Runners taking part in this weekend’s Sandcastle City Classic 10K will be travelling a different course than in previous years.
The annual race – which is the 12th in the Timex BC Road Race Series – hits the road Sunday, but rather than finish along Marine Drive, as it’s always done, this year’s course ends at Centennial Park.
Roadwork along Marine Drive caused this year’s route adjustment, said Semiahmoo Sunrunners’ Tina Hansen, one of the event organizers.
The 10-km run’s start line will still be the same as previous years, with runners beginning at 130 Street and 24 Avenue. The course will see runners head north to 28 Avenue, before turning west, winding through residential neighborhoods, then heading south on 124th and Ocean Park Drive.
Despite the shift away from a beachfront finish, runners will travel along Marine Drive for a few blocks, before heading north on Nichol Road and, after a few turns, ending up at the Centennial Park finish line.
The 2013 race was won by Paul Kimugul of Kenya, who ran a blistering time of 30 minutes, 44.72 seconds – nearly three minutes faster than the second-place finisher.
In addition to being part of the province-wide Timex series, the Sandcastle Classic is also part of the 11-race Lower Mainland Road Race series.
The previous race on the circuit – the May 25 Oasis Shaughnessy 8K in Vancouver – was won by Kenyan Solomon Rotich.
Rotich will also take part in the Sandcastle City Classic, Hansen said, and will be among the contenders to cross the finish line first.
Registration is still open for Sunday’s run. Go to www.semiahmoosunrunners.ca