This year’s Victoria Goddess Run was as inspiring as ever. Thousands of women braved the heat and hills to cross the finish line, completing one of the three events: the half marathon, 10k, or 5k.
In addition to being a fun time for all the participants, this event helps support three great local charities: Victoria Women’s Transition House Society, KidSport Greater Victoria, and Victoria Sexual Assault Centre.
I heard some inspirational stories from different women who have overcome a lot of obstacles to get to the finish line. Their stories are unforgettable.
Some of them have escaped abuse, overcome health problems and much more.
Not only that, but I also got to see many of my friends and clients. It was so great to see them all in the race.
I had the pleasure of spending the entire weekend surrounded by Goddesses, first working the Muscle MLK Canada booth at the expo, then running the race, and then hooking all the finishers up with Muscle MLK.
Above: Clearly, this is where the party was at 😉
There were a lot of familiar faces at the expo. It was very exciting. The exhibitors that I talked to were very knowledgeable and helpful.
Then came time to race. When I got to the start line, I was surrounded by a sea of colourful outfits. Hot pink shirts and colourful tutus dominated the start line.
Since I remembered the course from last year, I knew that it was not a PB course. There were hills, trails, gravel and turnaround points. It was challenging but fun.
I focused on running with my friend and didn’t worry about my time. Initially, I was shooting for under 42 minutes, but it’s a tough course to do it on. In addition, it was hot out.
So, I decided to enjoy the run while maintaining my position in the race. I kept on going between 2nd and 3rd the whole race. It was great to have someone to run with the whole time.
The girl who ended up being 1st was a little bit too far for us to catch (and she set a new course record).
My initial goal was to place in the top 3, so I was definitely happy with my 2nd place finish.
We all got a beautiful necklace just for finishing the race.
I would love to do this race again next year!
Finish line hugs are the best 🙂
I love events like these because everyone is included, regardless of how fast their pace is. Best of all, women of all shapes, sizes, fitness levels, and ages get together to celebrate each other and their accomplishments.
Congratulations to everyone who finished! You are all winners.
I can’t think of a better way to spend a summer weekend than to make it a Goddess Weekend! 🙂