The: eighth annual "Vancouver, International Marathon i is to be run Sunday morning (when the traffic is light), May 6, in and out-of Stanley Park - and through the streets of Vancouver. More than. 1,000 runners are ¢ expected tc to take part. "But: before: we get. any. _ farther into this, let's clear up some historic miscon- "ceptions. Yes;.. the’ race commemorates the feat of a . Greek soldier, who, in 490 ' B.C.,.ran from Marathon to the Persians. , is: ‘that . his - . Athens, to bring news of his countrymen’s victory over. The much repeated story © name - was Pheidippides: Not so. He was the guy who ran from. Athens to Sparta to seek: help before, the battle with the Persians. {. -Nobody knows the identity” of the runner who brought the good -news. He is sup- posed to have gasped to the .. mayor of Athens: “Rejoice. - We conquer!”, then keeled over and promptly died. NOT THAT FIT Nobody got his | name. ‘and he didn’t carry an ID tag. So, for 2,500 years, he has remained the unknown SERVICE On all C-41 Color Print Film Processing xh & 1527 LONSDALE 988-9813 nothing. worse specifically You don’t need an instant camera. for Fast Photos. -_ 2 ee tree ‘s 33 "NEGATIVES OR PRINTS. 36EXP...... Urrow so WEDDING mHOTOGRAPHY *PASSPORT PHOTOS -+-Quality photos at Hard-to-Beat Prices! PHOTO FINISHERS darkroom ltd. * Two locations to serve you better * runner: “By today’s standards he couldn't: have. been that fit, for 20th to 80, run more than three miles . farther. and - suffer than a. matched set of blisters on: their tootsies. Today’s -marathon distance is 26° miles, 385 yards. The distance from the plain of Marathon to Athens is 22 miles, 1,470. yards. Something was lost in .the . 2,500-year translation, in 1908 in London, the site of the Olympic Games that year. The reigning monarch, Edward VII, was enlisted as the official starter for the big face, but he wasn’t feeling too well and was damned if he’d come into London todo . the job. So, if the ‘king wouldn’t come to the race, the race would go to the king, who happened to be in residence the & 1350 PEMBERTON | 988-5211 century marathoners, from ages 10 at -~Windsor "Castle. ’ That's where -he fired the ‘starting gun. The finish line was in White City. Stadium, exactly 26 miles: and 385 yards down — the road. . Before’ and after. "marathons were run over. varying distances, ‘but at the 1924 Olympics in Paris the ‘Windsor-White City Stadium distance was legislated into . being ..as the . official . marathon. ; ” ANEXTRA MILE That's been the 'ticketever — since, although it should be - noted that ‘with more than 8,000 . starters in Monday’ 's Boston Marathon, the ‘contestants in the rear rank had to.run an extra mile just to get up to the starting line. ~ There will be no such crush in. Vancouver two weeks from today.. While the “field will be over 1,000—the largest yet—it won't top 1,500, according to race director Don. Basham. ‘Basham isa “Deep Cove. resident and a’ ’ former track i i” hI ae i fi “§ . ron star at North Van a High. » ° ‘@ moving spirit in’ the ‘Lions - --Gate Road Runners’ Club, -which } sponsors: _ were last — the. marathon” in . ‘conjunction ‘with Nike, the top American en try in the international. athletic footwear race. a ‘He® ‘will not ‘be: running, _ just’ directing and, ;.in-Con- . ~ junction with track: and field. - "people hereabouts, trying to. build: this race into Canada’s premier marathon; the true _ north strong and free answer to the Boston marathon. . “One “feels - ‘the ‘national impact would .. ‘be greater the . race. to be. run....say..,.in ‘mid-Februa-. - ry ‘or: mid-March, when the — rest of the country i is up to its armpits in snow drifts. Ah, the ‘sight of. 4, 000 or: _1,500 men and women, clad “only in shorts .and ‘singlets, running in the sunshine past ‘Stanley. Park’s dancing. daffodils and beside the. . sparkling waters: of English Bay... and urrard Inlet... wonderful “eat-your- . hearts-out TV fare for the ‘ other 20 million citizens in the great Canadian icebox. should give it some thought. The tourism ministry people in Victoria might even dip into the old slush fund—i.e., e.g. and all that, the lottery lolly—to make the race the -west coast event of the winter. — Quite aside from the ‘tourist and publicity angle, late winter or early spring ‘temperatures are more condusive to fast times. Ideally, the-air should be | about 10 to 12degrees. Hopefully, for the rest of | the lower mainland Basham and company pulation’ at least, ‘the “weather will be a good deal — “warmer on May 6 when, for the first time, the Vancouver. _ Marathon its . usual. “International - breaks: -out of» Stanley Park. closed circuit - ‘and takes to the streets. . - runnings, it’s been five times “around ‘the park. Basham “and: co. want more visibility for their production, hence the fanning’ out onto city Streets... ‘THE COURSE » So, if you are of a mind to | ‘go! ‘out and watch, find a spot somewhere along. this route: fromthe start at * Robson Square, the. runners ge west .. half - ‘the park, then they . debouch. onto Beach and Pacific to Homer, north to. Georgia, east on Georgia to. ™ Clark Drive, “north to the waterfront, then east along -Powell and Wall to Renfrew. That's the ‘turnaround for the.run back along Wall and Powell, then Gastown, along Hastings, ;Pender and Georgia for another circuit around the park and finally, via Beach and Burrard, back to Robson Square. You'll have to get up fairly early to see the. front run- ners, for the starting gun goes at 7:30 and the winner ‘ should be across the finish line no later than 9:45, just in time for a late breakfast. There is no such thing, really, asa world record for -the marathon, because’ all. courses are different. The : fastest ever run was a 2.08 “and change, by Australian’ Derek Clayton, 10 years ago , ‘impress “you, . ~ - following. will: a:world class — : marathon run is 26 Con- -: “secutive five-minute miles, “Tas " flie’ ‘seven’ previous through | in ‘Beigium, country... Grete. Ww Norway ran the. ‘Time: 2.32.30. me If; those - “figures - “don't 7 maybe. the with a-385-yard. Sprint at the * end. Your average high. school runner of 17 or 18 runs the mile in about five minutes. So; if you took 26 of them ‘and stationed them; -along the route to run the race as a relay, a first rate marathoner like Vancouver's Howard would ran all 26, This race isn’t for j joggers. ie’ s for runners... -- Is sports your business? If it is, you can use this Space to reach every sports- minded person on the North Shore. Get in touch with nh your _customers. © - me U - Call display advertising 980-0511 | *Specially good when you’ve just won a close one.-Less than 99 calories per bottle makes Special Lite less filling. Refreshing, real Canadian beer taste makes it a real winner. Next time, make it a Special point. middle distance | | Tom -