There will be more entertainment and more older participants as Victoria welcomes about 8,000 walkers, runners and wheelchair competitors at the Times Colonist 10K on Sunday.
Cheer on elite runners, weekend warriors or people just trying to lose a few pounds at the annual race, celebrating its 29th year.
The race takes participants for a loop around downtown Victoria and along Dallas Road.
Regular runners will travel the same closed course as elite racers, with their prize being better health rather than fame and fortune.
Older runners are well represented as well.
“We have a lot of returning runners. Their longevity has meant that we had to add older age groups,” said Joe Dixon, race manager.
There is now a 90 years and older age group.
Changes this year include registrants for the run receiving a technical T-shirt (it used to be cotton) and all finishers receiving a medal to commemorate their achievement.
“There has been a push to improve and increase the participant experience,” said Dixon.
The runners, walkers and wheelchair athletes will also enjoy live music as they race toward the finish line, with nine entertainment stations that range from Taiko drummers to fiddlers.
Budding runners get to sign up for the Thrifty Foods Family Run — the same excitement of the regular race for a younger demographic.
Families can walk, jog or push a baby buggy around a 1.5-kilometre course before enjoying festivities in the KidZone.
The event wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of more than 500 volunteers. Some arrive as early as 4 a.m. on race day to begin setting up. Others direct traffic or staff the water stations.
This year, Thrifty Foods has taken over organizing the volunteers.
Participants can still register for the race at the Race Expo, which runs 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Crystal Garden, 713 Douglas St. The Expo is open to the public and is the place for registered runners and walkers to pick up their race packages.
The race starts at 7:55 a.m. for wheelchair athletes, with other runners and walkers starting at 8 a.m. Sunday.
The start line is at Government and Belleville Street (between the Empress Hotel and the legislature). The Family Run starts at 11 a.m. on Government Street between Belleville and Superior streets.
Road closures include intersections along the race route on a rolling basis. The start/finish area will be closed from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. and an on-street parking ban on the race route will be enforced from 4 a.m. to 11 a.m. Sunday.
Go to runsport.ca/tc10k for race and registration details.
Sikhs holding first Vaisakhi parade in Victoria
Join Victoria’s Sikh community to celebrate Vaisakhi at the Khalsa Day Parade, Sunday at the Gurdwara Singh Sabha.
Vaisakhi commemorates the birth of the Khalsa and is one of the most celebrated days in the Sikh calendar.
Although this is the first parade in Victoria, Sikhs have been celebrating Vaisakhi annually in other cities in Canada for many years.
Sikhism is the fifth largest religion in the world, with approximately 30 million followers worldwide and about 400,000 in Canada.
The parade involves hymn singing, martial-arts displays and distribution of langar (free food).
The focus this year will be the Guru-Granth, the spiritual canon and Guru of the Sikhs and Guru-Panth, the physical embodiment of the Guru within the Sikh community.
The Gurdwara is located in the Burnside-Gorge area of Victoria. As part of the occasion, the Gurdwara will make a donation to the Burnside-Gorge Community Association’s Homeless Family Outreach program.
The events from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., are free to attend. The parade runs 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sunday from the Gurdwara Singh Sabha, 470 Cecelia Rd. For more information, go to Facebook.
Peninsula arts, crafts sale starts Saturday
Admire (or purchase) more than 500 original works of art at the Saanich Peninsula Arts and Crafts Society’s annual Arts and Crafts Exhibition and Sale at the Mary Winspear Centre, Sidney, Saturday and Sunday.
This is the 65th anniversary of the local nonprofit arts group.
At the show, the society’s more than 360 members will show off their pieces, including paintings, mixed media pieces, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, fibre arts and fine crafts.
This year the show features a special collection of works by founding members.
People will also have an opportunity to chat with the artists and learn more about the friendly, cooperative and supportive arts society.
Admission is $5 for adults and free for accompanied children.
The event runs 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Mary Winspear Centre, 2243 Beacon Ave., Sidney.
There will be a wine tasting event from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
Tickets are available at eventbrite.ca. For more information, go to spacsociety.com.
Youth orchestra wraps up season
The Greater Victoria Youth Orchestra wraps up its 32nd season with a concert featuring music from the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Sunday at the University of Victoria Farquhar Auditorium.
The orchestra, made up of young musicians, is guided by Yariv Aloni, music director and other internationally acclaimed conductors and coaches.
At Sunday’s concert they will play Mozart’s The Magic Flute: Overture; Albinoni’s Oboe Concerto in D minor, with Anna Betuzzi, oboe; Saint-Saens’s Cello Concerto in A minor, with Bryan Lin, cello; Piazzola’s Histoire du Tango, with Gillian Newburn, flute and Enescu’s lively Romanian Rhapsody No. 1.
They will perform on voice and orchestral instruments.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors and $10 for students or children.
The concert starts at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the Farquhar Auditorium, University of Victoria.
Tickets are available at the UVic Ticket Centre: 250-721-8480 or tickets.uvic.ca. For more information, go to gvyo.org.
Our marine ecosystems in spotlight
Learn about marine ecosystems in an urban environment at this month’s Victoria Natural History Society’s Marine Night, Monday at the University of Victoria.
The topic for this upcoming presentation is Gorge herring, Victorian native oysters and Seaquaria — toward appreciation of urban marine Naturehoods.
The speaker is Joachim Carolsfeld, executive director of World Fisheries Trust.
The trust has been working with native oysters and Gorge herring, which are unique to the urban marine ecosystem of the Capital Regional District.
Admission to the presentation is free. The event runs 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Monday in Room 159, Fraser Building at the University of Victoria.
For more information, go to vicnhs.bc.ca.
Volunteers celebrated at Uplands
Friends of Uplands Park and the Greater Victoria Green Team are hosting Volunteers in the Camas — a celebration for all volunteers of Greater Victoria Parks and interested folks.
Dance to the music of the Bald Eagles, take wildlife and birding tours of the meadows and take part in all kinds of activities for children and adults.
There will be displays from Parks Canada, Nature Conservancy of Canada, CRD Bowker Creek Initiative, Habitat Acquisition Trust, Orca Whale Awareness, Oak Bay Heritage, Nature Kids and others.
Admission to the event is free. It runs noon to 3 p.m. Sunday at Uplands Park (Beach Drive entrance to Cattle Point). For more information, go to friendsof uplandspark.org.
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