Race FAQs

Your race fee includes all items associated with the race: shirts, medals, chips/bibs, food, etc.

You should receive an email confirmation after you have registered. Please email info@runforwater.ca if you have questions about your registration.

Yes, you can walk the Half Marathon, 10K and 5K courses. Unfortunately, this year we do not offer walking for the Marathon course.

As a walker, watch for runners coming up behind you. Please do not walk abreast and keep to the far right of the road. This will ensure that both walkers and runners can obtain their desired finish times.

Yes. If you're picking up somebody's race package, you need to have picture ID and the other person's registration confirmation.

These items must be picked up at the Race Expo, located at the Envision Athletics Centre at the University of the Fraser Valley (1395 McKenzie Rd. Abbotsford).  The race expo will be held on Friday, May 24 from 2pm - 8pm and Saturday, May 25 from 9am - 4pm.

Yes, for out of town guests, we will have race package pickup available on race day starting at 6:00am. Please allow for an additional 30 minutes to pick up race packages on race morning.

No, there is no race day registration. Late registration is on May 24 & 25 at the Race Expo.

Timing is by the ChampionChip System. It records the time at which you cross the mat at the Start line and when you cross the mat at the Finish line, then calculates your net time. There is no other timing system, therefore if an accurate running time is important to you, it is imperative that you have a chip.

Marathon
Half Marathon
10K Run
5K Fun Run

Maps are also included in your race package. To get the most out of the event, be sure to familiarize yourself with the course. It is the responsibility of each runner to know the route. Study the course maps. Do not cross the centre line, stay on the proper side of the road as directed by signs and marshals. Race officials will monitor the course and will warn or disqualify violators. Please note that the race courses cross railroad tracks at several locations. Please ensure you watch your footing as you cross the tracks.

Yes, markers appear at every kilometer and every 5 miles on the marathon and half marathon course.

All events will start at Mill Lake Park on Bevan Ave.

Pin your race number to the front of your shirt. This helps us identify you at all times. Ensure you arrive at the correct start line for the race you have entered. The colour of your race number identifies which race you are entered in.

Yes, parking facilities around Mill Lake are at:
MSA Arena
Mill Lake Ball Diamond
Sevenoaks Mall
Side streets in the area

Road closures begin before 7:00am on race day. Roads will re-open to traffic at 12:00pm.

The roads for the marathon course will be open for 5 hours, 7am – 12pm. At 12pm, all runners will be asked to move from the road to the sidewalk along the course. Sweep vehicles will be available for pick up, if necessary.

Yes, there is a secured area at the Start/Finish area designated for Bag Check. Allow a minimum of 30 minutes prior to the race for check in. You will be given a bag to place your gear in. Please mark it with your race number with the label provided. Any runner’s gear not claimed by 2pm on race day will be donated to charity.

There is a medical tent located in the Start/Finish area, as well as on the course. Please refer to the course map for exact locations. Please note: If you have a pre-existing medical condition, please indicate this on the back of your race bib (in waterproof ink) in case of a medical emergency.

We have 12 Aid stations (A-L) for the four race courses (about every 3k). Please refer to our course maps for locations.
5K Fun Run – 1 Aid Station (A)
10K Run - 4 Aid Stations (A, B, C, B)
Half Marathon - 8 Aid Stations (B, C, D, E, E, D, C, B)
Marathon - 14 Aid Stations (B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, D, C, B)

Water and sports drinks (lemon-lime Ironman Perform) will be provided at aid stations. Gel packs will be available at Aid Stations D, E, G, I, K. Cut up oranages will be available at Aid Station G.

There will be portable toilets located in the Start/Finish area, as well at Aid Stations B, D, F, H, J.

No, we do not offer shower facilities.

Yes! There will be locations on the course with entertainment to keep you moving to the beat until you cross the Finish line.

After you cross the finish line, you will receive your participants medal. Then follow the other runners to the post-race area inside the Runner’s Compound for food and beverages. Please note that there is no public access to the Runners Compound or return privileges for runners. You may not return to the finish line. For safety and medical access, we must keep this area cleared of runners.

Run for Water has moved to a recyclable chip and therefore, you will not need to return your chip after the event.

You can meet your family in the courtyard of the Start/Finish area.

Official results for finishers will be posted on the Results Board 30 minutes after the first finishers cross the line and every 15 minutes following. Results will also be posted on the web site by 3pm on race day.

Awards ceremony will be held on the main stage at the Start/Finish are starting at approximately 11:00am. All awards must be picked up at the ceremony and will not be mailed.

Marathon Photos will be taking photos during the event.

