Social Media: As a small local race, I understand that volunteers take care of most everything, so I don’t expect a ton of social media. The Spirit of the Shore Facebook page is pretty decent, however, and there are lots of photos post-race!

Package Pickup: Pickup was held at the Icebreaker store at Park Royal – so on Saturday we made it into a grocery/shopping trip to get a bunch of stuff done at once. We arrived promptly and got in and out in a few minutes.

T-Shirt/Swag: No t-shirt BUT we got an amazing Icebreaker merino wool cap! I have one from years ago, but it’s getting a bit worn out. It was warm enough on race day that I didn’t need it, but I expect it will get lots of use this winter! In addition, we got one of the biggest medals I’ve ever seen, with a picture of the Capilano River tressle bridge – awesome!

Course: The course is mostly flat, as it follows the Spirit Trail and West Vancouver Seawall, hugging the water most of the time. The exception is the significant uphill within the first 2 kilometres – but it’s over and done with pretty quickly.

Post-Race: Good food and drinks provided by Whole Foods, so I felt pretty satisfied after the race. We stuck around for the awards ceremony as well, since I know a lot of speedy runners!

Organization: No complaints – I thought this race went really well! My only observation stems from Sam’s experience – there should have been far better signage and more active course marshalling at the 10k/half marathon split. True, it’s up to the runners to know their route – but something to keep in mind for next year! Otherwise – fantastic job, with huge thanks to the organizers and volunteers (including Mike’s RaceForce team!)

Would I run it again? While I found the race a wee bit pricey for a local half, I signed up in time to get an earlybird discount. But given the bling and the well-run event, I think it’s good value. Depending on how my race plans go – I would definitely give this race another run!

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