It’s the year of the maniac at the annual GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon.
That’s thanks to the Marathon Maniacs, an international running club based in Tacoma, Washington, that is staging a reunion at the Oct. 11 event.
“We are expecting 500, 750, 1,000 Marathon Maniacs to descend on Victoria for race weekend,” marathon general manager Cathy Noel said Thursday. “It’s very exciting to be able to welcome them.”
Members of the group will also be reprising their 2014 role as marathon and half-marathon pacesetters, helping runners finish at desired times.
The 2015 marathon weekend, which also includes a half-marathon, an 8K run and the Thrifty Foods Kids Run, peaked at 14,000 participants 2010. The first marathon in 1980 brought out 700.
“Our goal is to have more participants this year,” said Noel, who was speaking Thursday at the official launch of the 2015 marathon.
Drawing on the success of other events is important, Noel said — including the April 26 TC 10K, which attracted 10,500 registrations. “We want all of those people to be on the start line on Oct. 11.”
Organizers also hope to encourage registration online with the domain names runlocalfirst.com and runlocalfirst.ca, which link to runvictoria marathon.com.
This marks the marathon’s 36th year, a testament to the ongoing work of volunteers — from the more than 50 people on the organizing committee to about 1,500 who perform a variety of duties on race weekend. “Without this commitment and dedication, we wouldn’t be able to put on a race like this,” said Rod McCrimmon, who has been on the committee for 29 years.
Noel said volunteers will be recognized for their contribution prior to the marathon. “We have so many volunteers and a lot of them are coming back year after year, so we will be working with our sponsors to highlight their stories.”
The marathon’s Charity Pledge Program, sponsored by CHEK News, returns for an 11th year with a goal of raising $175,000 for 22 local charities. The program has raised $1.5 million since 2006.
The marathon also has four official charities: KidSport, the Times Colonist Raise a Reader fund, the GoodLife Kids Foundation and the Kilee Patchell-Evans Autism Research Group.
Noel said charity fundraising will get a jump-start, with each group in the pledge program given 20 $100 marathon-registration forms to sell, which would generate almost $40,000.
The marathon is more than just another running event in the city, said Rob Ringma, director of sales for Tourism Victoria.
“Having an event like this in the off-season, in the fall, is really a huge benefit for the region in general terms of bringing people in and helping to promote that economic impact. I know our hotel partners are all very excited about being full in October.”
Registration until May 15 is $90 for the marathon, $65 for the half-marathon and $35 for the 8K. Costs rise to $100, $75 and $40, respectively, on May 16.
The cost to enter the Thrifty Foods Kids Run will be $17 through Oct. 10.
