The 47th annual Harriers Pioneer 8K goes Sunday, January 11 on Vancouver Island, 15 minutes north of Victoria in Central Saanich.
The course is measured by a World Athletics A-certified course measurer. The course is valid for records and standards. The new route for 2026 is as fast as the previous two courses, with gently rolling sections, but is mostly flat.
The race initiated in 1978 and joined the Vancouver Island Race Series in 1980.
Event records are: 22:58 by Carey Nelson and 25:28 by Natasha Wodak.
Measureres details:
The start/finish is about 20m from the NW corner of the main hall on the paved interior driveway by the barns and riding ring. It is 500m from there to the west gate at Stelly’s X Road (150m straight beside the barns, 100m gentle arcing diagonals across the ends, and 250m straight on the west driveway).
The 2K mark on White Road is not near Tomlinson but at the other (west) end just before the puddles and the turn into the rear gate.
It is about 140m from the rear gate to the S/F/Lap line. The initial loop is about 2.2km. The 5K mark is about 100m before the turnaround (5.1km).
The start/lap/finish is about 66m and the turnaround about 62m.
The low point is the dip on Hovey at 55m and the high point is the rear gate at 67m.
Gross elevation gain and loss of the 2.2km first loop is about +14m and -14m for net 0 (-9 +4 -3 +3 -1 +7 -1), while on the 2.9km outward leg it is about +14m and -18m for net -4m (-9 +4 -3 +3 -1 -5 +7), and the final 2.9km inward leg the opposite about +18m and -14m for net +4m (-7 +5 +1 -3 +3 -4 +9).
