Races Half marathon · Vancouver, Canada
Vancouver First Half
Vancouver First Half is a flat half marathon in Vancouver, Canada, held each February. A flat, fast out-and-back from near the Roundhouse in Yaletown along the False Creek and English Bay seawall into Stanley Park and back. Cool and often wet, around 3 to 9°C. Flat courses like Vancouver's reward metronomic pacing — the danger is going out faster than goal pace because it feels cheap early.
Page rebuilt 2026-11-14 · race facts not independently verified — confirm dates and entries on the official race site
When
February
next: Sunday 7 February 2027
Course
flat
Half marathon
Conditions
Cool and often wet, around 3 to 9°C.
Racing this course well
A flat, fast out-and-back from near the Roundhouse in Yaletown along the False Creek and English Bay seawall into Stanley Park and back.
Flat courses like Vancouver's reward metronomic pacing — the danger is going out faster than goal pace because it feels cheap early.
Getting a place
- How you get in
- Open entry: first come, first served
- Does it sell out?
- YesThe 2027 race is listed as at capacity on the organiser's site and its Race Roster page.
- Places
- 2,000 runners
Official Vancouver First Half site →Checked November 2026
Race day
- Next race
- Sunday 7 February 2027
- Start time
- 08:30
- Time limit
- 3 hours
The course in numbers
The turnaround is in Stanley Park. The turn-by-turn notes mention a steep rise on a bike path up to Beach Avenue and a short hill back up to the English Bay Seawall.
- Layout
- Out-and-back
- Surface
- Roads, the Seawall, bike paths and some sidewalk and service road
- Men's course record
- 1:00:18 (Cameron Levins, 2023)
- Women's course record
- 1:10:17 (Natasha Wodak, 2023)
Worth knowing
- First run in 1988.
- The race ran for 30 years with the Pacific Road Runners before joining RUNVAN in 2019.
Getting there
- Rail station
- Yaletown-Roundhouse Station on the Canada Line, within walking distance of the start
Pick your goal for Vancouver
Pace charts, weekly structure and timelines for the most common half marathon goals:
The date shown is the one the organiser has announced. Change it if yours differs.
Build your training around Vancouver First Half.
RunV works backwards from race day to today. Your plan adapts when life interrupts, and you approve every change. It does not adapt to this specific course — the pacing guidance above is where the course knowledge is.
Everything above stays free and complete — this is an optional next step, not a paywall.
Asked often
- When is the Vancouver First Half?
- The next Vancouver First Half is on Sunday 7 February 2027 in Vancouver, Canada. It is held each February.
- Is the Vancouver First Half course flat?
- A flat, fast out-and-back from near the Roundhouse in Yaletown along the False Creek and English Bay seawall into Stanley Park and back.
- How do I enter the Vancouver First Half?
- Open entry: first come, first served.
- Does the Vancouver First Half sell out?
- Yes. The 2027 race is listed as at capacity on the organiser's site and its Race Roster page.
- How should I train for the Vancouver First Half?
- Match your preparation to Vancouver First Half's profile and the February weather, then protect consistency — with RunV Premium you can adapt your plan to fit your week, so one bad week never derails the block.
Not sure what to target? Predict your half marathon time from a recent race →
More half marathon races
Supplements research for this distance
Build for Vancouver — around your actual life
RunV engineers your block backwards from race day in February — and adapts it when training doesn't go to script. You approve every change.
