Press Release
Vancouver, BC – Updated Feb 6, 2026 – RUNVAN is excited to launch the 2026 race season with the First Half on Sunday, February 8, 2026. The event will welcome a deep elite field for Canada’s fastest half marathon. The sold-out event continues its reputation as one of Canada’s premier road races and part of the Athletics Canada Road Race Label Program, attracting top athletes from across the country.
Event Details:
- Date: Sunday, February 8, 2026
- Time: 8:30AM, NO LATE STARTS
- Location: Roundhouse Community Centre, Vancouver, BC
- Registration: SOLD OUT
- Access: Parking is available in Yaletown at nearby parkades. The Start and Finish Line area is walking distance from the Yaletown-Roundhouse Skytrain Station.
The First Half has earned international recognition as Canada’s fastest Half Marathon, welcoming elite and recreational runners alike to a stunning waterfront course. The event made headlines in 2023 when Olympian Cam Levins set a new Canadian national record at this event in a blazing 1:00:18. Natasha Wodak broke the First Half event record that same year in 1:10:17, establishing Vancouver’s First Half as a destination for fast times and fierce competition.
2026 returns those event record holders and other past champions on a new course design that is potentially even faster than prior.
Elite Athlete Field
The 2026 First Half will feature Olympians, national record holders, and returning champions, promising another thrilling start to the Canadian road racing season.
Men’s Elites
- Cam Levins from Black Creek and Courtenay, BC, Olympian and record holder for fastest half marathon time on Canadian soil achieved at the 2023 First Half Marathon in 1:00:18. Levins returns to Canada’s fast half marathon
- Andrew Davies returning 2025 First Half Champion
- Justin Kent of Burnaby BC – 2022 BMO Vancouver Marathon Champion
Women’s Elites
- Natasha Wodak – Two-time Olympian, current Canadian national record holder for the marathon (2:23:12) set at the Berlin Marathon, Four-time First Half champion, and course record holder
- Dayna Pidhoresky – Olympian and 2015, 2016 First Half champion, plus multiple-time champ and record holder at the BMO Vancouver Marathon
- Samantha Jory – 2025 First Half Champion
- Andrea Lee – 2020 First Half Champion
- Olivia Lundman – Olympian racewalker and Canadian record holder
“We’re excited to open the RUNVAN race season with the First Half. The depth of the elite field and the continued interest from Canada’s top athletes speaks to the speed of this course and the quality of the event.” says RUNVAN race director, Eric Chéné.
Originally organized in 1988 as a build-up event to the Vancouver Marathon, the First Half has evolved into a highly sought after and celebrated community race.
The new 2026 course now extends slightly at the Start, looping BC Place, plus goes around Second Beach Pool on the ‘out route’, removing an old crossover by staying left throughout. In theory, this route is faster as it also remains on roadways and the Seawall, removing the gravel loop of Lost Lagoon.
Participants received a long-sleeve tech shirt and a finisher medal. The 2026 First Half medal has two distinct sides. One features a new illustration of the iconic course seawall with bold colour, while the other showcases the Vancouver Coyote (the First Half’s official event logo) created by Musqueam artist Darryl Blyth. The race proudly supports Variety – The Children’s Charity, helping kids across BC.
Thank you to all event partners including Forerunners, New Balance, Sport Hosting Vancouver, XACT Nutrition, Fitness World, Runna, Alkiss Water, and Stanley Park Brewing.
