Centennial Beach is where the Boundary Bay Marathon begins and ends in Delta. The event also includes marathon relay, half marathon, 5 km and 10 km races.

The 13th edition of the event happens on November 3rd in 2024. It’s one of the Lower Mainland’s biggest and most important running events.

The Boundary Bay Marathon is one in a series of running races hosted by Try Events. Other runs in the series include the Fort Langley Historic Half, Vancouver Chocolate Run, Rubber Ducky Race, Shamrock ‘n Race, Vancouver Chilly Chase and Vancouver Historic Half. The next event after the Boundary Bay one is the Vancouver Historic Half which takes place on November 24th in 2024.

Visit TryEvents.ca for the event’s official website.

Delta’s Boundary Bay Marathon Runs

The Boundary Bay Marathon is a fun event that attracts folks of all fitness levels. It’s popular both with serious runners and with regular families that like to run, due to the various distances and the flat, easy terrain.

The starting line at the beach is in picturesque Boundary Bay Park which is about a 20-minute drive from the BC Ferries Terminal in Tsawwassen.

The Boundary Bay races take place with a beautiful oceanside backdrop in Boundary Bay Park in South Delta (also commonly known as Tsawwassen). Try Events hosts the runs. Ronald McDonald House (RMH) is the event’s charitable beneficiary.

Note: In 2024 Daylight Savings kicks in on Sunday, November 3rd. That means that you have to set your clock back an hour the night before. It also means that you get an extra hour’s sleep. Fortunately, if you forget to change your clock, you won’t miss the race. You’ll simply show up an hour before you need to.

Visit TryEvents.ca for the event’s official website.

Boundary Bay Races Starting Times

The races have staggered starting times to accommodate the various events. Fitness instructors get the athletes buzzed with a warm-up. Right after that, the running begins.

Below is a breakdown of each group’s starting times for the 2024 event:

8:30 am – all participants in the marathon and first leg of the marathon relay
8:33 am – all participants in the half marathon
8:36 am – all participants in the 10 km race
8:41 am – all participants in the 5 km race

Note: Try events strongly encourages participants in the 5 km run to set off with their appropriate group, which means waiting until all the runners in the other races have already departed. This is because there is a turn around in the first part of the course where 5 km runners don’t want to get lost or boxed in with people from the other races who aren’t turning around.

Visit TryEvents.ca for the event’s official website.

Event Pricing

The Try Events Boundary Bay races are selectively priced by category and date. Below are the cost details for each of the races in 2024.

The following prices are in effect until July 31st, September 15th, October 27th, and day of the race this year:

5 km Race: $50, $55, $60 or $65
10 km Race: $55, $60, $65 or $70
Half Marathon: $65, $70, $75 or $80
Full Marathon: $75, $80, $85 or $90
Four-Person Marathon Relay: $200 (for the entire team), $220, $240 or $260

Note: Online registration usually closes one week before the races or when maximum participation numbers are reached.

Visit TryEvents.ca for the event’s official website.

Race Package Pick-Up Details

In 2024 the Boundary Bay race kit can be collected from the following two athletic footwear and apparel retailer locations:

Run Inn Vancouver at 2331 West 41st Avenue in Vancouver (November 1st)
Run Inn Delta at #125 1315 56th Street in Delta (November 2nd)

If you are unable to collect your race package from the above designated locations, you can still pick up your kit on the day of the race in exchange for a $5 cash donation to Ronald McDonald House. If this is your preferred option, Try Events asks you to e-mail them with your race name and write Boundary Bay Pick-Up Service in the subject line.

Note: Bring along a bag when picking up your race kit at the Run Inn locations. Try Events doesn’t provide bags as per its efforts to reduce waste.

Marathon and Marathon Relay Course

The following is a description of the marathon and marathon relay course. We describe how the relay works. The marathon is the same, but run by one person instead of four different people all starting at different points along the route.

The Boundary Bay Marathon Relay is a four-person race run over four legs. It follows the same route as the regular full marathon, from Centennial Beach to Mud Bay Park.

With the relay, each member of the team starts and finishes at a different location. The first section is about 7.5 km and begins at the same starting line as all the other races, on the trail at Centennial Beach. From there this first group heads north to where 72nd Street meets the trail.

Leg #2 is about 13.6 km and picks up from on the trail at 72nd Street and continues east to the Mud Bay Parking area located at 13030 48th Avenue (where 99 Highway meets Railway Road).

The third leg is also about 13.6 km. It starts at the Mud Bay Parking area and follows the trail west back to 72nd Street.

The fourth and final leg is about 7.5 km and takes the race home from 72nd Street back to the finish line at Centennial Beach.

Other Race Details

It’s good to know that there are usually water stations on all of the runs except for the 5 km race. Also, the course closes at 1:30 pm most years (which gives everyone lots of time to finish the race).

All participants receive a timing tag with their race kit. If you are a registered runner (or walker), attach this tag to your shoe on the day of the race. It will record your time once you cross the finish line. The tag can then be removed and returned to Try Events. (Note: Failure to return the timing tag will result in a $40 fee. You can also mail in the tag, however, to avoid the penalty.)

The top three male and top three female runners who finish in each distance receive medals. All participants who finish the races get a chance to win random prizes. Winners can collect their prizes at the table next to the finish line once their timing tags have been removed.