Canada

Victoria, BC

A comprehensive guide to running in Victoria, British Columbia

Capital of British Columbia and its second-largest city, Victoria’s pretty setting and mild climate makes it a treat for any runner. The city sits on the southern tip of Vancouver Island, with the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Olympic range to the south, and the Haro Strait to the east. Between the waterfront, mountains, and famous gardens, there is great variety for running in Victoria.

In central Victoria, you can put together wonderful standalone runs or combine three waterfront trails — Dallas Road, Songhees Walkway, and the Inner Harbour — with a ‘runseeing’ tour of the city. Slightly to the north, we love running around the “UVic” campus, the 10k perimeter path around Elk Lake/Beaver Lake, and the Cordova Bay neighborhood. For hills and trails, seek out Mount Douglas Park (with a summit road closed to vehicles before noon), and Thetis Lake Regional Park.

All of our routes are in central Victoria or can be accessed by car or the city’s excellent bus system. We recommend trying to stay in central Victoria in order to be close to great waterfront running.

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Some of our favorite runs in Victoria, BC

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Victoria has some of the most pleasant weather in Canada. Summers are delightful and mild, with average high temperatures in the low 70s (22-22C) and cool evenings. Fall is gorgeous and holds on a while. Winters are mild for the latitude, and a bit warmer and drier than Vancouver. Average January high temperatures are in the low to mid 40s (3-5C), and lows staying just above freezing. It rains plenty from November-March. Significant snowfall is rare.

Running Stores

Frontrunners and Running Room are the two main running stores in Victoria, with two locations each.

Group Runs

Running Room downtown has group runs Wednesday at 6:00 p.m., Saturday at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Info

Running Room on Royal Oak has group runs Wednesday at 6:00 p.m, Friday at 6:00 p.m. and Sunday at 8:30 a.m. Info