Sunday's Child

The Fifth of Peggy's Top 10 "Save Your Money and Skip This Event" List

#6 Skip It: The The Vancouver Sun Run

The novelty of participating in the largest 10K run in North America has come and gone for this runner. Each year the Vancouver Sun Run gets a little bigger, and each year the last people to cross the start line have waited a little longer to do so. I heard one radio host tell his Sun Run story -- it took him an hour to reach the start line! This was in addition to the hour he spent waiting for the start gun. He was told to get there early for a "good spot" in the crowd. Ha! By the time he started the "race" he'd been standing for over two hours. This year's race was the largest ever at just under 60,000 people.

Here's a better idea. Why not sign up for a charity run that supports medical research? Something like the ALS Adventure Challenge or the Spring Sprint, a fundraiser for the Brain Tumour Foundation. Better yet, find a charity that someone you know benefits from. Experience tells me that these runs are less crowded and, somehow, more meaningful.

Next year, skip the Sun Run and test your mettle at a smaller charity run -- if you're like me, you'll see why bigger is not always better.