Marathon Dance Party Coming to Vancouver: Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series, shown here in Las Vegas, is coming to Vancouver. Photo credit: crdunn | Flickr

Want to get a head start on those New Year’s resolutions? How about training for Vancouver’s newest – and funkiest – new marathon?

The first ever Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series event is coming to Vancouver, Oct. 26. Featuring both a 10K and a half-marathon, the event is equal parts live music party and road race.

Along each mile of the course, bands are on hand to pump up runners.  Music ranges from rock and soul to jazz, blues and even punk. Dozens of live music groups in total transform the race into a giant dance party.  (In fact, local bands are being recruited shortly, if you’d like to rock out in front of thousands of runners and fans).

Bands are joined by cheerleading teams and dance squads from schools across the city, who cheer on participants as they race by.  The idea is to provide runners with a boost of enthusiasm and put the fun back in running, according to event organizers.

Finally, waiting at the finish line is the event’s headline concert.  Thousands of participants and spectators converge to watch big-name rockers perform as runners stream across the finish line.

Exact details like the start line and finish line of the half-marathon are still being worked out, though organizers are promising spectacular ocean and mountain views and plenty of seaside running.  Meanwhile, the 10K portion of the event will coincide with the 44th annual Cunningham Seawall 10K.  Named after James Cunningham, the stone mason who built much of Vancouver’s seawall by hand from 1921-1965, the route follows the seawall along the perimeter of Stanley Park.

Early bird registration fees are $85 for the half-marathon (through June 30) and $45 for the 10K (through July 31). More information about the Vancouver event is available on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series website.

For more updates on Vancouver and beyond, follow me on Twitter @RemyScalza. 

Article source: http://www.insidevancouver.ca/2014/03/02/marathon-dance-party-coming-to-vancouver-rock-n-roll-marathon/