I tend toward 'destination marathons' that can be a vacation for the whole family, and Victoria didn't disappoint. It's a wonderful place to visit by almost any definition. The race, while considerably smaller than my previous three marathons, was adequately organized. The out-and-back course will be a turn-off to some runners (along with the rolling hills), but the views of the Olympic Mountains across the water are stunning in many places. Victoria itself isn't such a slouch, either. The Elvis impersonators in Oak Bay Village were noteworthy, as was the running group handing out (small) cups of beer. Despite some comments here to the contrary, I found the volunteers, the course markings and the fans to be perfectly fine. Nice race, wonderful location. Two thumbs up. Good job, Victoria.

This years course is apparently new. I found it to be ideal for marathoners. The course was constantly turning and rolling throughout. You run a few miles right by the sea wall and several more close to it. Scenery is a mix of park, town, mountains, ocean and very nice residential areas. I particularly enjoyed running through Oak Bay where an Elvis impersonation contest was going on while you ran through... they probably don't even have that in Memphis!

Victoria is a very clean, walkable, beautiful harbor city with lots to see and plenty of good food. Several hotels along the harbor are in the immediate vicinity of the start/finish and all seemed clean and cared for. The race was small enough that you were not in fear of your life at the start, but large enough to have good support. Weather was PERFECT! In fact it was unbelievable. Mid 40's to start and maybe upper 50's to finish.

The only recommendation I have is to do some minor hill work. This is not a mountainous route at all, it just rolls, but if you train in the flats you would enjoy it much more by doing some hills. By God's grace and strength alone I PR'd by a long shot and never felt that the hills were big enough to hurt, but more so helped keep me from the often boring flat courses that lead to over-introspection. I plan to run this one again.

I would love to say that this is a beautiful part of the world. It is a great destination for a marathon. I had a wonderful time in your town and will refer it to all! My only complaint is that I was not prepared for the hills. The updated course profile came two weeks before the race and it was too late for me to train in the hills. It is flat in Florida so anyone coming from where it is flat terrain, train in the hills. It is not as hard as Boston, but it is rolling. I got injured during the race and had my worst clock time ever, but the marathon was awesome and so were the spectators! I would do this one again!

This was my first time running the Victoria Marathon... organization was excellent... mile & km markers very clear, water stations well spaced out (8 for the course)... Gatorade & water... course director shook everybody's hand as they crossed the finish line... a very nice gesture.

Couple of minor complaints: the course was a little too undulating... short 2-3 block climbs followed by descents. Also, the timing chips were Velcro attached to your ankle... these starting rubbing after 20+ miles... does create a nice circular scar though!! Hopefully they will change this for next year. Timing was accurate to within a few seconds and finish line refreshments reasonably well organized, although could have been indoors.

All in all, a well organized event and I'll be back in 2005 looking for a PB.

It was lucky this year that the weather was perfect. The temperature was around 10C, with light wind from the Pacific. It was overcast most of the time with little sunshine. The course is really beautiful. It is very enjoyable to cruise along the Pacific Ocean and the million-dollar houses on the hills. Yes, a few hills, but not bad at all. There were not that many spectators as in Chicago, but you don't have to deal with large crowd either. You can set your pace within 1 km, and you can find anyone or anything easily at the finish line. Meanwhile you still can find someone running along with you the whole course. There are volunteers at every turn. The spectators that did come were a great source of encouragement. The four noisy young ladies at the seawall near 38 km really made everyone's last push much easier. The sweater coming with registration is the best. Only disappointment: why is the medal the for full marathon silver and the medal for half marathon gold? Ps. the island was very beautiful. The transportation is very easy, with the buses, shuttle, and taxi.

This was my first marathon and I found the organization great - everything went smoothly. The course is hilly, even with the adjustments they have made to it. That's simply the reality of Victoria. The scenery is beautiful and the spectators go all out - even handing out beer and biscotti to the runners! I really enjoyed this race.

This was my first Royal Victoria Marathon and my second marathon overall. I have a special tie to Victoria, so when I found out about the marathon there, I couldn't wait to run it.

This was the 25th anniversary of the race and although it wasn't poorly managed or organized, it wasn't what I had come to expect through the website and other advertising.

I was a little disappointed in the fan support for much of the race. Most of the course travels through beautiful residential areas, but it seems the residents are generally uninterested in the race. Aside from a few great fans who cheered everyone on, for the most part, the spectators sat quietly and watched the streams of people run by.

As for organization, the km markers were low to the ground and often hidden behind cars or spectators and there were no clocks on the course to gauge any split times. There were volunteers at every cross street and intersection, but there were still cars driving on the road amongst the runners.

The recovery area was well stocked, but there was only one place along the route where the runners could get PowerGels, and that was too late in the race to be of any real value.

Strangely, the 1/2 marathoners got gold finishers medallions and the full marathoners got silver ones.
I enjoyed the beauty and hospitality of Victoria, and the marathon has a certain quaint charm, but for a 25 year-old race in one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, I expected a higher level of professionalism and more encouraging of the runners.

Having been out in the weather for over 4 hours in 2003, I had nothing but respect for the fans and volunteers who continued to cheer and smile. However the race organizers get poor marks from me. First, all the walkers and late finishers who are out there the longest got no blankets. They ran out! The people who needed it the most, given how bad the weather was. The food available was poor. The race certificates were PDF's that you had to download and print yourself. The medal was sure big, but uninspiring. How about a nice tech shirt I will actually wear, instead of a 1980's style sweatshirt that sits in my closet. I hope the 2004 race is much better and the organizers get their act together. I'm only running again because the city is nice and the people are so great.

Despite the poor race-day weather (rain and wind off and on), I thoroughly enjoyed this very well organized race. The course was scenic and beautiful but did include some hills and undulations. Hey, but we prepare for that kind of stuff, don't we? Aid stations were well staffed with wonderful volunteers who had to brave the elements, and events before and after the race went off without any hitches. Spectators were very supportive and it was awesome to pass the 'royal box' and be cheered on by the young 'royalty'. Thanks to the lady with the jelly beans as well.

I would recommend this race to anyone looking to combine a marathon with a little vacation, as Victoria is a wonderful destination and things are reasonably priced and local people are very welcoming to visitors.

This was my second marathon and I ran a PR by 14 minutes, but if you are obsessed with running PR's you probably will look for a downhill or at least flat marathon. Good times can still be run on this course.

I liked the course change this year. The run through Oak Bay was a nice pick-me-up. The event t-shirt and medal were also much better than in previous years. Too bad the weather was so poor, but that's life on our beautiful coast sometimes!

Some constructive criticism for the organizers: more gels and food should be available out there. The marathon costs about $100 now, and some of those funds should be spent on more supplies for the runners - both during and after the race. The post-race food supply was poor.

Otherwise, keep up the good work. It's a great course and you have the best race announcer in the world... Steve King rules!!