2016 seems to be *that girl* on social media this week, and you know what happened in 2016? Krystle and I ran our first SeaWheeze Half Marathon. It remains the most beautiful race course I’ve ever had the pleasure to wheeze and plod and question my life decisions along. The Stanley Park Seawall is unmatched, and you can bet your last gel that I’ll be trying to score a bib for this year’s race.

Don’t get me wrong, I love an iconic jaunt through Central Park on the first weekend of November, but the last 10K of SeaWheeze is on the inimitable Seawall, which is almost half the race. The views are immaculate, and cannot be beat. LOOK AT IT.

Anyhow, if you’ve been eagerly anticipating SeaWheeze’s return since it was announced back in August, here’s what you need to know on how to score a bib:

2026 SeaWheeze Half Marathon

Location: Vancouver, BC, Canada

Race Date: Saturday, August 8, 2026

Distances Offered: Half Marathon (13.1mi/21.1km)

Unlike some larger races that might have accompanying 5K or 10K events, your options for SW are half marathon or half marathon. I recommend the half marathon.

Registration Cost: $325 CAD for Canadian residents, or $275 USD equivalent for all Non-Canadian residents.

Time Limit: 3.5 hours (16:01/mi or 9:57/km)

Age Requirement: Must be 18+ by drawing date (2/9 or 2/10/26)

Alright, I’m interested. How do I get in?

There are 3 methods of entry that I’m currently aware of:

• LegaSea Runners
• Collective Pinnacle Early Access
• General Lottery

LegaSea Runners

Runners who have run every SeaWheeze since its inception in 2012 have legacy status. If you didn’t make the decision to run this race 14 years ago, you’re too late.

In the race’s 2012-2019 era, runners with an active 2012-present streak would be offered first dibs at the opportunity to keep the streak alive. When the race’s return was announced, it was unclear if LegaSeas would receive the same treatment for 2026. The answer is yes. My coach Joanna, a legacy runner, received an email last week with the opportunity to register. I honestly love that lululemon has done this, and am excited for the OGs.

Collective Pinnacle Early Access

Akin to what airlines and restaurants have been doing for ages, lululemon has a tiered Membership program for frequent shoppers. After spending over $1000 in the year, you unlock Pinnacle status and the benefits that come with it… which includes early access to special events.

As a Pinnacle member, I was on the receiving end of an email yesterday that said we would have a chance at an “extremely limited” number of bibs; and a link would be sent out just before registration, on Monday 1/19/26. Nobody talk to me on Monday afternoon, I’ll be busy obsessively checking my email.

General Lottery (Group or Single Entrant)

If you’re not a streaker or a spender, the most accessible way into the race will be through the lottery. Registration window is open from January 26 – February 6, 2026.

There will be TWO drawings, one for groups, and one for individual runners.

• Group Draw will take place on 2/9/26
• Single Draw will take place on 2/10/26

If you’re interested in the friends trip, and only want to run if ALL of your crew is able to get a bib, the GROUP DRAW is for you.

Note: per the fine print, “Groups must be comprised entirely of Canadian residents (registration fees charged in Canadian dollars) or entirely of non Canadian residents (registration fees charged in United States dollars).”

So… if you live in Chicago and your bestie’s in Calgary, unfortunately that’s not going to work. Weird, but ok.

If you’re interested in running on your own, or your crew’s MO is a bit more ‘every runner for themselves’, the SINGLE DRAW is for you.

But what if my group doesn’t get selected, can I still get in as a single entrant?

Yes, but you have to OPT IN during the group registration process. Per the fine print again…

Group entrants may opt-in to be entered into the single non-guaranteed entry drawing for the Event (the “Single Drawing”) at the time of Group Drawing entry. If a group entrant opts-in to the Single Drawing and is not selected for registration in the Group Drawing, the group entrant will be entered into the Single Drawing.

Long Story Short:

If you are interested in all-or-nothing with your group: Group Draw.

If you’re interested in running with a group but wouldn’t mind running solo: Group Draw, making sure to opt into Single Entrant Draw if not selected as a group.

What you cannot do is register for both drawings separately.

Any attempt by a participant to obtain more than the stated number of entries or to separately enter both the Single Drawing and Group Drawing may result in disqualification for the participant and the entire group for the Event and, at lululemon’s sole discretion, all future lululemon events.

What are the odds being selected?

Nobody knows without knowing how many runners register for each draw.

The race has historically accepted 10,000 runners. The LegaSea number is low, and I have no inside information on how many the “extremely limited” number of bibs allocated for Pinnacle members is.

The Group Draw will select at least 500 groups, so we know that anywhere from 1000-5000 bibs will be allocated to runners in the group draw.

The balance of the field will be filled with runners from the “Single Drawing and other drawings, lululemon employees and legacy runners, and strategic partner runners as determined by lululemon in its sole discretion.”