The Royal Victoria Marathon has been taking part on the streets of Oak Bay & Victoria since 1980.
Over 9,000 participants registered for the 2023 RVM, taking part in the Marathon, Half Marathon, 8K and the Thrifty Foods Kids Run. In 2023 we also added a 5K distance, which was held in Oak Bay on Saturday, October 7. The RVM has become one of the largest annual sporting events on Vancouver Island. The RVM is held on Thanksgiving weekend and with runners, family and friends staying for consecutive nights in the city, the economic impact is considerable. Many runners look for a beautiful venue and a fast course when deciding on a trip revolving around a marathon event. Victoria offers all of that and more.
“In its first year, 700 runners participated. With a steady growth, and after staging the race for the first few years as a Prairie Inn Harriers (PIH) organized event, it was evident that the event required its own organization.”
“Members of PIH and other interested runners registered the Victoria Marathon Society, and the non-profit body has been responsible for the event to date. ”
“Race Director Rob Reid introduced the Running Festival concept. This helped to greatly increase participation levels by runners, sponsors and community groups, as well as many visitors to Victoria.”
“The CHEK Charity Pledge Program was introduced and since then over 2 million dollars has been raised for charity.”
“GoodLife Fitness became the title sponsor of the event, known until 2020 as the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon”
“The event returned back to the Royal Victoria Marathon, bringing back the familiarity of the event that is known throughout the world as one of the top marathons.”
What We Offer
Royal Victoria Marathon
Our signature, world-class Royal Victoria Marathon bring thousands to Victoria each year. A fast, beautiful course, it is ranked as one of the top courses by Running World. And thus our Royal title - we are the royalty of marathon events. Held annually on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend.
Online Training Groups
We started an online training group in 2018 using Facebook Groups. It initially started off as a place for people training for our upcoming Victoria Marathon events, but over the last year we have opened the group up to help support the larger running community. Inside the runVictoria Online Training Group we have training plans, tips and advice through this community of over 2700+ runners. It is hosted by Bruce Deacon, our online coach for the last 14 years.
Community Education
In November of 2020 we started hosting our Speaker Series, a free education webinar with a variety of speakers speaking on topics to help you with your training. Join us for our sessions starting in April and running through October. A wonderful opportunity to put your questions before our experts.
Victoria Marathon Society
“Organized by Runners for Runners”
The Victoria Marathon Society is a non-profit organization that was incorporated in 1982. We have a Board of Directors (8 members), and a Race Committee (over 50 members) who oversee event weekend operations. We have a couple of part-time contractors and 1600+ volunteers who help make our event happen.
Read more about our event over the years in our 40th Annual Commemorative Race Guide
Victoria, British Columbia
Home to serious amateur, Olympic, and professional athletes, our roadways, pathways, and waterfronts enable us to train year-round and offer you a stunning venue for your activity based visit.
Victoria, BC, is a destination, one many of us relocated to because of the natural beauty, and gentle climate. It is a pleasure to host you, and hope you will experience the run as well as our local pubs, coffee shops, retail stores, while taking in the wonderful surroundings of Beacon Hill Park, Butchart Gardens, our Inner Harbour and Chinatown district. So many of us you will meet call Victoria home now, and you will discover why. The Victoria Marathon is a popular destination marathon; it is a race “organized by runners for runners” with many small, but very special touches. Best of luck to everyone participating in our wonderful event!
“A superb job by you and your wonderful team in hosting another Marathon weekend. Hope you are receiving the kudos that you all richly deserve.”
Steve King, Race Announcer