Choosing a Marathon

“Question for you Mike: Is it [Sacramento] indeed a PR course? Did it feel/seem easier than Victoria? Vancouver? I am wondering if it’s worth skipping Victoria to train through an extra 2 months of dark and rain.”

Someone asked me whether I thought Sacramento was a PR (personal record) course. Simply put, it’s the course I ran my quickest marathon ever and therefore yes. Unfortunately the last time I “raced” either Victoria or Vancouver was 1996 and it would be unfair to compare absolute times given my increase in experience and fitness.

Sacramento is definitely a fast course. Bruce Deacon (2 times Canadian Marathon Olympian) set his PR, 2:13:18, on the course which could lead one to conclude it’s not sluggish.

Elevation Change
The Vancouver route looks similar to an Italian bowl of spaghetti with more twists and turns then Maui’s Hana Highway. Victoria is much more civilized and Sacramento even more so (point to point). I couldn’t find a net elevation change for Vancouver but the start and finish is very close together and I’d be surprised if the difference is anything but negligible. Victoria has a net change of 4 feet and Sacramento 340 feet. Unfortunately Sacramento’s net change isn’t a gradual decline but a series of climbs that can wreak havoc on the quads if ill prepared. Too hilly and the course beats you up, pancake flat and I’ve been told the repetitiveness can be equally tiring.
Advantage: Sacramento (minor)

Weather
The RVM site indicates the average temperature on race day is 14 °C but suggests you visit Tourism Victoria for more information. Vancouver has an average temperate of 12°C at the start, an average race day high 21°C and a 25% chance of rain. During Sacramento’s 24 year history 20 races have had no rain, very light winds and temperatures about 3-4°C at the start and mid to upper teens at the finish (typically there is a 13% chance of rain). I don’t run that well in the heat and would personally choose Victoria or Sacramento over Vancouver.
Advantage: Sacramento & Victoria

Marathon Course Records
Vancouver 2:17:01 (2002), Victoria 2:16:49 (2006), Sacramento 2:10:27 (1993). This statistic on it’s own is misleading, the question you should be asking is, “why are fast athletes racing in Sacramento?” An answer could be prize money, $10,000 US for the first open man in Sacramento, $3,000 US in Vancouver and Victoria… $1,000.
Advantage: Sacramento

Summary
When I ran Vancouver ‘96 it was on the old route: through Stanley Park, over Lion’s Gate Bridge, along the North Shore, over Second Narrows and back. It felt like an adventure, I had an objective in mind the entire time. Although not a terribly fast course it was enjoyable and in my opinion the organizers never should’ve changed it. Victoria isn’t slow, we all saw Steve turn in a great performance this year. That said, if I was given a choice of the three courses to run a PR on I would pick Sacramento, Victoria and Vancouver in that order. I liked Sacramento. The aid stations were well organized and the course was run on a closed, four-lane, point to point route with a net elevation loss of 340 feet.