-of reg, headphones may get you disqualified, reusable bibs still need care

During the COVID – 19 pandemic, the Vancouver Island Race Series stopped day-of-race registration.

The purpose was to cut down on person-to-person interaction as well as follow provincial health orders. The results worked very well for the runners as well as race operations.

Avoid massive line-ups…

Having day-of-race registration requires a number of volunteers to show up early, as well as prepare and plan for the morning of the race. Additionally, participants are required to show up earlier than they otherwise would.

With registration taken care of in advance and race package pickup happening (as much as possible) on the Saturdays prior to each race, will lead to smoother overall race day operations.

Currently, the race series is experiencing a strong season pass push, as well as single-race registrations. For the price of $25 for a single race or $175 for a season pass, it is well worth registering in advance.

Personalized and reusable bibs (need care)

For season pass holders who registered by Dec. 8, they will receive two Tyvek, reusable bibs that should last throughout the series. They are also personalized, with each person’s first name and last initial, accompanied by a number for the timing service.

Although the Tyvek reusable bibs are hardier than your standard, they will need care. Please do not put your race bib through the wash, wrinkle, or fold them. Lay them flat and take care until the next race. Otherwise, you may need to order a standard number for each race, thereby defeating one of the purposes: avoiding package pickup.

Headphones are not recommended

Do not wear headphones (or earbuds) while racing. While racing on the roads, you may impede emergency vehicles that you may not be able to hear. If so, you will be disqualified. Additionally, you may be given important instructions during the race. What if there is wildlife or an emergency situation ahead and a volunteer is asking you to stop?

What if an angry resident of the area is trying to get by? Do not put yourself at risk.

Four-time Olympian Lorraine Moller from New Zealand, who is now a coach and instructor in the sport of running wrote an excellent article for those who like to wear headphones when running. You may read it here.

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Harriers Pioneer 8K: the 2023 provincial 8K championships

The 43rd running of the Prairie Inn Harriers Pioneer 8K will act as the BC provincial championships happening on Sunday, January 8, 2023, in North Saanich.

The race is the first road race of the year in Canada. The Pioneer 8K is also the first race of the Vancouver Island Race Series as well as the BC Super Series. 

The course is gently rolling and is considered fast. The surface is asphalt and is run on quiet residential roads starting and finishing at the Tourist Information Centre off the Pat Bay Highway (17) in North Saanich.

Event records are 22:58 by Carey Nelson from his 1986 running on a previous route named the Brentwood Bay 8K in 1986. The women’s record is 25:28 by Natasha Wodak on the Central Saanich route in 2013. Both athletes are from Vancouver and both are two-time Olympians.

The current course records are 25:55 by Wodak from the 2020 running of the event. Tristan Woodfine, one of Canada’s top marathon runners, set the new course record in 2022 at 23:10, just 12 seconds off of Nelson’s 36-year-old event record.

Wodak, who may return for the 2023 edition, her tenth, is the current national record holder in the marathon at 2:23:12. She broke Malindi Elmore’s record in Berlin this past September. Wodak is the former 10,000m and half-marathon national record holder. Her 25:28 performance is the fastest road 8K in Canada, all-time, however, official records are not kept for the distance.

Wodak won the race eight of the nine times she has competed. In the one year that she did not win, she finished second.

Like the Pioneer 8K, the Vancouver Island Race Series is entering its 43rd year. There are a total of eight races taking place in North Saanich, Sidney, Colwood, Sooke, Cobble Hill, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, and Courtenay.

Runners of all abilities may enter single races or purchase a season pass for just $175.

REGISTRATION

Profile: Lucy Smith, athlete and coach ambassador of the Vancouver Island Race Series

Lucy Smith is a coach, mentor, and writer. She was an interim CEO of Triathlon Canada and is now the race director of the TC10K, an event she has won six times.

Lucy has won 19 Canadian championships in her career. The volume of titles is one thing, but the diversity is another. She has won on the tracks, roads, trails, cross-country, and in multi-sport. The mother of two is also a two-time world duathlon silver medallist.

And yes, she has done marathons (before you ask) and ironman.

