The marathon
The 2025 Vancouver Marathon was won by Portland, Oregon’s Dominic Arce and Vancouver’s Dayna Pidhoresky.
They finished in 2:14:32 and 2:35:05, respectively.
Cobden, Ontario native Tristan Woodfine finished second in 2:16:51, and Yuki Kawauchi, known as the “citizen runner” from Japan, took third.
For Arce, it was just his second marathon. His first one took place this past December in Sacramento, where he ran 2:16:33. Sixteen months ago, Woodfine set his personal best in Houston at 2:10:53. Kawauchi has run nearly 200 marathons and just as many half marathons since 2010. His best over the 42.195-kilometre distance is 2:07:27 from the 2021 Lake Biwa Marathon.
The first 40-plus master was Craig McMillan from North Vancouver. He competes one age-group up in the 45-49 category. McMillan recorded a 2:25:09 finish time.
For Pidhoresky, it was her third win at this event, having also won in 2022 and 2023. She came into the 2025 edition hoping to improve the course record, which she holds at 2:34:07.
Taking second was Lindsay Lammoc, who finished 4:44 back at 2:39:49. Finishing in third place was Claire Sumner in 2:45:23. Sumner competed for Queen’s University. She competed in the 2017 and 2019 World Cross Country Championships. Vancouver was her debut at the distance.
Catrin Jones from Victoria, BC was the first master clocking in at 2:52:53. Like McMillan, Jones competes in the 45-49 category. The Harrier Running team member is a short ultramarathon specialist focusing on the 50K distance. She has held a number of national records.
Half marathon
Andrew Davies and Melissa Rave won the half-marathon race. They finished in 1:04:10 and 1:17:09.
Finishing in second place was Vancouver’s Ben Preisner, who clocked a 1:05:10 performance. Just 14 seconds back was Harry Halford of Calgary.
The 24-year-old Davies, who runs for the Vancouver Thunderbirds, ran 1:03:05 during the First Half Half Marathon in February 2025, which is his personal best performance.
Andrew Russell was the first 40-plus master, recording a 1:09:12. The Harrier Running Club member’s Vancouver performance is a new personal best time. His best going into the Vancouver race was 1:10:49 from the 2023 First Half Half Marathon.
Nineteen-year-old, Surrey, BC runner Yemena Mulugeta set a new personal best running 1:05:40 for sixth place overall.
In the women’s race, trucking in for second place was Nicole Esplin from Boulder, CO. She clocked a 1:17:31 performance. Taking third was Vancouver Jouen Chang in 1:19:24.
For Esplin, the Vancouver race was a new personal best time. She entered the event with a 1:19:03 from Duluth, MN in 2022.
Missing from the start line was three-time Canadian Olympian Natasha Wodak of North Vancouver. She was planning to take the current half-marathon course record. Mina Ogawa of Japan set the event record in 1996 in 1:12:33. Wodak has run as fast as 1:09:41, which for a short period of time, was the national record. Unfortunately, Wodak, the Canadian marathon record holder, came up injured over the past two weeks.
Shoestrings…
Approximately 25,000 runners took in the 2025 BMO Vancouver Marathon weekend of events, which includes an 8K and a 2.4K kid’s run.
The marathon was established in 1972. The first winner, Tom Howard from Greater Vancouver, was on hand for the weekend as a guest of the event. Howard was also the first winner of the Royal Victoria Marathon on Vancouver Island in 1980. Howard clocked a 2:21:35, long before super shoes. Howard ran Vancouver in 2:24:08. He won the next two as well and bettered his time on the course to 2:14:34 in 1974.
