3 days to go: Venturing to Victoria

All packed and ready to go, and we're off for Victoria. It was a relatively easy drive to the border until I was questioned by Canadian customs. When he asked me where I was going, I said, "Ucluelet! To run a marathon!" Suspiciously, he said, "there is no marathon in Ucluelet," at which point, I noticed a second customs agent walk over and size up me and my car. After much convincing and even showing him the race web page, he waved me through and I continued on to the ferry, where I stared in amazement as to the scope and size of the Tsawwassen Ferry Terminal. It was so big, a guy selling makeup offered to change my life.

The terminal was only matched by the actual ferry, which is huge. It has its own buffet and spa. It was an unbelievably beautiful ride. The ferry slaloms between little islands on its way to Victoria, some so close on either side that you could see the pebbles on the beach.

Arriving in Victoria, I was not disappointed at its beauty. This is my first time in Victoria, and it's much larger than I thought it would be. Among the sites from today were: the Empress Hotel, a statue of Captain John Cook in a Canucks jersey,


and a fiddling Darth Vader.


I had said that I was going to lay off wine until after the race, but a rooftop setting at dusk foiled that plan. Besides, isn't red wine good for you? I keep reading articles that it cures everything from athletes foot to old age. It's got to be good marathon training, right?

Anyway, tomorrow we are off to Ucluelet, the site of the marathon. Now the nerves start to sink in.

Tomorrow, the long trek up island will still take less time than I will to run the marathon.

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Location:Victoria, BC