It began with 1,700 participants in 1990. Since then, the people of the Island have been running a revolution that will continue when an anticipated throng of nearly 15,000 takes to the streets April 25 for the 21st annual Times Colonist 10K.

That will be up from the 12,600 who registered to run and walk last year.

“The growth has been amazing as people have adopted healthy lifestyles,” said Brent Fougner, president of the Victoria Running Society.

As middle-distance coach of Canada’s Summer Olympics, world championships and Commonwealth Games track teams, Fougner sees the sport at the highest levels. Yet it’s the vertical integration aspect of the Times Colonist 10K that stand out for him.

“We’ve really pushed for this to become a community event for everybody,” he said, during a press conference yesterday.

“We had plateaued several years ago at about 9,000 to 10,000 participants but now we are starting to see it grow again as former runners are now coming back to the sport. It gives you a goal. It gives you an end point and becomes a part of your life for a few months as you train, and hopefully it becomes a part of your life for longer than that.”

The mayor of Victoria is certainly a fan. Dean Fortin said when regional mayors get together around the table, they like to compare who’s got the biggest and the best of this and that, including recreation facilities.

“Is it Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre or Saanich Commonwealth Place? I think the best recreation facility is the Dallas Road waterfront and this event showcases that,” said Fortin.

“It’s the largest sporting event on the Island the second-largest 10K in Canada. It’s a remarkable community event for young and old and says so much about Victoria and helps define us.”

Adding to the atmosphere will be the 1.5K Thrifty Foods Family Fun Run.

At the top end, this year’s race will serve as the B.C. 10K championships for those good enough to chase the course records of 28:47 for men set by Kenya’s Simon Chenowya in 1995 and 33:03 for women established by Victoria’s Olympic-medallist Angela Chalmers in 1994.

Three cash prizes of $1,000 from Island Farms will go to school teams in three categories: Best overall time, largest team and best team spirit.

To register for the run, go to www.tc10k.ca. For running clinics, register at your local recreation centre. For general race information, call 250-744-5538.