Founding edition · Vancouver, BC
Seven Vancouver experiences. One remarkable day. One cause.
Become a founding sponsor Contact the teamIn 1925 John Buchan published John Macnab — three bored gentlemen who invent a fictional poacher and announce, in advance, that they will take a stag and a salmon from Highland estates in a single day. A century later the "Macnab" remains a byword for an audacious one-day sporting challenge.
The classic Scottish challenge is to catch a salmon, take a stag and shoot a brace of grouse in one day. The tradition has inspired adaptations in other places too. Vancouver's version keeps the one-day spirit but brings its own mountain-to-city route and charitable purpose.
The Field's Macnab Challenge · Country Sport Scotland · Macnab variations around the world
The Vancouver Macnab trades heather and grouse for something only this city can offer: snow, ocean and downtown streets in one continuous journey. Twenty participants, in pairs, will complete seven "S" experiences — not as a race, but as a shared, fully supported celebration of what Vancouver makes possible. Every leg is professionally managed, every transition staged.
Mount Strachan to the Cypress Mountain bowl — 2.4 km
Downhill to Ambleside Park, West Vancouver — 19.3 km
Crewed yachts, Ambleside to Brockton Point, Stanley Park — 5.6 km
A short, fully safety-covered splash from boat to shore — 30 m
Through Stanley Park to West Hastings — 2.7 km
East Hastings to the finish at Superflux Beer Co. — 4.5 km
The finish line. Celebration, sponsors and stories — from 2:00 PM
| From | Leg | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | Setup for ski | |
| 9:50 | Ski — Mount Strachan to Cypress bowl | 2.4 km |
| 10:25 | Cycle — Cypress to Ambleside Park (downhill) | 19.3 km |
| 11:35 | Sail — Ambleside to Brockton Point, Stanley Park | 5.6 km |
| 12:20 | Swim — boat to shore | 30 m |
| 12:45 | Skate — Stanley Park to West Hastings | 2.7 km |
| 1:25 | Scooter — East Hastings to Superflux Beer Co. | 4.5 km |
| 2:00 | Supper — finish line celebration | |
| 4:00 | Finish — 34.5 km, mountain to sea to city in ~7 hours |
The route ends on East Hastings for a reason. Vancouver's Downtown Eastside faces a mental-health and addiction crisis that most of us hurry past. Funds raised by the Macnab support three concrete, community-guided projects being developed with DTES organisations and the BC+AI Life Sciences and Data-for-Good communities — with a share also going to technical equipment for the neighbourhood.
The low-hanging fruit: processing the paper forms filled out on the reception desk of the Recovery Centre so that the team can summarise demand and progress. We are assessing whether a few extra data points — such as the trigger moments that prompt a request for help — materially improve the output.
Misinformation about the DTES is circulated constantly by political factions and others. We are investigating a fact-checking system that enables a very rapid, evidence-based response whenever it appears.
A major opportunity to improve treatment options: reviewing work in progress elsewhere, identifying suitable data for analysis, and delivering de novo research into the biology of addiction and overdose risk — matching what we already do in cancer, autoimmune disease and neurodegeneration.
Our job is brainpower, not brawn — a volunteer founding committee governs the event while specialist partners deliver the technical elements.
CEO of Intellomx and founder of the BC+AI Life Sciences subgroup, applying machine learning to disease biology — and the driving force behind the Vancouver Macnab.
Managing Director of Innovation Partnerships at UBC Research + Innovation — twenty-plus years of R&D leadership in software, data and turning research into impact.
IT consultant and enterprise architect (Stewartclan Consulting) and volunteer consultant with Data for Good — twenty-plus years bridging business and technology teams on data, integration and digital transformation.
AI ecosystem leader and enterprise AI advisor; co-founder and advisor at AgentsGeo.ai. Her experience includes Unity, EY and Microsoft, and she chairs the AI initiative at LG NOVA.
Healthcare IT and data executive; co-founder of E2E Consulting, focused on digital health strategy, health informatics and AI solutions.
Full-stack developer, cloud architect and AI/data engineer with over 20 years building digital platforms across telecom, fintech and enterprise. Founder of Smartoire and a Microsoft Certified Trainer and community lead.
“Vulnerable communities are often left behind when it comes to technology and it is important that we look at how they can be supported.”
We are assembling a coalition: one presenting partner, activity partners for each "S" leg, and service partners contributing boats, bikes, vehicles, venues and expertise. Sponsorship covers event costs so that participant fundraising flows to the cause.
Read the sponsor story info@macnabsociety.ca