Island Miles Podcast: for runners, by runners, celebrating running on Vancouver Island

We decided to mic up for an easy-paced run in the West Shore and talk about what’s going on in the running world, both on Vancouver Island and beyond! We talk about the cooker of a day at the BMO Vancouver Marathon, a historic Cocodona 250 finish, a new Island ParkRun and lots of other cool stuff. Jamie even shared his most embarrassing running story, which involved passing out mid-stream…

The May 50k Challenge for MS – friend of the pod Lyall Chalmers’ wife was recently diagnosed with MS, and even though she’s not a runner in the least bit, she’s running 50k in May to raise money and awareness for MS – here’s a link to her fundraising page – way to go Amanda!! https://mssp.donordrive.com/participants/Amanda-Chalmers/donate

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

May 17 - Jay’s Hillbilly Hustle - Nanaimo - 17k, 35k, and 50k - https://www.hillbillyhustle50.com/

May 24 - Oak Bay Half Marathon and 10k – sold out but there’s a waitlist! https://oakbayhalf.com/

May 30 - Sooke Hills 25k and 50k - sold out but would love volunteers! https://sookehillsrunning.com/

May 30 - Snowden Trail Race - put on by Foveo Running – 11k and 26k - https://raceroster.com/events/2026/112890/snowden-trail-race

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yana Hempler is a Victoria runner with a lot of personal accomplishments, including completing her Abbott World Major Six Star in Tokyo this March. She’s also channeled some of her apparently endless energy into a number of fundraisers for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation, raising a crazy amount of money. She’s got a big 24-hour event planned for Duncan in September, and we got the lowdown. Race Roster event link: https://raceroster.com/events/2026/112601/dream-nation-apparel-vancouver-island-24-hour (use the promo code  ISLANDMILES10 for a registration discount!)

We also talk about the historic London Marathon result with two dudes going sub-2:00(!!), recap the TC10K, Boston and...Toledo?

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

The Cumby - May 2 – https://thecumby.ca/

Island Trail Series Lake Cowichan 13K/26K – May 9 - https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/lake-cowichan/

Fundraisers:

The Victoria Mile – May 18 - supports Parkinsons Wellness Projects https://www.instagram.com/thevictoriamile/

Power to Play Summit & Race – May 29-31 – supports Power to Be - https://www.powertobe.ca/powertoplay

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are SO many great trail races on Vancouver Island, and many of them are organized by the team at Coastline Endurance. Whether it’s the brutally tough Finlayson Arm races, extremely fun Island Trail Series, or the unique and challenging Kusam Klimb, they’ve got a great race roster, which they added to with the Hornby Island Ultra last month. The person at the helm of Coastline Endurance is Myke Labelle, and we got a chance to get to know him and what it takes to put on great races. Plus, he gave us a couple entries to Kusam to giveaway!

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

April 26 – TC10K – April 26 - https://www.runsport.ca/tc10k

May 2 – The Cumby 25K/16K/8.5K/4.5K distances https://thecumby.ca/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Most people are in running retirement by the time they hit 70, but Joe ‘Crazy Legs’ Camilleri is still going strong at 76! Joe was a late bloomer with his running career, so was probably saving his legs for later life glory. Joe has completed a number of marathons with his first in Vancouver back in 2017 at the age of 67, when qualified for Boston, and he’s now closing in on completing the Abbot World Marathon Majors. We get to know Joe, which Canadian legend inspired him to start running, how he got his nickname, and hopefully get some tips for running longevity!

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

March 29 – McLean Mill 10K – Port Alberni - https://www.islandseries.org/product/mclean-mill-10k/

April 12 – Saanich Physio Bazin Bay 5K – https://www.islandseries.org/product/saanich-physio-bazan-bay-5k/

April 11 – Royal Roads 6K/11K – https://www.islandtrailseries.ca/races/victoria-royal-roads/

Canadian Cancer Society Run 80K in April Challenge: https://fundraisemyway.cancer.ca/events/680

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Comox Valley RV Half Marathon is coming up on March 22. It’s the longest race in the Vancouver Island Race Series, and clearly one of the most popular as it sold out in January! It’s one of many races put on by the Comox Valley Road Runners, and in this episode, we caught up with their club President Brad Crowe and Comox Half Race Director Rob Kelly to talk about the race and their awesome, and VERY accomplished club which has been around since 1980. You can find them here: https://cvrr.ca/

We also got an update on the Wounded Warriors from Simon Brown and Nathalie Butler. This year’s campaign has raised more than $280,000 this year! You can still donate until the end of March.  https://woundedwarriors.ca/run-bc/.