Personal bests

Personal bests:

5K: 15:40
10K: 32:46
21.1K: 1:13:35
Marathon: 2:38:40

Achievements

• 19-time Canadian champion
• Two-time silver medallist, Duathlon Worlds
• Six-time Canadian 10K Road Running Champion
• Five-time Canadian Cross-Country Champion
• Canadian Long Distance Triathlon Champion: 2007
• Canadian 10,000m Champion: 2004
• Canadian Half Marathon Champion: 2006
• Five-time Canadian Duathlon Champion
• Two-time CIAU Cross-Country Champion. CIAU is now USport, the national university league in Canada.

Follow along here as Lucy takes us through the season providing well-practiced preparation and racing tips. The advice will be available leading up to each of the eight races starting with the Harriers Pioneer 8K on Sunday, January 8 through to the Synergy Health Centre Bazan Bay 5K on Sunday, April 23.

The Vancouver Island Race Series offers a new season-long team competition: the Island Series Cup

The Vancouver Island Race Series is offering a new team competition for the 2023 season, named the Island Series Cup.

The series has added a perpetual series championship based on the often-used cross-country-style reverse scoring system to award the fastest overall team.

Currently, the VIRA Cup (Vancouver Island Runners’ Association), which goes to the team that wins the age-group competition will continue as usual — it is a sought-after championship annually and requires as many club members as possible to race. The 2022 winner is the Ceevacs Running Club of the Cowichan Valley, which host the Cobble Hill 10K. They will be presented with the VIRA Cup championships trophy at the 2023 season kick-off on Friday, January 6 at Frontrunners Footwear at Yates and Vancouver. Mark your calendars if you are a season pass holder, sponsor, member of the media, or racing the Pioneer 8K two days later on January 8, as the event will also act as race package pick up.

How the reverse scoring system works


In each race, finishers earn points awarded as per the overall finish position within their gender. Top-6 runners on all teams score only, three women and three men. If your third man or third woman athlete finishes, for example, in 200th place, that person earns 200 points. Both male and female overall winners earn 1 point each for their respective club — the lowest team score wins.

Example

Team A’s six scorersPointsTeam B’s six scorersPoints
1st overall (either gender)12nd overall (either gender)2
10th overall (either gender)103rd overall (either gender)3
20th overall (either gender)204th overall (either gender)4
30th overall (either gender)305th overall (either gender)5
40th overall (either gender)406th overall (either gender)6
50th overall (either gender)507th overall (either gender)7
Total points151Total points27

Team B wins with a lower score. Men and women are completely equal contributors to their respective clubs.

Now over five of their best races, if Team B happened to average those same 27 team points and that was the lowest average team score over the series, then they win this new team competition. 

Non-scoring runners can help to displace the competing team’s finishers from scoring higher simply by running faster, even though they may be out of the top three.

Currently, results are available and they include age-graded performance (%), World Athletics points performance rating, and VIRA Cup club competition points, a column will be added for the reverse scoring points earned.

Winner ALERT: Someone has won the 2023 Vancouver Island Trail Running Series season pass

The Vancouver Island Trail Running Series is our counterpart off the roads and into the woods.  They have one more event for 2022 on October 22 in Qualicum.

A season pass has been drawn from all the Island Series (road) season pass registrants during the Thanksgiving weekend and at the Royal Victoria Marathon expo.

Congratulations to —-> this person <— for winning a season pass to the trail series!

Register for the series at the RVM Expo win shoes from Frontrunners Footwear

Register for the 2023 Vancouver Island Race Series Friday, Oct 7 or Saturday, Oct. 8 at the Royal Victoria Marathon Expo and be automatically in the draw for a pair of shoes from series sponsor Frontrunners Footwear.

The Royal Victoria Marathon Expo will take place at the Crystal Gardens in Downtown Victoria on Friday and Saturday. When runners visit the expo to pick up their marathon, half-marathon or 8K race package, register for the 2023 Vancouver Island Race Series.

The series is back to eight, in-person road events starting Sunday, January 8 with the Harriers Pioneer 8K and wraps up with the series awards and final race the Synergy Health Centre Bazan Bay 5K on Sunday, April 23.

Register for all eight races with a season pass for $150 (early bird fee), which works out to $18.75 per race — pre-Covid pricing!

At the end of the expo, all registrants will be in the draw for a new pair of runners from Frontrunners Footwear. Visit their booth while at the expo.

Shoes may not be model displayed here….however, Saucony is a series sponsor — shop Saucony at Frontrunners.

The 2023 series is back to eight in-person races and 2020 pricing

After two virtual pandemic years and a shortened 2022 season, the Vancouver Island Race Series is back to eight races.

