Lilac Bloomsday 12K

Lilac Bloomsday 12K

Lilac Bloomsday 12K

( 7 reviews )
100% of reviewers recommend this race
  • Spokane,
    Washington,
    United States
  • May
  • Other
  • Road Race
  • Event Website

Sarah

Seattle, Washington, United States
36 26
2015
"So much fun! "
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Sarah 's thoughts:

My first Bloomsday, and while I was intimidated by all the talk about the hills, I didn't think they were that bad. I came into this race being somewhat trained but not fully trained. I was nervous but also very excited.

The expo was AWESOME! One of the best running expos I have been to. Lots of vendors, a huge variety of running accessories and gadgets to look at, and very organized. I could have stayed at the expo for a few hours, but we were on a tight schedule that day. Picking up our race numbers was very easy and organized.

This race also used the timing system from Chronotrack. It is nice because the chip is on your bib, nothing to put on your shoe. Additionally people can get time updates via text, twitter or Facebook. Some friends came to watch the race and were able to see when we finished via this feature!

I started in the yellow group. That is the 2nd group to start after the elite runners. There is money that you can win in this race, so elite runners come from all over the world to compete. I thought that because I had to submit proof of my time that I would be in a group with people who ran a similar pace to me and not be crowded or slowed down the first few miles. I was in a group that ran similar pace to me, but we were SO crowded. That was the one part that was disappointing. It took 3 miles for it to kinda clear out a bit and not feel like you were running shoulder to shoulder with people next to you.

Besides that, the hills were challenging but not impossible. I believe that Doomsday hill was not the worst hill. There are a few hills before Doomsday hill (petit drive) that felt harder. It was a hot day, and thankfully there was lots of water along the course. The nice part is once you get up Doomsday hill, the course is pretty much flat for the last 3 miles!

I was pleasantly surprised at how organized the race was. Spokane is a smaller town, but they know how to handle this race. It was also super cool to see all the community out supporting the race. You run by a lot of houses towards the end of the race and people were out in their yards cheering us on. There were also people using their hoses and sprinklers to spray water mist out into the street so the runners could cool off if they wanted to. They were not bothered by the race but happy to have us there!

The course entertainment was great too. They had local bands and groups playing music and providing entertainment. My music on my phone didn't work for this race so I was very happy to have lots to look at and listen to the whole race.

My only disappointment at the finish they only had glasses of water, not bottles. So you had to hang around to get your fill of water. Other than that, everything was great. The entry fee is low ($18) and worth every penny! I would definitely run this race again, and will be recruiting more family to run or walk next year!

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