BURST
Vancouver Sun Run organizers carefully watch weather forecasts in the weeks leading up to the annual event. Rain, and more than 55,000 walkers and runners, require extra safety planning, and too much sun requires extra water.
“Weather is the one thing we can’t control,” said race director Tim Hopkins.
This year, organizers didn’t have to worry. The weather complied beautifully — a balanced 12 degrees Celsius made race-day conditions close to perfect for the 57,519 registered participants, as well as the thousands of spectators, who showed up for the 42nd Sun Run on April 19.
“We had beautiful weather,” said Hopkins. “The areas around the seawall, Olympic village and Science World were lined with people cheering participants on,” said Hopkins.
The most important thing? “They were cheering for the every-day athletes.”
Those “every-day” athletes are what makes The Sun Run such a special community event, said Hopkins.
This year, a 95-year-old completed the course, alongside walkers and runners of all ages. “That’s truly what the story is about. It’s the opportunity to train and complete something from start to finish.
“It’s not the time it takes you to finish, it’s the opportunity to complete that goal. Every athlete finishes the same race,” said Hopkins.
There were 145 people registered to run in the elite division, most of whom were Canadian.
Although the Vancouver Sun Run is not an Olympic team qualifier, in part because of its size and topography, it is a signature event that many elite athletes use to train with the Olympics in mind, said Hopkins. A number of elite Canadian runners who have participated in The Sun Run have gone on to become Olympians.
This year, B.C. runners won in male and female divisions, with Burnaby’s Justin Kent taking first in the race overall, with a time of 28:40. The top women’s finisher, Makenna Fitzgerald of Kamloops, was a surprise winner on Sunday. Fitzgerald won the 10-kilometre women’s road race with a time of 32 minutes, 24 seconds in her Sun Run debut, beating her personal best of 34:10.
Kelowna’s John Gay, 29, who won The Sun Run in 2023 and placed second this year, started as one of those every-day athletes, said Hopkins. “He participated when he was 12, and got inspired.”
Gay went on to join Canada’s Olympic team in Tokyo in 2021, where he ran a personal best in the 3,000-metre steeplechase.
Although the Vancouver Sun Run is still an international event, race organizers prioritize elite Canadian athletes, picking up the tab for flights and hotels. “Or goal is to profile the incredible Canadian athletes we have in this country,” said Hopkins.
Among international athletes in the men’s division were two from the U.K., one each from the Ukraine, Belgium, Kenya, Uganda, and four from the U.S. Among the international women were one each from Kenya, Ireland, the U.K. and France, as well as two from the U.S.
This year’s race was capped at 55,000 participants, but left room for late registrants through a charity bib program. Participants who registered after the 55,000 cap could pay a higher fee ($100), with $50 going directly to The Sun Run’s charities.
$138,147 for 16 charities was raised overall, and of that, the charity bib program generated more than 1,000 additional registrations and raised $62,450.
The event has raised more than $3.4 million for various charities over its history. The 2024 and 2026 events featured partnerships with charities that included the B.C. Cancer Foundation, Raise-A-Reader, and the Greater Vancouver Food Bank.
Registrations for the 2027 Sun Run are already available online at the 2026 early-bird prices — $52 for adults, and $25 for seniors over 65 and youth under 18 at vancouversunrun.com. The special pricing ends on April 30, 2026.