Jump for Joy…the Joggers are Coming to James Bay!

The 30th Annual Royal Victoria Marathon, one of the top destination marathons in the world, will be held on Sunday, October 11th in the environs of Victoria’s oldest neighborhood (James Bay).

This year the Mile Zero marathon event has been capped at 5,400 participants, although with all the runners, plus family members and friends, the population of James Bay will more than double this weekend. Some runners will be doing the full marathon (42.2 km), others will run the half-marathon (21.1 km), while the younger generation will sport their sneakers and do the Kid’s Run (8km).

Considered one of capital city’s signature sporting events, it is certainly a boon to the hospitality and accommodation industry who are usually booked up a year in advance. The City Engineers not to mention the dig and dump crews plus the flag folks have certainly been working overtime to ensure that the gaping pipeline holes have been filled and that Dallas Road has been restored to its splendor in time for those who are pounding the pavement this weekend.

But for the 11,000 residents of James Bay, it will be a day when getting around will be a challenge. The temporary "No Parking Special Event" signs have already been plastered around the neighborhood. So, whatever you do…if you’re the "Mad Hatter" who’s late for a very important date…just make sure you try and avoid perambulating or putzing about from the crack of dawn on Sunday until 3:00 pm (particularly around the pristine lawns of the Provincial Legislature, not to mention Belleville Street, Menzies, Kingston and Dallas Road of course.

Of course if you’re not really into fitness and have flat feet, you can always show up and join the bonafied Elvis impersonators in the cheering section to help the runners on the last leg of their journey.

Or, you can simply put your feet up at home, become a couch potato, and join a select few like you who share a similar aversion to running:

I don’t think jogging is healthy, especially morning jogging. If morning joggers knew how tempting they looked to morning motorists, they would stay home and do sit-ups. — Rita Rudner

If God invented marathons to keep people from doing anything more stupid, the triathlon must have taken Him completely by surprise. — P.Z. Pearce

Running is an unnatural act, except from enemies and to the bathroom. – Anonymous

We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by. – Will Rogers

"The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again." – Erma Bombeck

"I believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I’m damned if I’m going to use up mine running up and down a street." -- Neil Armstrong

"Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed." – Charles Schulz, "Peanuts"

"No doubt a brain and some shoes are essential for marathon success, although if it comes down to a choice, pick the shoes. More people finish marathons with no brains than with no shoes." – Don Kardong

"Remember, the second most important thing to choosing the right shoe, is choosing the left one." – High school coach to his runners

"The trouble with jogging is that the ice falls out of your glass." – Martin Mull