Sports Events in Vancouver

Every April the Vancouver Sun and HSBC sponsor the annual Vancouver Sun Run - a 10km fun run throughout Vancouver in which approximately 50,000 take part in. The Sun Run is open to everyone and can be done as a walk, a jog, a run or if you're competitive, a race. I've been doing the Sun Run every year since 1994 (with exception to 1999 and 2004) and the crowds keep getting progressively larger! Even though I don't normally run, I find the Sun Run fun and rewarding.

The route goes west down Georgia to Denman, south on Denman to Robson, west down Robson to Beach, and then along Beach, up to Pacific, over the Burrard Street Bridge, and then along W 2nd and W 6th to the Cambie bridge, and then over to BC Place. At the end of the run, there is live entertainment, awards ceremonies, and free food (bagels, fruit, yogurt, energy bars) inside BC Place.

Note that you must pre-register for this run and cannot show up the day of and hope to be accounted for. When you register, you get a Sun Run t-shirt, a number, and a microchip that ties on to your shoelace so that your starting and ending times are recorded. The next morning after the Sun Run, the Vancouver Sun publishes the time for every single person that participated (and completed) the run.

Equipment: A good pair of running shoes is mandatory. It's often cold in the morning when you're standing around waiting to start, but once you get going, you warm up real fast. I often bring a hoodie that I tie around my waist so that I can keep warm while waiting. I normally find shorts and a t-shirt the most comfortable thing to wear.

Water bottles are unnecessary as there are water stations (and hundreds of volunteers handing out paper cups of water) set up throughout the route.

Canadians as most of you know are Hockey Crazy! Well most of them at least...when it comes to Hockey we all have our favourite teams. For Vancouverites its the Canucks! Whenever there is a game against our home team...you will always find out rooting for them. So if any visitors come during the Stanley Cup season..you will see plenty of cars sporting the Canucks flag...just a bit of "interesting" info you may want to know. =) Don't forget hockey is a great conversation starter in Vancouver....so if you ever meet that special someone in a bar just start talking to them about hockey!

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The Vancouver Rowing Club was established in 1886 and is Vancouver’s oldest athletic club. They focus on Field hockey, rugby, yachting and of course rowing. Their club is situated near the south-side entrance to Stanley Park and for all the world looks like a chateau on a lake.

Fishing on the west coast is fantastic, not just the salmon fishing but what is becoming more popülar are the opportunities fishing for trout and sturgeon further inland on the Fraser river in the Harrison or Chilliwak areas!

It is probably easier if you check with a search engine to find charters or tour operators.

Equipment: Fortunately I had friends with boats, so it was never a problem. But charters are available although a little pricey but they can supply licences, tackle and baits. In some cases you will have a guide that can show you top spots of where to fish.

Vancouver is blessed with many harbours, bays, and inlets. As a result, it's a great city for boating.

False Creek offers a sheltered inlet on the south shore of downtown. You can't go too fast here due to all the boat traffic, and I probably wouldn't advise swimming here, as it's not the cleanest water. But if you rent a boat from Granville Island, False Creek is where you depart.

English Bay is a wide open bay located west of downtown Vancouver. If you want to stay close to the city, it's a good place to be. While it still has a lot of boating traffic, it's usually quite spread out.

Burrard Inlet is a deep, industrial inlet on the north shore of Vancouver. Waters can sometimes be a little choppy, but for the most part, are sheltered. Just watch out for the large cruise ships departing for Alaska!

Indian Arm is a fjord located north of downtown Vancouver. You have to enter Burrard Inlet before entering Indian Arm. This is where you'd get more of a wilderness area, as the city disappears and forested mountains appears instead, plunging down to the water's edge. The fjord is very deep, so there's little worry about beaching the boat. You can also go for overnight camping at a few designated spots. The water, for the most part, is very calm here.

Finally, Howe Sound is another popular place to go boating. I personally think it's the most beautiful because it has islands, glacier-fed streams, and mountains everywhere! It's located north-west of Vancouver, by Horseshoe Bay. Howe Sound is another fjord, but much wider and larger than Indian Arm. The waters can be calm or choppy, depending on the winds. Boat traffic is minimal here because the area's so large, you don't notice it. It's also one of the few places I wouldn't hesitate to go swimming. There's usually harmless jellyfish and harbour seals seen in the water here - a good sign that the water's clean.

Equipment: You can rent 15' or 17' motorboats on Granville Island. There are about 3 or 4 different boat rental companies to choose from. Personally, we always use Granville Boat Rentals, located off Duranleau Street by the False Creek Ferry wharf. It's usually between $60-$75 an hour, depending on the size of the boat. I'm sure the other companies offer similar rates.

If you want to go boating out of Horseshoe Bay, then rent your boat at Sewell's Marina.

As long as you have a driver's license (and the appropriate down payment), you should be able to rent a boat from any of these companies.

Whatever your level of sport, Vancouver is simply sport heaven. If you are hardcore, you can do the Grouse Grind, go snowshoeing on Cypress, Hike Lynn Valley, go wall climbing in many locations, rent a kayak, boat, skis, snowboard, bike, rollerblades...it doesn't matter. If you are not so hardcore, you can still rent blades or a bike and cruise around Stanley Park, which is one of the nicest rides you could imagine. You might also want to head into Capilano park and hike around the bridge, or just walk False Creek.

Equipment: To rent a bike or blades, head to the corner of Georgia and Denman. For boats/kayaks, go to Granville Island, and for skis/boards, just head to the hill.

If and when you are cycling around the city, and you suddenly find that you've got a flat tire, there are a number of bike shops in and around Vancouver, and I'll try and post their addresses later.
One very good shop is the Bike Doctor, I usually head there, not only because it's close to where I am living, but because they are a great bunch of guys who will do a good job for you.

Vancouver is known for its coffee houses and plethora of inliners/bladers. It's illegal to skate downtown and not allowed in malls and buildings, but most other places (parks especially) are great for it! Sure Vancouver can be a little hilly, but that just gets your technical skating down, doesn't it. The one thing is when it rains...not good to inline in the rain...gets slippery and screws with your bearings.

One cool place to inline (and bike) is the Seymour Demonstration Forest. It's mostly flat (a couple of hills, which you can get up/down if you're in intermediate blader. It's long, too...and, well, you're in the woods. Apparently the X-Files and other productions were filmed here.

Stanley Park is quite cool (and close to civilization) but there are inline-police too. If you're going too fast they'll actually catch up to you, pull you over and ticket you (they are on blades too). They also have first aid kits if you need attention.

Equipment: Bring your own or there are many places near Stanley Park to rent them too.