The season starts on Sunday, January 8, 2023 with the Harriers Pioneer 8K and wraps up with the Synergy Health Centre Bazan Bay 5K and series awards presentation on Sunday, April 23.

Port Alberni is back after a hiatus. The Paper Chase 15K will now be the McLean Mill 10K. The race will now start and end at the National Historic site of McLean Mill.


The purpose is to provide a more popular distance, take out a few hills and provide a stunning environment to host the Port Alberni fixture. Additionally, the race goes Sunday, April 2 to ensure the likelihood of good weather.

The popular Nanaimo Cedar 12K is back and is once again the third race of the series after the Harriers Pioneer 8K and Cobble Hill 10K happen in January.

Meanwhile, Cobble Hill’s route — already fast — is going to be even faster. The host club Ceevacs have worked with course measurer Gary Duncan to remove three hills and the tangent that went through town.

Even though the cost of everything seems to be going up, the series is in a great place financially, and VIRA is pleased to offer the same pricing as 2020 at $150 as the early rate for a season pass and $175 for late race registration.

Individual races will remain at $25 early and $30 late.

Registration will open on Oct. 7 for the season pass and Nov. 12 for individual races.

New president and general manager for Vancouver Island Race Series

The Vancouver Island Runners’ Association (VIRA) which operates the Vancouver Island Race Series (VIRS) in partnership with member clubs, has elected a new president and hired a new general manager.

Christopher Kelsall succeeds Louise Hodgson-Jones after six years as general manager of the series, as she steps aside gradually toward retirement. Kelsall has also taken over for Jonathan Foweraker as president of VIRA.

Kelsall shooting the 2022 Cobble Hill 10K start. Photo credit: Joseph Camilleri

Kelsall started both positions on July 1, 2022, to manage the series which starts on Sunday, January 8, 2023. The first race as usual is the Harriers Pioneer 8K in North Saanich. The fixture typically doubles as the provincial 8K championships and is a member race of the BC Super Series. The Pioneer 8K is also the first race in Canada each year.

Kelsall is a sports journalist, former race director of the Victoria Run Series/Victoria Track Series, coach and is a 20-year member of the Prairie Inn Harriers Running Club.

“I am pleased to take over for Louise, who has handed the role over to me with the series in great shape,” shared Kelsall. “And, the very capable hands of Jonathan, who stays on as past president. His continued leadership and experience are valuable to the board.”

The series continues into April with races in North Saanich, Sidney, Colwood, Sooke, Cobble Hill, Nanaimo, Port Alberni and Courtenay. The Synergy Health Bazan Bay 5K in Sidney caps the 43rd annual race series and series awards on Sunday, April 16 or potentially Sunday, April 23 — in between the Vancouver Sun Run and TC10K.

VIRA Athlete Travel Assistance

The Vancouver Island Runners’ Association (VIRA) will provide travel assistance of up to $500 per calendar year per individual.

Program:  

The program provides financial support for high performance athletes living on Vancouver Island to assist them in achieving personal bests and in participating international, championship or high-profile running races.

Eligibility:  To apply for financial assistance athletes must:

  1. Be a resident of Vancouver Island (minimum of 6 months)
  2. Be a member in good standing of a VIRA Club.
  3. Be participating in a race sanctioned by BC Athletics, Athletics Canada, AIMS or IAAF.
  4. Demonstrated achievement at a local, regional and/or provincial level with a significant record of participation in the Island Series – emphasis on results in the 12 months preceding the application.
  5. Be a minimum of 16 years of age at December 31 in the year of the application.

Criteria:  Funding support will be based on the following priorities:

  1. British Columbia or Canadian Championship race or qualifier
  2. International race representing Canada.
  3. Invitational international race.

Application Process:  Athletes must submit one application for each competition using the form on the back of this information sheet.  The VIRA Executive will review applications monthly and notify applicants within 30 days of their request as to whether funding has been approved.  Following the event, successful applicants are expected to provide receipts for their expenses as well as a link to official race results and a brief race report.

Submit Application to: Judi Sigurdson, Treasurer

                                                     


Note to applicants: VIRA is a non-profit organization operated on self-generated funds.  All travel grants will be based on available funds.  The VIRA Executive will approve requests for Travel Assistance and notify successful applicants within 30 days of receiving this form.

Please review ‘Eligibility’ and ‘Criteria’ prior to submission

2019-VIRA-Athlete-Travel-AssistanceDownload