Royal Victoria Marathon set to be largest ever

With over a month still to go, the RVM has now surpassed the 2010 record of 14,080 and is well on its way to hitting 15,000 racers in 2025. The marathon and half marathon sold out at the beginning of the summer, with space in the Westland Insurance 8K, Island Savings 5K, and Thrifty Foods Kids Run quickly filling up.

“We are so excited for this 45th annual event,” stated Cathy Noel, Executive Director of RVM. “This event has been such a staple in the running community for 45 years and to see it grow like this, bringing thousands of visitors to Victoria for the Thanksgiving long weekend, is truly incredible.”

To mark the 45th year, the event has brought back some of the staples from the past, including a Fuel-Up Dinner & Celebration on October 11 with guest speaker Darrell Fox of the Terry Fox Research Institute. The ever popular Richard Hunt designed sweatshirts and t-shirts are available as souvenir purchases, with the design from 2000 adorning the front. There will also be a speaker series on the Saturday afternoon at the Race Expo that is open to the public.

“It has been fun to bring back some of the classics of the event,” Noel explained. “Nostalgia for the 45th year of an event is definitely strong. We have heard from so many people sharing their stories about what the event has meant to them which really makes all the hard work of our 70+ committee members worthwhile.”

The event is still looking for volunteers for the event. If you are interested, you can find out more information on their website https://www.runvictoriamarathon.com/volunteer. The event is especially looking for a group of 10 people to help with our mobile green team and two groups of 30 for our venue grounds sustainability program. These group positions come with an honorarium.

The Royal Victoria Marathon will take place on October 11 & 12, 2025. The Island Savings 5K and the Thrifty Foods Kids Run take place in Oak Bay on October 11 with the Marathon, Half Marathon and Westland Insurance 8K on Sunday, starting and finishing in downtown Victoria. Through the CHEK Charity Pledge Program, the charities are looking to raise CAD 125,000 (77,000 EUR), adding to the CAD 2.35 million the program has raised since 2005.