In 1980, racers had a hot, hot, hot race! With temperatures soaring well into the seventies, almost ten percent of the racers did not finish. Gary Henry won that year with a time of 2:13:14.
In 1981, Australian Brian Morgan won in 2:16:27, while local Nancy McLaren was the first woman to break the tape in 2:48:23.
In 1982, Vancouver’s own Steve Pomeroy cruised to victory with a dominating race margin of nearly seven minutes at 2:16:56. Meanwhile Sue Krenn from California took the top female spot beating local Paula Pick by a mere two seconds at 2:45:25.
The 1983 race is remembered as the “long marathon” after a spotter at Brockton Point in Stanley Park misdirected runners for an extra 561 yards! Nevertheless, Toronto’s Paul Bannon won the race in 2:19:42.
1984 was a milestone year as prize money was offered for the first time, and a new race course starting and finishing at BC Place was established. Ric Sayre of Ashland, Oregon took home the prize in the men’s division with a time of 2:16:34 and Carol Raven of New Zealand won with a time of 2:52:03.
In 1985, four marathons were planned in British Columbia alone. With new race options and a declining economy, sponsors became a rare breed. Despite rumours that the VIM was folding, the race ran as scheduled with Adrian Wellington of Australia winning with a time of 2:24:24 and Kikue Teshima, the first female Japanese winner, completed the course in 2:55:32.
Two days after the opening of the world’s fair, Expo ’86, the VIM hosted its largest race yet with 2,400 participants on a new race course. For the first time, the start and finish line were at different locations beginning downtown and ending at Kitsilano Beach.
1985 also sparked a three-year Japanese men’s winning streak. Hiromi Nishi won in 1986, Tetsuji Iwase won in 1987, and Mitsumasa Matsuyama in 1988.
The female category winner was Joi Belyk of Saskatoon, Washington State’s Cathy Droll took 1987 with a time that qualified her for the Olympic trials (2:46:50), and Isabelle Ditberner of North Vancouver won in 1988.
Students took the top spots in 1989. Thirty-year-old University of Oregon student Shermi Sabag broke the tape for the men and 29-year-old Anne Mangai, a Ph.D. student from the University of Alberta in only her second marathon, took the women’s title.
