Club information
Who are the Pacific Road Runners?
We are a recreational running club, with common interests in leading a fit and active lifestyle. We compete, but we don't enter expecting to win. We're more interested in achieving personal goals and having fun doing it. We provide a safe, supportive group with which to train.When and where do you meet?
We meet at 5:55pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, year round, sun, rain or snow. We meet in the Tyee Hall at the False Creek Community Centre, on Granville Island, in Vancouver. The community centre has changing rooms with lockers, showers and saunas. There is free parking close to the community centre.Where do you run?
We're very lucky in that we have a wide choice of scenic and relatively traffic free routes to choose from. Some popular routes include:- Around False Creek, either past Science World, or shorter over Cambie Bridge, and back over Burrard Bridge.
- West to Kits Beach and Kits Pool and back, or continue to Jericho Beach.
- Across Burrard Bridge, and the seawall to English Bay. Continue on the Stanley Park Seawall to 2nd or 3rd Beach, or around Lost Lagoon, or even up to Prospect Point.
- Up the hill to Queen Elizabeth Park, and back through Shaughnessy.
Do I have to be quick to run with you?
No. But neither do we cater to absolute beginners. You should be comfortable running continuously for a minimum of 20-30 minutes. Our slowest members run 10 kilometers in a little over an hour. At the other end of the scale, we have some members who cover the distance in about half that time. Most are somewhere in between. If you are unsure whether you can keep up, join us any Tuesday. We start out with a 2 mile warm-up loop, along the False Creek Seawall, to Stamps Landing and back, at a pace our slowest members are comfortable with.How are the run groups organized?
Our organization is informal. We do not have regular run leaders. Groups of different abilities form every night, and the group members decide how far they are going to run, and where. As a new member we will ensure you have someone to run with.Do you run on weekends?
As a club, no. But ad-hoc groups of members frequently get together for runs on Saturday or Sunday mornings.How much does it cost?
An individual membership costs $35. Couples may join for $65. Our membership year runs from January to December. If you join during the latter part of the year, your fee may be pro-rated.What do I get for my membership?
Lots! Directly, you are paying for membership of the False Creek Community Centre, a supporting membership of BC Athletics which provides insurance coverage, and a club newsletter. Indirectly you are entitled to discounts on select club events, and merchandise from Forerunners store on 4th Avenue. All told you could easily receive $100 value for your $35 membership in one year.Do you do other things than run?
You bet! Running is the one common activity that brings us together. But, as fit, active people, we also seriously enjoy eating, drinking and other activities. Here are some of the things we've done in the recent past:- The first Tuesday of every month usually finds us at a local restaurant after the run.
- A cross country ski weekend at Manning Park in March.
- A trip to the Okanagan at Thanksgiving, for their marathon, half marathon and 10K, as well as some wine tasting.
- An awesome Christmas Party.
Do you enter teams in relays?
Yes. We strongly believe that spending time together on relays helps to foster club spirit. We've regularly entered teams in the Haney-Harrison Relay (3 teams in 2007), the Hood 2 Coast Relay, and the Edge 2 Edge Relay. We've also sent teams in the past to run in the Jasper-Banff Relay, the Kananaskis Relay, the Vancouver Island Relay, and the BC Lion's Society 24-hour relay.How big is the club?
We have about 80 members total. Of that, expect to find about 20 present on a club night.What is the typical profile of a PRR member?
We're all different! Most are in their 30's or 40's, but we have some in their 60's, and others in their 20's. We're a mix of singles and couples, roughly equal male and female.Do you organize races?
Yes. Most notably we are the organizers of the "First Half" Half Marathon, held in February every year. This is one of the most popular races in Vancouver. The race is held in support of the Variety Show of Hearts Telethon on Global TV, to which we donate all proceeds. To date we've given over $350,000 to charity, including $40,000 in 2008. We ask that all our members volunteer for this event, rather than taking part.We have also in the past organized a cross country run in December. This is free for club members to run.