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The fastest woman was Dayna Pidhoresky, who finished the run in 2:34:30. The fastest man was Chris Balestrini, who finished the run in 2:23:56.
The last BMO Vancouver marathon was run in 2019. The start of the event in 2022 was postponed. Photo by Nick Procailo / PNG files
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Explosives experts were due to be called in on Sunday morning to make sure a suspicious device posed no threat, delaying the start of the Vancouver marathon.
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The device was placed near Science World along the route of the half marathon.
“This is extremely alarming and it seems that the device was strategically placed … where runners will pass nearby,” said a sergeant from VPD. Steve Addison. “Whoever did this was probably meant to cause panic or disrupt the event.”
A BMO Vancouver Marathon volunteer spotted the device around 5 a.m. and called 911. Police cordoned off the area and bombers from the emergency response team destroyed the device.
Police “determined that the device was not at risk of explosion and did not pose an immediate danger to the public,” Addison said.
The public was notified shortly after 7 a.m. of the delay, and police allowed the incident to begin about an hour later. But the race was postponed by about half an hour until police made the device inert.
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Addison did not say how the decision was made or whether there was a demand for other devices.
“For security reasons, we cannot discuss the specific security measures we are taking to prepare for and implement large-scale events,” Addison said.
Investigators are just beginning to gather evidence and no arrests have been made.
Addison said he could not provide any information about the device, including its size or how it was made. “This is information we are currently withholding for investigative reasons,” he said in an email.
He said Monday that even if it was not intended to explode, the act of planting a bomb-like device was a “serious crime” and police are aggressively pursuing the investigation.
More than 18,000 runners, an all-time record, have been registered to run either in the full-length marathon, which began at Queen Elizabeth Park and ended in downtown Cole Harbor, or in the half marathon.
The race, which celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and was held as a virtual event last year.
The fastest woman was Dayna Pidhoresky finished the run in 2:34:30.
The fastest man in the marathon was Chris Balestrini, who finished the run in 2:23:56.
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#VanTraffic: The police incident near the @BMOVanMarathon route has been safely resolved. Thank you for your patience and have a nice race everyone. You are amazing!
– Vancouver Police (@VancouverPD) May 1, 2022
– With a file from The Canadian Press
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