Royal Victoria Marathon

The Royal Victoria Marathon is one of Canada's premier oceanside road races, held every autumn over the Thanksgiving long weekend and now well past its 45th edition. It is really a weekend-long festival of running: choose the full marathon, the half marathon, the 8K, the 5K or the kids' run, so it suits everyone from first-timers and families to elite athletes chasing a personal best. The 5K and kids' events set off from Willows Beach on the Saturday, while the marathon, half and 8K start and finish at Victoria's Inner Harbour on the Sunday.

The course is the draw. Runners wind through Victoria's quiet heritage streets and the leafy seaside neighbourhoods of Oak Bay, with stretches of stunning ocean views along the shoreline before finishing back at the downtown harbour amid the crowds. The relatively flat, scenic route has a reputation for helping runners set records, and the marathon is both a Boston qualifier and a World Athletics-sanctioned race, which draws a strong field from across the country and beyond. Crisp October air, turning leaves and an enthusiastic hometown crowd give the weekend a warm, celebratory feel. It is a fantastic reason to visit Vancouver Island in the fall: base yourself downtown within walking distance of the start, and build in time to enjoy Victoria's restaurants, waterfront and nearby Oak Bay before or after your race. Registration is tiered by distance and sells out, so sign up early.