Congratulations to the USA on winning a wonderful Women’s World Cup. I’ve seen six games and some outstanding play in the 2015 tournament, including a couple of cracking goals in the final. To have been in Vancouver’s stadium with more than 53,000 other spectators on three occasions – less than 25 years after my sister had to campaign to be allowed to play football at school – was a great experience.
The USA celebrates winning the Women’s World Cup 2015
City of Glass has become a nickname for Vancouver – one given prominence thanks to Douglas Coupland’s book of the same name.
In the City of Glass it is often possible to see more buildings than those physically in front of you
© David Connop Price
The famous author’s observation about the city he lives in is borne out by an amble downtown. I took just such a leisurely stroll on a sunny afternoon this past weekend and my camera was drawn to the play of light and reflection off the glass.
One building mirrors another in downtown Vancouver
© David Connop Price
The forest of glass tower blocks does allow some sunlight to filter through
© David Connop Price
Vancouver Convention Centre makes a grand canvas on which to view an early evening sky
© David Connop Price
Nearly 50,000 runners turned out for the Vancouver Sun Run today, many showing support for the Boston Marathon bombing victims by wearing blue and yellow.
A Vancouver Sun Run participant shows support for Boston
© David Connop Price
It echoed the similarly heartening display of solidarity shown by runners and spectator at the London Marathon earlier today for those affected by the April 15 attack that killed eight-year-old Martin Richard, Krystle Campbell, 29, and Lu Lingzi, 23.
Many Vancouver Sun Run athletes showed support for Boston by wearing blue and yellow
© David Connop Price
A cherry tree-lined street in Vancouver
© David Connop Price
Every spring Vancouver turns pink and white. A phenomenal 40,000 trees that most people blindly walk past for much of the year suddenly bloom and magically brighten up the city. Continue reading
A terrible bomb attack in Boston today has killed at least three and injured dozens of people. As a marathon runner myself, I can imagine what the athlete in the following video must have been going through even before the cheers of the crowd turned to screams.
Running a marathon requires strength of will. Running 26.2 miles is not easy. Despite weeks of training covering hundreds of kilometres, the average runner will probably be suffering in the last quarter of the race. Your body might be telling you there is nothing left, it may be screaming in pain, but your brain keeps you going. Your mind tells you to just keep putting one foot in front of another and, step by step, you make it to the finish line. Marathon runners have the will power to push on through to the end.
The contrast between them, their supporters and the coward or cowards who carried out today’s heinous attack cannot be starker. The runners have strived to achieve, their supporters backed them all the way. The cowards, on the other hand, wished only to destroy to try to provoke fear.
But I am sure they could not have picked on a more inappropriate group of people to attempt to cow. Marathon runners know how to overcome and carry on. Their supporters know how much it means to reach the finish line.
The nature of a marathon and the way it winds its way through kilometre after kilometre of crowd-thronged streets means preventing a bomb attack is almost impossible. Next week, another huge marathon takes place in London. The organisers have said they expect it to go ahead. Next month, a marathon will take place in Vancouver. Barring serious injury, I will be there on the start line. I will think of the runners in Boston and their supporters, but I will not be cowed. The terrorists have killed and they have maimed, but they will not win.
Like thousands of others, I will race.
I have been trying out the five megapixel camera on my new mobile phone. I was quite pleased with this evening shot from downtown Vancouver so I thought I’d share it. The image has been slightly cropped and stamped, but aside from that I have not altered the picture in anyway.
Evening in downtown Vancouver
Pic © David Connop Price