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

March 29 – McLean Mill 10K – Port Alberni - https://www.islandseries.org/product/mclean-mill-10k/

April 12 – Saanich Physio Bazin Bay 5K – https://www.islandseries.org/product/saanich-physio-bazan-bay-5k/

April 26 – TC10K – April 26 - https://www.runsport.ca/tc10k

April 2 – Trail Running Film Festival – Vic Theatre - https://bit.ly/4qWmNMN

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every year, a group of eight runners and their amazing support team relay the 800 kilometres from Port Hardy to Victoria in just eight days, raising awareness for the importance of supporting trauma exposed Vancouver Island military personnel, first responders and their families. The 2026 campaign started on February 22, and the team is working their way down the island. The guys had a chance to talk to Simon Brown, one of this year’s runners before the team headed out. He shared some of their history, inspiring stories, and details on how people can support their mission. Every dollar raised by this tremendous group stays on the island, and you can find out more or donate here: https://woundedwarriors.ca/run-bc/.

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

March 8 – Westcoast Sooke 10K - https://www.islandseries.org/product/westcoast-sooke-10k-2/

March 29 – McLean Mill 10K – Port Alberni - https://www.islandseries.org/product/mclean-mill-10k/

April 2 – Trail Running Film Festival – Vic Theatre - https://bit.ly/4qWmNMN

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s time to nerd out on shoe technology! Super shoes have continued to dominate the conversation in most running circles, including the elites. Records continue to fall, qualifying times continue to get harder, and footwear is a main reason. Darren takes us to “shoe school” with a good history lesson and technical explanation of what the latest and great technology does. But are these shoes right…for you? We also catch up with local Burrito League legend Arianna Rumenovich to talk about her tremendous accomplishment while questioning her sanity. 

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

Feb 22 - Bastion 12K - https://www.islandseries.org/product/bastion-12k/

March 8 – Westcoast Sooke 10K - https://www.islandseries.org/product/westcoast-sooke-10k-2/

March 14 – Hornby Island 25K & 50K - https://www.coastlineendurancerunning.com/hornbyisland/ (sold out)

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Everyone has considerations in their running - from footwear, to mileage, to hydration and nutrition…but what if you have a chronic health challenge? How do you manage that additional, sometimes debilitating hurdle in your training? On this episode host Dan Deane talks about living and running with Type 1 Diabetes, and his running Coach Jim Finlayson (elite Victoria runner, coach, and former Beer Mile world record holder!) shares his journey with Multiple Sclerosis. We also recap the Cobble Hill 10K and talk about the awesome weirdness of Burrito League!

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

Feb 8 - Hatley Castle 8K – https://www.islandseries.org/

Feb 22 - Bastion 12K - https://www.islandseries.org/product/bastion-12k/

Feb 28 – Seymour Bloom Trail Race - https://bit.ly/3ZjESc7 (waitlist)

April 26 – TC10K - https://www.runsport.ca/tc10k

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you registered for a big race in 2026? Maybe it’s a new distance for you, and you’re wondering how best to attack it so you’re ready to be your best on race day and hit that goal? With a Physiotherapist and run leader as hosts, we’ve got you covered! We talk everything from load management to injury management to strength training and shoes. Plus a recap of the Pioneer 8K, Rory Linkletter and…a Costco ultra marathoner?

The Rundown - upcoming races and events: 

Jan 25 - Cobble Hill 10K – https://www.islandseries.org/

Jan 26 – registration opens – Lululemon Seawheeze Half – https://www.seawheeze.com/

Feb 1 registration opens – The Cumby (25K/16K/8.5K/4.5K) - thecumby.ca

Feb 8 - Hatley Castle 8K – https://www.islandseries.org/

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the season finale, we share our thoughts on the first 10 episodes, reflecting on our favourite moments and guests. It was really hard to choose! We talked about planning out your 2026 race calendar and what kind of things to consider, and talk about some of the best holiday gifts runners can get. And just wait until you hear the way our South African host says the word “toque”!

Books referenced:

Born To Run – Christopher McDougall

Once A Runner – John L. Parker, Jr.

Outsider – Brett Popplewell

The Rise of the Ultra Runners - Adharanand Finn

The Island Miles Podcast wants to hear from YOU! Got a topic idea? Know someone doing something cool that should be celebrated? Email us: [email protected], or find us on Instagram: @islandmilespodcast

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.