A year after road construction altered the route of the Sandcastle City Classic 10K run, the annual race is going back to its roots.
This year’s race – which is set for Sunday, June 7 – will start and end along Marine Drive, at Bayview Park. In recent years, a spot along Marine Drive has served as the finish line of the popular race, though the race was a point-to-point route then, with a start line near Crescent Park Elementary in South Surrey. Last year’s race also began near the school – near 130 Street and 24 Avenue – but finished at Centennial Park.
Going even further back, in the mid- to late-’80s, the Sandcastle run used to start on Marine Drive, near East Beach.
“When I came here around 1987, that was where the race started,” said Tom Webster, a Semiahmoo Sunrunners club member and one of the race organizers.
Organizers are excited about the new circuit, which also keeps the race solely within White Rock’s borders.
“The new route will be scenic and a great opportunity to enjoy some of the great beach scenery,” the Sunrunners said in a news release.
The annual event, which is now in its 32nd year, is part of both the Lower Mainland Road Race series and the Timex/BC Road Race Series, and routinely draws some of the top distance runners from the Semiahmoo Peninsula and beyond. Last year’s race was won by Kenya’s Solomon Rotich, who set a blistering pace and won the race in a time of 31 minutes, 44 seconds. He was 2:40 faster than the second-place runner, Evan Elder of Vancouver.
This year, three $500 bursaries will also be awarded to local students – one each from Earl Marriott, Semiahmoo and Elgin Park.
“The (Sunrunners) believe in putting back into the community,” said Webster. “It’s a part of the event that we’re really proud of.”
The 10-km run is set to begin at 8:30 a.m. June 7.
For more information, including how to register for the event, visit www.sunrunners.ca and click on the “Sandcastle City Classic” link.