Significant road closures and detours are in place for the BMO Vancouver Marathon, which takes place on Sunday. Around 17,000 people participate in the in the event, which offers not only the 42.2 kilometre marathon, but also a half marathon, relay race, 8K race and a children's run. On Saturday, the first phase of road closures associated with the event went into place at 5 p.m. PT around the starting area near Queen Elizabeth Park and the finishing area in Coal Harbour. They will be in place until 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively on Sunday. The rest of the road closures follow the marathon course, with runners heading south on Cambie Street, west on 49th, snaking their way through the UBC Endowment Lands, Kitsilano along West 4th Avenue and Cornwall before running on the seawall to finish on Pender Street at Bute. The half marathon begins at 7 a.m. Sunday, the marathon at 8:30 a.m and the 8K at 9:30 a.m. Attendants will stand at major intersections and access points along the race route to manage and redirect traffic. Race organizers are asking motorists to avoid travel during the hours of the event. The marathon has a time requirement of seven hours for runners. The event follows a rolling road closure and opening protocol, which means that roads will close and then later reopen as runners finish passing through the area. Here are the road closures and detours listed by neighbourhood and time of closures: There will also be bus detours.<doc-sep>Organizers of the BMO Vancouver Marathon are celebrating record-breaking participation, while some big names from the world of sport also helped make the annual event sparkle. For the first time since its inception in 1972, more than 18,000 runners participated in either the full marathon, half marathon or an eight-kilometre distance. The ⁦@BMOVanMarathon⁩ is underway in #Vancouver. Good luck everyone! #marathon pic.twitter.com/HcRlFhdn9I —@crfair Two of Vancouver's best-known athletes ran their first marathon at the event — Daniel and Henrik Sedin. The former star Canucks hockey players and twin brothers wore their famous 22 and 33 as their race bib numbers. Daniel finished in the top 200 with a time of 3:11:45, while Henrik was further back at 3:24:11. 'Awesome' "It was awesome," Daniel Sedin said in a news release. "This is our first race. I think we'll want to do it next year for sure." Congratulations Henrik & Daniel Sedin on your first Marathon! Rumour has it this won't be their last 👀 #bmovm #runvan pic.twitter.com/3Lq4xB9ssV —@BMOVanMarathon Meanwhile, the participation of one of the most popular marathoners in the world also helped put a shine on the race. Organizers worked hard in the lead-up to the event to convince Japan's Yuki Kawauchi to compete. Kawauchi, 32, captured worldwide attention after his underdog win at the 2018 Boston Marathon. Japanese marathon star Yuki Kawauchi at the start line of the BMO Vancouver Marathon on Sunday May, 5, 2019. (Chris Corday/CBC) He's also known for the sheer volume of racing he does. Most serious marathoners run no more than two marathons per year. He ran 10 in 2018. Although he is now sponsored, Kawauchi is known as the "Citizen Runner" because up until this year he held down a full-time job while racing internationally. In Vancouver, he crushed the course record Sunday by more than three minutes. His finishing time was 2:15:01. To celebrate, he was joined by his fiancee, Yuko Mizuguchi, who won the women's race in 2:41:28. Yuko Mizuguchi was just one of several international runners helping to boost attendance at the BMO Vancouver Marathon. (Chris Corday/CBC) Both said in a release from race organizers that they loved the beauty of the city and course. "It's not an easy course, but it's a very beautiful course," said Kawauchi. "I would definitely recommend coming here to enjoy it and get the most out of it, it's a great event." "We just want to do our best together" - Yuko MizuguchiCongrats to our Marathon champions: Yuki Kawauchi (02:15:01) and Yuko Mizuguchi (02:41:28)! #bmovm #runvan pic.twitter.com/xVZjWTcJve —@BMOVanMarathon Organizers are trying to make the race one of the top destination marathons in the world and say the number of international runners has grown by 25 per cent in the past two years. There were 65 countries represented at this year's race.<doc-sep>Thousands of runners will hit Vancouver's streets, parks and seawall for the BMO Marathon this Sunday, and among them will be a record number of people from abroad. Race director Eric Chene says the international participants are part of a growing trend the Vancouver marathon is taking advantage of — amateur runners who travel the world to participate in events like his, and make a holiday of it. "Our vision as a not-for-profit is to be one of the top destination marathons in the world," Chene said over the phone from a busy warehouse in East Vancouver on Thursday, where volunteers were getting ready for the weekend. According to the Vancouver marathon's website, the number of international runners has grown by 25 per cent in the past two years. Most of them take part in the marathon, and not the event's shorter races like the half marathon or the 8K. Best of luck to the over 70 Australians competing in the @BMOVanMarathon on Sunday. Wonderful to see such a strong Australian contingent. Our Honorary Consul will be there to cheer you on. 