Police say suspicious device caused 1-hour delay to start of Vancouver marathon

Police in Vancouver say an investigation into a suspicious device placed near the course of the city's annual marathon delayed its start by an hour and was placed to "cause panic or to disrupt the event."

A volunteer with the BMO Vancouver Marathon, which features a half-marathon distance as well, alerted police to the device around 5 a.m. PT Sunday near Science World and promptly called 911, according to the Vancouver Police Department.

Officers cordoned off the area and bomb technicians from the force were deployed to examine and destroy the device.

"The Emergency Response Team determined the device was not at risk of exploding and did not pose an immediate danger to the public, however the race start had to be delayed while the device was rendered inert," said a release.

Police did not describe what the device looked like, but said it was found near the doors of Science World about five or six kilometres along the half-marathon route. Runners would have passed by it.

Sgt. Steve Addison said the force's bomb squad worked, "very cautiously and carefully … to mitigate any public safety risk," before determining it was safe for the race start.

The discovery of the device was unsettling and now the subject or a criminal investigation, he added.

"Very concerning, the appearance of it, where it was placed caused a very serious concern," he said.

"We believe whoever placed it there, placed it there to cause fear and panic, possibly to disrupt the start of the race or have the race cancelled altogether."

Investigators from VPD's Major Crime Section, Forensic Identification Unit and Operations Division are now collecting additional evidence.

Addison says investigators believe the device was placed Sunday morning. No arrests have been made.

The event's half-marathon distance was supposed to have started at 7 a.m., with the marathon going at 8:30 a.m.

Many runners were initially confused about why the races were delayed, but later expressed dismay when they learned about the suspicious package.

"I just find that really skin-crawling, creepy," said elite runner Emma Neigel who came from Lethbridge, Alta., to compete in the half-marathon and finished third. "[It] definitely kind of makes me feel unsafe in the world a little bit for sure."