The 47th James Cunningham Sea Wall Race

I first started running back in April when two of my university friends in Birmingham (shout out to Harry and Laura) decided that they wanted to do the Birmingham 10k. For some reason unknown to me, I decided I wanted to do it too. None of us had any experience of running, and when we first started we were definitely rusty. We were just running laps of Selly Park because we didn’t know where else to run. But as soon as we started, we improved quickly. Fast forward 4 weeks, and Laura and Harry signed up for the Birmingham 10k and completed it like absolute super stars. I, on the other hand, was too much of a wuss, and didn’t even sign up for the event, with the excuse that I had an exam two days later (a pathetic excuse, because my friend Eva did both the race and the exam). However, I think what this incident gave me more than anything was the determination to get to 10k. I’d agreed to do it with my friends, and I’d failed, and I wanted to change that.

Fast forward a couple weeks. I was offered a full time job in Shropshire, so I moved in with my Mum and her partner temporarily while I worked there. They are both avid runners and incredibly fit. They ran 7 half marathons in 2016 alone! It’s unsurprising, therefore, that they forced me to join their running club while I lived with them. At first, I resisted this greatly. The furthest I had run was 6k (the main reason I had chickened out of the Birmingham 10k) and their running club did a minimum of 8k each run. I was terrified. Arriving at the club and seeing everyone wearing Marathon T-shirts did not make me feel better. But it was an incredibly supportive environment and although I found that first week difficult, painful, and exhausting, I ran 8k, and felt amazing afterwards.

I lived with my Mum for 6 weeks, and we ran with the running club 3 times a week, between 8 and 10k every time. I improved so much! They also signed me up for my first competitive race, the Severn Valley Trail Run, infamously known for its steep hills, and I managed to complete it! I was amazed by how much I had improved it such a short period of time, and how much I enjoyed it also. It was around this time in May that I first started looking up running races in Vancouver.

I was interested in the James Cunningham Seawall Race, because it is the longest running race in Vancouver – this year was its 47^th anniversary. I had read all about Stanley Park and the renowned Sea Wall, and the thought of running a famous 10k with a community of Vancouverites was very exciting. But I didn’t sign up. The race wasn’t until October and I had a number of worries. I wasn’t even in Canada yet. What if I had no one to run the race with? What if I was injured on race day? What if I had completely given up running by the time October came around?

So I didn’t sign up for the run. But I didn’t forget about it either. And then finally, last weekend, on a cold and rainy Vancouver morning, 3 of my strong and beautiful exchange friends and I took part in the James Cunningham Sea Wall Race!

On the morning of the race it was pouring down with freezing rain. We had to creep out of bed at 7am, when it was still dark (and very wet) outside, feeling a bit worse for wear after some drinks the night before. But we struggled down to Second Beach (thanks to our friend and hero Sheff) where we were greeted with an excellent atmosphere or music, hot drinks and snacks. The freezing rain had created an element of comradery amongst the runners which established a great environment. After singing the Canadian National Anthem in true patriotic Canadian style, we set off, and ran the entirety of the Sea Wall alongside the ocean. At this time of year, Stanley Park is full of autumnal leaves, and it was beautiful in spite of the rain. As soon as we started running we warmed up, and were enveloped in the autumns trees. With a band playing half way round, and these incredible views to look at, the race was very enjoyable. And we all completed it without stopping!

Our friends Jess and Lucy were waiting for us at the finish line with banners and prosecco, and we all did faster times than we had anticipated (probably because it turned out to be 9.5k rather than 10). Despite the fact that the organisers had messed up and we didn’t get our finishing medal, we all felt amazing. The post-run adrenaline is fantastic, especially when there is a DJ and a commentator congratulating you with your full name as you cross the finish line.

The greatest thing for me though, was that I first read about the Sea Wall Race back in May, when I was sat in an office doing a job I hated. I thought of that race as an imagined future – “I’ll run that in October in Vancouver with my new friends and it will be great”. It was a day-dream I had to get me through the miserable work day. But that day-dream actually happened, last weekend! The changes that have taken place from May to now in terms of my running ability, the people I have met and the country and city I live in, are phenomenal, and this was one of the things that made me realise that. The year abroad, and my adventures in Vancouver, are no longer a fantasy that I have to get me through the work day, but a real actuality that I am living. And what a relief that is!

The four of us that took part in the race loved it, and we’ve been discussing potentially training for a half marathon. I know this is a huge step up – double the distance plus a bit more - but with this group of girls I feel like we could do it. And I would love to see the expression on my Mums face if I told her I’d signed up for a half marathon. But we will see what the future holds – perhaps in another 6 months I’ll be writing about that, rather than a 10k!