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️🎉 https://t.co/KyrZQyn7Lo —@AusHCCanada Travel with a purpose Chene said his event is nowhere near the same level as the six majors — Boston, New York, Tokyo, London, Berlin and Chicago, which each attract up to 40,000 of the world's most elite marathoners. The Vancouver marathon only draws about 5,500 marathoners, and a total of more than 17,000 runners for all races. But what Vancouver and other destination marathons have to offer, Chene said, is a unique experience for amateur runners who prefer to make a holiday out of the run. "People like to travel with a purpose," he said. "They'll build their travel right around our weekend." The course of the BMO Vancouver Marathon has garnered critical acclaim as one of the world's top destination runs. (Maryse Zeidler/CBC) Chene says the beauty of the Vancouver course, which starts at Queen Elizabeth Park and meanders through the University of British Columbia Endowment Lands to make its way along the city's famed seaside seawall, is a huge draw, as is the fact that it's one-way. Those aspects have landed the Vancouver marathon on the top-10 race lists of media organizations like Forbes and CNN. And Chene said the region also offers travellers other sought-after destinations like Whistler and Victoria. This is me. We planned a family trip to BC and saw there was a race in early May. We spilt the trip up by doing the half marathon in the middle. Looks like a beautiful course and really looking forward to it. —@bbatters Branding the #runcation The increase of international running travel has also been noted at marathons across the U.S. Rich Harshbarger with Running USA, an association that promotes long-distance running events in America, says it first popped up as the social media hashtag #runcation. "We've begun to see quite a few events begin to market themselves using that hashtag," Harshbarger said. What you can see is me really excited to be at the Edmonton airport waiting to fly to Vancouver for the #runvan #halfmarathon What you can’t see is the snowstorm through the window. Can’t wait to get to the sunny west coast. pic.twitter.com/A4Y1Wu6DlM —@pdmueller One reason for the marketing push in the U.S. and Canada is that participation in the sport of running plateaued there a few years ago, Harshbarger said, but continues to grow in markets like China, Mexico and Brazil. Economic impact For marathons like Vancouver's, growing attendance is about more than prestige — it's also about money. Chene said research shows that most of the international runners who come to Vancouver travel with friends or family and stay for a few days, creating a $55.75 million economic impact in the province. That's a number that has caught the eye of government officials. Last year the province supported the event with $168,000 in funding. And Chene said the marathon also gets money from travel industry-led Crown corporation Destination B.C. to support its marketing activities.<doc-sep>
More than 18,000 long-distance runners, including some of the world’s top athletes, will take part in the annual BMO Vancouver Marathon, half-marathon, relay and 8K road races on Sunday, beginning at 7 a.m. Organizers with the Vancouver International Marathon Society RUNVAN say this year is shaping up to be one of the most competitive races to date. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. Race routes will impact traffic in Riley Park, South Cambie, Oakridge, Fairview, Kerrisdale, Dunbar, UBC, Point Grey, Kitsilano, West End, Coal Harbour, Chinatown, Yaletown, Cambie, False Creek and some Downtown neighbourhoods. For a full list of road closures visit bmomarathon.ca. This year’s sold-out event has attracted some of the most elite competitive runners in the world. Defending champion and local run coach Rob Watson (2:13:29) is back, as is 2015 course record holder Luka Chelimo (2:10:11) of Kenya, and multiple-time champ Daniel Kipkoech (2:18:45) of Kenya. New this year is 2018 Boston Marathon Champion Yuki Kawauchi of Japan (2:08:14,) who will make his much anticipated Canadian Marathon debut. “I’m very excited for the BMO Vancouver Marathon to be my first race in Canada,” said Kawauchi, in a statement. “I’ve heard that Vancouver is a world-class beautiful city, and can’t wait to experience it for myself and to meet and run with all my fellow runners.” On the women’s side, China’s Li Zhixuan (2:26:15) looks to become the second Chinese runner to win the BMO Vancouver Marathon title after Zheng Zhiling took the gold last year, according to a BMO Vancouver Marathon media release. Yuko Mizuguchi (2:31:19) of Japan and Mexico’s Margarita Quintero are other top contenders. Mizuguchi will also make her Canadian debut alongside new fiancée, Yuki Kawauchi. Vancouver’s 42.2K race, billed as one of the top destination marathons in the world, takes runners on a scenic route starting at Queen Elizabeth Park and through 12 of the city’s most iconic neighbourhoods, including around Stanley Park on the seawall. ticrawford@postmedia.com