What a summer! Endless sunshine, great attractions, unique festivals, alfresco dining and an abundance of visitors. This is the Victoria that we want to show the world. With one of the warmest summers on record everyone has been getting outside and enjoying all what Victoria has to offer. And that includes the amazing running and walking routes that we have in abundance here. The variety is endless – you can run by the ocean, by lakes, on rural trails and through Arbutus forests. There are trails for everyone and for every ability. Over the next couple of blogs I will share some of my favourites.
Beach Drive – Dallas Road
This is perhaps the best place to run on a hot day where warm ocean breezes cool you down. Depending on how far you want to go you can start in Uplands at Cattle Point and run all along Beach Drive to Dallas Road into downtown, or just do an out and back. Cattle Point to the bottom of King George Terrace and back is a favourite and even has a water fountain en route. This ocean run is part of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon held every Thanksgiving weekend. No wonder it is regarded as one of the most scenic marathons in Western Canada.
Westsong Walkway
This downtown route is just 5K (10K if you do an out and back) and a lovely way to explore the Inner Harbour. You can start on Swift Street and run over the Johnson Street bridge to the trail that skirts around the Delta Ocean Pointe Resort. The path gets narrow at some points so be courteous to oncoming pedestrians. It ends at Barnard Park in Esquimalt.
Galloping Goose Trail
Where does one start to talk about this amazing trail system? Sixty kilometres in length, this trail system stretches from Victoria to Sooke. You can join it at any point and just run – the beauty of it is every kilometre is marked so you can actually use it for training. There are sections of paved pathways but once you venture further west into Colwood the terrain is more rural and ideal if you are seeking shade. Very popular with cyclists and walkers, the Goose so can get busy at certain sections, but it is a joy to run.
Author: Louise Hodgson-Jones
Louise Hodgson-Jones is a media relations and communications specialist with extensive knowledge of sports events, marketing materials, media, publishing and writing. As Sponsorship and Marketing Manager, and Media Liaison of the GoodLife Fitness Victoria Marathon, she gets to mix her love of running with promoting Western Canada’s most scenic marathon. Every October on Thanksgiving weekend the Victoria Marathon hosts over 12,000 runners from all over North America and overseas. With families and friends, the population of Victoria balloons to over 20,000 on race weekend. “The Victoria Marathon has a reputation for its hospitality, organization and great volunteer spirit. We have participants coming back year after year,” says Louise. The Marathon was voted the Best Marathon in Western Canada in 2010 by readers of Get Out There Magazine. Louise also volunteers at other running events including the Vancouver Island Race Series, the TC10K and the newest race on the Island, the Victoria Goddess Run. Her greatest running moment was running the Boston Marathon in 2011. However as she says: “Victoria is the best place to be in the world if you are a runner.
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