After two years, the Vancouver Sun Run has finally returned, with 18,576 runners swarming the streets downtown in the iconic 10-kilometer race on the fourth Sunday of April 2022. The annual Sun Run was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and was held virtually in 2021, making this year’s iteration a triumphant return after two years of different experiences.

The Vancouver Sun Run is the largest race of its kind in Canada and the third largest in North America. From a humble beginning in 1985 with 3,200 participants, the run has come a long way in achieving its goal of promoting active and healthy living, all the while raising funds for local charities: to date, the Sun Run has raised over more than $3 million in philanthropic efforts. After months of hard work from the owner of the event, Run Vancouver Holdings ULC, and after a rewarding day for the over 1,500 volunteers that supported the run, the 2022 Vancouver Sun Run has proved to be a definitive accomplishment in its attracting of runners both local and national.

In 2022, the run saw nearly 20,000 in-person runners compete, with an additional three thousand joining virtually and over one thousand running the Shaw Mini Sun Run, which is a quarter of the length of the full Sun Run. However, despite the overwhelming success of the Sun Run’s return, the numbers today were half those of 2019 (43,000 participants), which in turn was down from the peak in 2008 with 58,000 participants. Nonetheless, this was to be expected, and there’s good reason to remain optimistic that the event will only grow stronger in the coming years—this year’s Sun Run is still anticipated to be the largest running event in Canada of 2022.

Moreover, there were several unique adjustments to this year’s iteration. After starting in the heart of downtown, the run typically routes through Stanley Park before crossing back down and around again to end at BC Place Stadium. This year, the starting and end points remained the same, but runners took a detour deeper into Mount Pleasant and ran along Science World without cutting into Stanley Park. The organizers cited pandemic precautions and safety concerns due to new bike lanes along the original routes for this minor change.

Despite the changes and the hesitant return to an in-person run, many runners made notable accomplishments. Lucas Bruchet, a Vancouver-born Olympian, finished first, with a time of 28:29, while Leslie Sexton, from Markham, Ontario, was the fastest woman, proudly completing the run with a time of 32:37.

Going forward, the 2022 Vancouver Sun Run will be a symbol of revitalization of being resilient in the face of two years of challenges and returning strong. Its story is every bit as impressive as the runners who broke personal records today, and may this year’s event be a sign for bigger and better events to come in the future.