Vancouver Marathon
Vancouver Marathon race day weather
Comfortable temps
Mild 51°F temps at gun time mean comfortable early miles without overheating risk. Light winds shouldn't be a major factor for pacing. Moderate humidity at 67% is worth noting for effort level, especially in later miles.
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Vancouver Marathon route and elevation
The Vancouver Marathon course has about 938 ft (286 m) of climbing and 1,118 ft (341 m) of descent, a net drop of about 180 ft (55 m). It is hillier than 77% of the marathon courses racecast.io has mapped, measured by what the hills cost in time. The hardest mile is mile 6, with 174 ft (53 m) of climbing and a 3.3% average grade.
Biggest climbs
- Miles 0.1 to 0.8: climbs about 75 ft (23 m).
- Miles 5.1 to 7.7: climbs about 270 ft (83 m).
- Miles 25.4 to 26.2: climbs about 80 ft (25 m).
What the hills cost
- 3:30 on a flat course is about 3:32 here (2 minutes slower).
- 4:00 on a flat course is about 4:02 here (2 minutes slower).
- 4:30 on a flat course is about 4:32 here (2 minutes slower).
Hills only, priced mile by mile on the course map. The pace calculator above adds the race-day weather.
Even-effort splits for a 3:30, 4:00 or 4:30 finish
| Mile | Climb | Descent | 3:30 | 4:00 | 4:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 84 ft | 23 ft | 8:27 | 9:39 | 10:52 |
| 2 | 36 ft | 64 ft | 7:50 | 8:57 | 10:04 |
| 3 | 20 ft | 60 ft | 7:47 | 8:54 | 10:01 |
| 4 | 5 ft | 143 ft | 7:28 | 8:32 | 9:35 |
| 5 | 20 ft | 85 ft | 7:41 | 8:48 | 9:54 |
| 6 | 174 ft | 2 ft | 9:27 | 10:48 | 12:09 |
| 7 | 74 ft | 21 ft | 8:23 | 9:35 | 10:47 |
| 8 | 60 ft | 32 ft | 8:11 | 9:20 | 10:30 |
| 9 | 32 ft | 42 ft | 7:54 | 9:02 | 10:10 |
| 10 | 8 ft | 73 ft | 7:42 | 8:48 | 9:54 |
| 11 | 52 ft | 24 ft | 8:10 | 9:20 | 10:30 |
| 12 | 11 ft | 68 ft | 7:44 | 8:50 | 9:56 |
| 13 | 14 ft | 191 ft | 7:22 | 8:25 | 9:28 |
| 14 | 28 ft | 30 ft | 7:56 | 9:04 | 10:13 |
| 15 | 71 ft | 47 ft | 8:08 | 9:19 | 10:28 |
| 16 | 33 ft | 27 ft | 8:00 | 9:08 | 10:16 |
| 17 | 24 ft | 50 ft | 7:51 | 8:57 | 10:05 |
| 18 | 37 ft | 20 ft | 8:05 | 9:15 | 10:24 |
| 19 | 63 ft | 53 ft | 8:01 | 9:10 | 10:19 |
| 20 | 16 ft | 54 ft | 7:48 | 8:54 | 10:01 |
| 21 | 32 ft | 16 ft | 8:04 | 9:14 | 10:23 |
| 22 | 12 ft | 33 ft | 7:52 | 8:59 | 10:06 |
| 23 | 23 ft | 18 ft | 7:59 | 9:07 | 10:16 |
| 24 | 18 ft | 20 ft | 7:56 | 9:05 | 10:13 |
| 25 | 29 ft | 36 ft | 7:55 | 9:03 | 10:10 |
| 26 | 71 ft | 15 ft | 8:25 | 9:36 | 10:49 |
| Last 0.2 | 20 ft | 0 ft | 1:54 | 2:11 | 2:27 |
Explore the Vancouver Marathon course with the weather and your pace along the route, or compare it with other races.
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About the Vancouver Marathon
The Vancouver Marathon is held on the first Sunday of May, starting at Queen Elizabeth Park and finishing in downtown Vancouver after passing through the University of British Columbia, Pacific Spirit Regional Park, English Bay, and the Stanley Park Seawall. The certified 42.195 km course is sanctioned by World Athletics and the Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) as a Boston Marathon qualifier. Race weekend also includes a half marathon, an 8K, and a kids run, and drew more than 25,000 participants across all distances in 2026. Wikipedia
Race weekend
Tips from Runners
From 17 race reports by runners: what worked for them, not official race information.
If friends want to see you, send them to the Burrard Bridge area around km 27 to 31. Several runners met their people there, and it is close to the Seawall stretch where few spectators go.
Hold your effort down on the descent out of Queen Elizabeth Park and on the beach downhill near km 20. Several runners who let gravity carry them there paid for it later.
Treat the Camosun climb around km 10 as a place to slow down on purpose. A few runners kept a steady cadence up it and stayed conservative until they were over the top.