For the safety of participants, age restrictions are in place for the Marathon and Half Marathon. Marathon participants must be 16 years or older on race day, and Half Marathon participants must be 12 years or older on race day. Parents/guardians are urged to ensure that young runners have the training and pace judgment needed to complete the event comfortably and safely. All participants under the age of 19 must have parent/legal guardian permission.

Yes! The Run for Water course is AIMS certified (BC-2012-032-BDC) and is therefore a qualifier for the Boston Marathon.

All participants will receive chip-timing, a medal, an event shirt, and access to post-race food & activities.

Please email the race director at info@runforwater.ca and we can assist you.

Registration fees go towards the costs of staging a running event, such as race shirts, timing chips, advertising, and other race related costs. Any surplus from race registration gets donated to our charity partner, HOPE International Development Agency. In 2012, Run for Water gave over $30,000, enough for clean water for an entire village. That works out to about $12.50 per runner out of the registration fee.

All entry fees are non-refundable, non-transferable and non-deferrable.  If you require further assistance regarding this, please send an email to info@runforwater.ca

At this time, there are no caps on race events.

Please bring your registration confirmation number and identification to pick up your race package.

iPods/MP3 players/headphones: The race directors prohibit the use of these devices for the runner's safety and the safety of those around them. There is no risk of disqualification for simple use, however, if a runner puts themselves or other runners at risk through an unsafe act that the Board of Directors determine was caused directly or indirectly through the use of a prohibited item, the race directors reserve the right to disqualify the runner.

The Run for Water Marathon, Half Marathon, 10K Run and 5K Fun Run are foot races. For safety and liability reasons, all events are limited to registered runners only. Bicycles, bandits (un-registered runners/walkers), skateboards, rollerblades, scooters, skates, pacing and running with dogs are strictly prohibited on the course. Non-compliance with these safety rules will result in disqualification. An athlete who collects refreshments from a place other than the refreshment stations renders themselves liable to disqualification.

Police will be allowing some traffic to travel across the race route when it is safe. All traffic, including transit facilities, will be controlled by the local police and official course marshals. Runners must take extreme caution at all times. BICYCLES, CARS, OR OTHER VEHICLES ACCOMPANYING RUNNERS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED AND WILL RESULT IN THE DISQUALIFICATION OF THE RUNNER. The police will begin opening the roads as the participants complete the different sections of the course. At 12pm all streets will be re-opened to traffic; aid stations and the finish line will be dismantled. When the road is re-opened, participants must move to the sidewalks and obey local traffic laws.

A medical tent is located at the finish line. Medical personnel and ambulances will also be on the course during the event. Competitors unable to finish should walk to the next aid station and seek help.

The average high temperature in May is 17°C. Typically, it will be between 8°C and 10°C at 7am when the marathon starts. Rain is unlikely, but not out of the question, so be prepared in the event of showers.

Officially measured and certified marathon courses are measured with an industry-standard device known as a Jones Counter. Civilian GPS units (such as those manufactured by Garmin and other companies), can be a good tool for rough estimations, but they are not accurate enough for official course measurement. Even the best commercially-available GPS unit is only accurate to about 12 feet at any given time, and can be up to hundreds of feet off in accuracy. GPS units must have a clear view of at least three satellites to achieve the triangulation required to read a location. Trees, buildings or even a runner's body can interrupt the signal, however, making the calculation of location less accurate at any time.

Further, GPS units only check their position periodically, not constantly. Some units check every second, some every 20 seconds. During that interval, the unit loses contact with the satellites, which must relocate the unit the next time the position is checked. During those intervals, the chance for even small inaccuracies to pile up becomes much greater. Personal GPS units are good for training and for close approximations, but they are not accurate enough for certification purposes, which is why the Jones Counter device is still the world-wide industry-standard for marathon course measurement.

Courses are measured on point-to-point tangents or SPR (Shortest Possible Route), taking a line that cuts all the tangents just one foot from the curb or road/pathway edge. Very few participants - even elite athletes - are able to run completely perfect tangents throughout a 42.2 km distance, particularly when running in a group with other people. It's also important to note that all officially certified courses are "long" as a 0.01% Short Course Prevention Factor is added to every course measurement prior to certification to ensure that the course will not come up short and fail to be valid in the case of a record.

The full marathon course has been and is officially measured and certified as a full 42.2 km marathon course, certified by Athletics Canada. Our course certification code is BC-2010-114-BDC. When you take into consideration things like moving to the side to get water from an aid station or to use a portable toilet or to weave around another participant...and then combine those with the inherent inaccuracy of a consumer GPS unit, most participants will find that their GPS unit says they ran farther than 42.2 km during a full marathon.