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Pioneer 8K

The Harriers Pioneer 8K is the first race of the Vancouver Island Race Series and typically the first road race in Canada of the new year.

The course is certified for records and standards and offers a gently rolling, 2.5-lap route on quiet country roads from the Saanich Fairgrounds.

The 2027 race takes place on January 10 at 11:30 AM on Sunday morning.

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Elk Beaver Ultras

The Victoria Harriers Running Club hosts the annual Elk Beaver Ultras on the first Saturday of May each year.

The ultra event offers several distances of 50K, 50 miles (80.467km), 100K, and a 40K walk.

The course includes multiple loops of the beautiful, flat Elk and Beaver Lakes in Saanich, BC, in Greater Victoria. The path is a mix of dirt and gravel.

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Thetis Lake Relays

The Thetis Lake Relays take place on Remembrance Day, November 11, each year at 1:00 pm.

The relays include a nearly 5 km loop of the two Thetis Lakes, with plenty of hills and character. [= to your 5km road time].

Teams of four have been the tradition, with options for teams of one, two, or three runners, as long as you get in four laps.

Fun competition is also had in the naming of teams. There are awards for the most creative names and for several unique age and gender divisions.

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Gunner Shaw 10K Cross Country Classic

The Gunner Shaw 10K Cross Country Classic offers a character-building route with hills, puddles, mud, rocks, and roots.

All race proceeds will be directed to Harriers Foundation projects. To date, the Prairie Inn Harriers Running Club has raised over $450,000 towards 130 Foundation projects in Greater Victoria, including youth team and athlete travel support, parkland purchases, and more, as well as eight major ongoing scholarships and bursaries at the University of Victoria and Camosun College

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Stewart Mountain Challenge

The races begin at the main beach of Thetis Lake and soon take you off into the character-filled single-track sections of Thetis Lake and Francis King Parks (Also sometimes called Freeman King). The long course summits Stewart Mountain for some beautiful views; pause to enjoy!

The short course follows similar trails out and then turns back toward the beach at the Aid Station. It skirts Stewart Mountain, but does not go up nearby Skirt Mountain.

Great food and hot beverages await.

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Boxing Day 10 Mile Handicap Run

This staggered-start handicap race, where anyone can win, often attracts an international field competing for fame and fortune.  Recent races have seen entrants from as far away as Comox BC, Canmore AB, Hamilton, ON, Wolfville, NS, Richland, WA, Houston, TX, Bloomington, IN, SE Asia, London, England, and Norway.

Ok, it’s just people here for the holidays and some locals competing for quirky prizes and socializing at the Prairie Inn* after, but it’s a club tradition centred at our founding and namesake venue.  And it’s free, and almost everyone gets a prize!

There is a single-lap 5-mile option and a more trail option through nearby parks with a significant steep climb to the summit lookout.

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New Year’s Day Predicted Time Memorial Race (or walk)

Initiated in 1997, a few weeks after long-time club member Susan Reid passed away. The 30th annual Harriers New Year’s Day 10K Run/2K Walk on the Elk/Beaver trails honours all Harriers who have passed on.

Meet at the Harriers Memorial Bench at Beaver Lake Park, located on the lakeside trail, about 100 metres north of the picnic shelter by the lower (gravel) parking lot at the south end of the lake.

The 10K is a predicted-time run or walk (no watches allowed). The clock starts at 60 minutes and counts down to zero. Start your run or walk when you think you’ll finish with the clock as close to zero as possible.  There is also a 4K run option and a 2K walk option.  The closest finisher to zero wins a prize.  Non-Harriers are welcome.

No entry fee, but participants are encouraged to donate to the Harriers Foundation, supporting eight scholarships and bursaries at Camosun College and the University of Victoria.

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Summer Parks Challenge

Lace up for the 2027 Summer Parks Challenge kicking off in May (TBD) and running through late August. There will be 100 days to explore as many parks as you want, anywhere in the world.

Registration will re-open soon via Stripe Checkout. Pay once, and your account is ready the moment the credentials land in your inbox seconds later. If you ran with us in 2025 or 2026, sign in and click “renew” for 2027 to roll your account over.

What’s new and cool:
• Strava integration!
• Even better park and trail auto-detected from your Strava & GPX maps.
• Run details now show a “So Close Parks You Nearly Visited” list. Click a chip to fly the map to that park.
• Edits to a run regenerate the map immediately.

Same rules as last year: at least 25 m of your route must fall inside a park’s boundary for it to count.

Renewal: sign in, hit renew for 2027, and pay through Stripe. Your dashboard updates on the next page load. [WHEN registration opens again].

See you in the parks.

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Vancouver Island Race Series

It’s an annual Vancouver Island running tradition.

In 2027, runners will be celebrating 46 years of the series. The series features eight *road races, run approximately every two weeks from January to April, with distances ranging from 5-kilometres to the 21.1K half marathon.

The series kicks off on the second Sunday in January each year with the Harriers Pioneer 8K. This is followed by the Cobble Hill 10K, Bastion 12K in Lantzville, Hatley Castle 8K in Colwood, McLean Mill 10K in Port Alberni, Comox Valley RV Half Marathon, and Bazan Bay 5K in Sidney.

The series has a very strong following amongst Island and Vancouver’s Lower Mainland runners, attracting all levels from beginners to Olympic-level elites.

Walkers, runners, age-group competitors, social runners, fitness fanatics and beginners are all welcome to these races.

*The Hatley Castle 8K is approximately half road and half firm-packed trail.

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