Expect lines at the porta-potties, both at the start and at the early stations near Westbrook Village. A 2024 runner was still in line minutes before the gun and missed his corral.
Use rapid transit to reach the start at Queen Elizabeth Park rather than a city bus. A 2023 runner found the train reliable, while a 2024 runner's Main Street bus never picked him up and he had to jog there.
Go by the course kilometer markers, not your watch. A couple of runners found their watches read hundreds of meters ahead of the markers by the end.
- If friends want to see you, send them to the Burrard Bridge area around km 27 to 31. Several runners met their people there, and it is close to the Seawall stretch where few spectators go.
- Expect lines at the porta-potties, both at the start and at the early stations near Westbrook Village. A 2024 runner was still in line minutes before the gun and missed his corral.
- Use rapid transit to reach the start at Queen Elizabeth Park rather than a city bus. A 2023 runner found the train reliable, while a 2024 runner's Main Street bus never picked him up and he had to jog there.
- Hold your effort down on the descent out of Queen Elizabeth Park and on the beach downhill near km 20. Several runners who let gravity carry them there paid for it later.
- Treat the Camosun climb around km 10 as a place to slow down on purpose. A few runners kept a steady cadence up it and stayed conservative until they were over the top.
- Go by the course kilometer markers, not your watch. A couple of runners found their watches read hundreds of meters ahead of the markers by the end.
Vancouver Marathon FAQ
When is the 2027 Vancouver Marathon?
Is the Vancouver Marathon a Boston Marathon Qualifier?
What is the time limit for the Vancouver Marathon?
What will the weather be like for the 2027 Vancouver Marathon?
What is the elevation gain of the Vancouver Marathon?
Is the Vancouver Marathon hilly?
What is the weather usually like for the Vancouver Marathon?
What was the hottest Vancouver Marathon?
What was the windiest Vancouver Marathon?
Vancouver Marathon reviews and race reports
A hilly, scenic point-to-point where the Camosun climb and the lonely Seawall finish do the damage.
The Camosun Street climb to UBC — Several runners named the climb up Camosun Street toward UBC, around km 10, as the steepest and longest hill on the course. Past it, a couple of runners loved the jazz band and the cheering students on the UBC campus.
The drops from Queen Elizabeth Park and down to Jericho Beach — The race opens with a long descent from Queen Elizabeth Park, and a steep drop toward Jericho Beach comes just before halfway. A couple of runners said that second downhill left their quads shot for the rest of the race.
The Stanley Park Seawall — Many runners called the Seawall around Stanley Park, from about km 32, the hardest part of the race. Crowds nearly vanish on the narrow path, and each bend hides how much is left. One runner loved the solitude and passed people there.
The Burrard Bridge and the uphill finish downtown — The climb onto the Burrard Bridge at km 30 is the last real hill, and a couple of runners felt it sap them. After the park, the final stretch downtown rises gently to the line, but its loud crowd felt like a jolt after the quiet Seawall.
Surprised by a strong performance despite injury setbacks
Vancouver is such an undulating course, it's not until kilometer 11 where the course has it's first stretch of true flat ground and that's where I could gauge what felt comfortable for pacing. My goal of 2:57 meant flats were to be run at 4:12min/km (6:45min/mile) pace. When I looked down at my watch to see what pace I was settling into, the pace was 4:04min/km (6:32min/mile). I tried to not get too excited and told myself that I'm probably in store for a positive split today and that there was still about 70% of the race left.
Struggled with quads after Burrard bridge, but finished strong.
Final big hill at the Burrard bridge. This really took it out of me. Started to breathe heavy. Kept telling myself if I can survive this then I just have to hang on. There's a steep but short drop onto the path along the sea around 30-31km and that felt like the final straw for my quads. Did everything I could to hold on behind my uncle.
Struggled with cramps on the Seawall but finished strong under 3:40
Like many others have said about this race, the Seawall was the hardest part. I don't mind running without a ton of spectators, but around 36km my legs started to seize and cramp very badly and every so often, felt like they were going to give out. I was trying not to panic and was having serious doubts that I would be able to finish.
Felt great at UBC, struggled with cramps on the Seawall
I started to feel really good around the 14km mark, at that little out and back turnaround. Between then and the halfway mark I felt like I was flying. I loved running past the UBC campus where all of the students were cheering and drinking and blasting music. I hit the halfway point in about 1:48:30 and at that point was fully settled in and just enjoying the insanely beautiful course.
Felt strong early but hamstring tightness caused concern
I started feeling pretty strong, but I also know that my HR takes some time to go up when I start my runs, so I knew I would get cocky in the beginning. My dynamic warm up helped loosen up my glutes and hips, which I was worried about when I jogged to the start line, but immediately when the run started I could feel tightness in my hamstring. Not a great sign but I tried not to focus on it and accept that it's race time so I'll just have to do my best.