As one of the founding members of the Vancouver International Marathon, 69-year-old Don Basham has seen the sport he loves evolve into a mainstream hobby enjoyed by many.
During the early 1970s, continued construction of the Stanley Park Seawall created the opportunity to hold lengthy runs around the park.
It was during this time that Basham, currently a resident of Halfmoon Bay, first noticed what he called the Running Revolution.
"This is where we started to see phrases like the recreational runner," he said, describing the emergence of running as a hobby or lifestyle choice, beyond its history in competition.
The completion of a linking section of the seawall allowed runners to run laps around the park, leading to the first James Cunningham Seawall Race in 1971.
"The other thing that was happening at that time was the B.C. Marathon championships were being held in Stanley Park and it was a five-lap course," or the standard marathon distance of 42km, Basham said.
Where marathons had typically been the territory of professional athletes, Basham said the 1970s saw an explosion in amateur participation at the events.
Adding to the sport's popularity was its increasingly international flavour, as events like those held in Vancouver began courting athletes from around the world.
Moving towards 1972, Basham was approached by Adidas Canada that wanted to move the event into the city. That year it would be renamed the Vancouver International Marathon.
"The marathon in 2012 will be the sixth different course since 1972," Basham said, describing the legacy left by the handful of runners who used to run laps in the park. "Every one of those courses goes through Stanley Park."
As the race director of the Vancouver International Marathon for its first 16 years, Basham has been involved every step of the way.
On Oct. 1 the Lions Gate Road Runners held their 40th anniversary gala, at which Basham was a special guest. He was invited to give a speech about the history of running in Vancouver and its roots in Stanley Park.
"A lot of the people who were at that gala were young," he said, adding that of the estimated 200 people in attendance, as few as six were original members of the club.
From their humble beginnings in Stanley Park, the race that once welcomed between 20 and 30 professional athletes blossomed into events welcoming thousands.
Fast forwarding to the present, Basham said the sport suffers from a lack of heroes other sports like hockey, basketball and football seem to enjoy. This tends to make recruiting young runners into its professional ranks a challenge, he said.
"I think the kids who do get involved in it do so because they're good at it," he explained. "That's basically where I got involved with it. When I was 13 years old, I could beat the other kids."
The 41st Vancouver Marathon is scheduled for May 6, 2012.
