If you’re down at Kits Beach this Sunday morning, you’ll see the North Shore’s Coho Festival kick off with the annual 14km Coho Run that takes runners from Kitsilano to West Vancouver’s Ambleside Beach.
Most locals don’t realize that the Coho Festival and the run route is deeply rooted in Vancouver history.
Prior to European settlement of the West Coast of Canada, First Nations people inhabited many parts of the Lower Mainland. The Squamish Nation took up summer residence on the shores of the Kits. Each fall, scout canoes set out to the mouth of the Capilano River to see if the salmon run had begun. When it did, the Squamish Nation would arrive in full force to harvest the salmon for their people.
The Coho Run starts at Kits Beach at 9:00am and several hundred runners are expected to compete. At the finish line runners enter the Coho Festival site where they are treated to a pancake breakfast. Other festival activities include environmental displays, visual arts exhibitions, entertainment by local and visiting performers, a special Kids’ Activities Zone, a Beach Bar and a Salmon Barbeque.
Last modified: September 8, 2010
