Registration is now open for individual races in the Vancouver Island Race Series, and the first one is coming up on January 11th. I have been meaning to write a report about the series for a while, because it is so awesome to do. I am heading into my fifth consecutive season, and I highly recommend it to all.
The Island Race series is a series of 8 races that take place roughly every two weeks on Sundays (11-1130 start) all over Vancouver Island. I posted the dates and locations for the 2026 races at the bottom of the article. The distances range from 5km to a half marathon and there are usually between 300 and 700 participants, depending on the race. It is a great way to get in the racing experience without fighting the large crowds and the early mornings of the TC10K or the RVM. It is also relatively cheap, with each race costing around $40 and with a further discount if you sign up for them all.
Why do I keep going back year after year? I sure as heck am not winning. My strategy is to keep doing it until I reach my eighties, and then I will get a first place ribbon for my age category. Bruce Hawkes, a longtime STARR member, won an award for the most consecutive seasons a few years ago (in his eighties). He also has had many first and second place age category ribbons in the past few years..
The series is a good way to keep one’s energy up through the bleak and dreary late winter and early spring. There is going to be at least one race that is terribly wet, windy and generally unpleasant. Some of the races have long drives to get to them too. It seems like such a silly thing to do--but is it really? Persevering through crappy conditions does positive things to our brains—it makes us feel unstoppable and super bad-ass. It also means a good story to share afterwards. And there are 500 other silly people doing the same thing, so you feel like you are in it together.
On the last race of last season, a friendly woman in my age category came up to me and said that we had finished within a minute or two of each other the whole season. We had a good laugh, saying we would keep an eye on each other next year. Then I realized I was turning 55 in 2026 and would be going into a new category—but so was she! So I have a rival for the next few months. If you keep doing the races year after year, you get to know the people, the courses and, most importantly, the food that each club provides.
Oh yes, the post-race spread is often wonderful—beer, chili, pizza, sandwiches, coffee, cookies, fruit, and even pancakes. For the last three years, I have run with my good STARR pals, and we have occasionally stopped and had a lunch for the up Island races, or made an overnight trip of the Comox half marathon. There is a lot of research that suggests linking exercise with little moments of fun (like our post-run coffees) will keep us coming back, and I feel like the food at the race is a way to achieve this.
The food is definitely second the companionship and the camaraderie though. A few of us STARRs traveled together to all the races over the past couple of years. We saw lots of familiar faces. The Sooke race is especially well attended by STARRs. There are some very competitive runners, with huge teams like the Prairie Inn Harriers and Speedfarm, and competitors from all over the island. The vibe is very friendly and encouraging and it is inspiring to see such strong runners.
The courses are also pleasant. There are some hilly ones (Royal Roads and Sooke), some flat ones (Bazan Bay) and some really pretty ones. Personally I like McLean Mill and Cobble Hill quite a bit. Most of the running is on roads, except Royal Roads, which has some trail. The series gets you out to different places around the island. And, if you like prizes and tracking, each race has medals/ribbons for the top ten in five-year categories and at the end there are overall medals/ribbons for individuals and teams who did the whole series. Quite a few STARRs got ribbons last year, in individual races and for the series.
So, if you are looking for a pick-me-up to get you through the winter and early spring, I recommend the series. There are usually a few STARRS who sign up for one or two races and some who do the whole thing. If time is tight or you don’t want the big commitment, it may be worthwhile to try one! Maybe you will wind up planning to keep running them all into your eighties too.
January 11 — Harriers Pioneer 8K – 11:30 am
January 25 – Cobble Hill 10K – 11:00 am
February 8 – Hatley Castle 8K – 11:00 am
February 22 –Bastion 12K – 11:00 am
March 8 – Westcoast Running Sooke 10K + 1K Kid’s super days $5 ages 0-12 – 10:45 am kids/ 11:00 am main race
March 22 – Comox Valley RV Half Marathon – 11:00 am
March 29 – McLean Mill 10K – 11:00 am
April 12 – Saanich Physio + Bazan Bay 5K – 11:00 am