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Latest reviews by Bradley
Bradley recommends this race
(2015)
"Eastside 10K - Running Rainy!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full experience - with photos - visit http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/09/22/eastside-10k-2015/
Overall
If CRS West could control the weather, I would have asked them to cut back a bit on the rain. But since they can’t – I have nothing but good things to say about the Eastside 10K 2015!
Packet Pickup/Expo
Dropped by Queen Elizabeth Theatre for package pickup. Forerunners had a display with a selection of running gear, but otherwise it was a simple affair. Grabbed my bib and t-shirt, and I was on my way.
T-Shirt/Swag
The t-shirt design is great. One of the cool things about the Eastside 10K is that participants have an opportunity to vote online for both colour and design! I love the interactiveness! It’s made of polyester/cotton, so I’ll likely use it for the gym (or general wear) rather than for running. But I like it!
The dog tag design of the Eastside 10K medals are always cool. This year features the ‘Gassy Jack’ statue on the reverse – a landmark we pass en route.
Course
The course is out and back, with a loop at the end. It runs through the poorest parts of Vancouver, as well as the touristy, cobble-stoned streets of Gastown. Due to the weather, there weren’t many people out to cheer us on. The race starts and finishes near Stadium/Chinatown Skytrain Station – which means a nice downhill at the beginning, and a tough hill at the end. There are several small hills which are alternately helpful and hurtful, depending on the direction you’re going!
Aid Stations
I think there were 2 aid stations, with Gatorade and water – and we passed each of them twice. I didn’t stop, but they looked well staffed with energetic volunteers – cheering and encouraging in their plastic jackets and garbage bags! Awesome!
Post-Race
Good selection of stuff from PowerBar and Oasis juice, plus raisins, bananas, mini bagels, yogurt, cookies…and more great volunteers! We also got nice recovery jackets. The bag check was in a parking garage, so at least there was a bit of shelter for changing and congregating. But I didn’t linger, what with the rain and all…
Race Management
Canada Running Series races are always good. Well-organized. Good volunteers. I have no complaints. They also had a men’s urinal station, which gets extra props in my books! Kudos to all!
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Bradley recommends this race
(2015)
"Night Race Vancouver"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For a complete review - with more commentary and pictures! - visit my blog post:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/09/27/night-race-vancouver/
Overall
I hadn’t heard of this race before, but I understand this race has been going on for a few years. It kind of felt like an inaugural race. Don’t get me wrong – it was good fun – but things just didn’t seem all that well organized. I get that it was a ‘fun run’ but it was also chip timed…I guess I just felt like things could have been a bit more professional.
Packet Pickup/Expo
Table set up at Running Room – quick and efficient. They also had a table with some cookies, which made me happy.
T-Shirt/Swag
The t-shirt was pretty cool – midnight blue with stars and logo. But the best thing was definitely the Energizer LED headlamp – something I’ll most definitely use again!
Course
A counter-clockwise loop of Stanley Park, starting and finishing at the Stanley Park Pavilion. Everyone I talked to agreed that it was slightly longer than 10km – more like 10.4km. But who’s counting?
Aid Stations
I believe there were 2 aid stations with water. Not sure if they had anything else – I couldn’t see! But encouraging and enthusiastic volunteers were there for sure!
Post-Race
A lot of fun! Pure Protein bars, King Island coconut water, French fries, veggie (or chicken) wraps, and a bottle of Molson Canadian. The wrap was OK – kind of lacking in taste. There was a DJ, with decent music playing. We didn’t stay late, but I imagine the party went on for a bit.
Race Management
This is the first race I’ve attended lately where I was disappointed by race management. As detailed in my blog post, the social media presence was quite poor, the website sub-par, and overall there seemed to be a lack of detail and organization. A bit of chaos at the start line. Issues with timing. Room for improvement.
Bradley recommends this race
(2015)
"5 Peaks Trail Run - Mount Seymour"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full race report - with photos! - visit http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/09/13/5-peaks-trail-run/
Overall
If you don’t feel like reading the details, here’s the summary: my first trail race was well-organized, fun, a bit nerve-wracking (but in a good way), and totally awesome. Full stop.
Packet Pickup/Expo
I’m not sure if there was packet pickup prior to the day of (I don’t think so), but when we arrived it was a quick ‘give my name’ at the table and the bib was yours. Done and done. No fuss, no muss.
T-Shirt/Swag
No t-shirt, BUT we got an awesome 5 Peaks branded Buff toque, which I will most definitely wear this winter! There were also a whole bunch of prizes and giveaways (won via heads/tails game, shoe toss, and rock-paper-scissors).
Course
I have nothing to compare it with, but this 6k ‘sports’ course was what I would describe as ‘technical’. There were roots, rocks, branches, water, mud, hills, rocks, grass, gravel, roots…and that was on repeat. It was also absolutely beautiful, true BC backcountry experience! The course was well marked with flags, so no issues finding our way.
Aid Stations
No aid stations on the course – though there were some great volunteers/course marshals who were so encouraging and helped keep us on trail.
Post-Race
Well-stocked at the finish line – bananas, oranges, cookies, coffee (bring your own mug!), and chips (yay! chips!). And as mentioned above, lots of giveaways!
Race Management
Solana did an absolutely amazing job of organizing this event. I was especially impressed with pre-race communication, which was very thorough and left no doubt about what to expect (except for the crazy hill at the end…). I would assume that all of the 5 Peaks races Solana is involved with are like this one…so excellent.
Bradley recommends this race
(2015)
"Overlander Sports Half Marathon - local race in Canada's Arctic!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
My full race report (with photos of the amazing Arctic scenery) can be found here:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/08/17/overlander-sports-half-marathon-yellowknife/
RACE REPORT
Overall
A wonderful, small, local race. Nothing more, nothing less. As fun as I expected – definitely worth staying in town for a couple of extra days!
Packet Pickup/Expo
Just the table at Overlander Sports. Name, bib, Buff, done! I didn’t stay to look around the store – had to get home and drink some ginger ale…
T-Shirt/Swag
I was so pleased to get my first ever Buff! It has the race logo on it, and makes such a useful souvenir. No t-shirt for this race. The medal is mirrored glass made by the local Old Town Glassworks.
Course
Double loop – through historic Old Town, some residential neighbourhoods, along the highway past a couple of beautiful lakes, along the main retail strip, and back through the trails of Frame Lake. Start and finish in Somba K’e Plaza beside City Hall. There is a marathon as well – a second time around the double loop! There are no major hills, although the course undulates significantly during the first part of the second loop. None of the roads are closed, so ‘self-preservation’ was one of the themes of the race! The course was well marked.
Aid Stations
There were five aid stations, all with water and energy drink, and friendly volunteers. I heard the guy at the first aid station say: “Maybe we should have put vodka in the Gatorade!” Some of the stations had gummy bears, bananas, oranges – a nice variety.
Post-Race
Cookies, bananas and oranges waiting at the finish. They weren’t yet ready when I finished, but there were also sausages (but I don’t think there were veggie options) and salad. I didn’t stay around to see what the awards ceremony was like, since I had a plane to catch!
Race Management
Things seemed to run pretty smoothly. I noticed that the course ran about 600 metres short – not sure if this was due to measurement, or because we cut a few corners. There were marshals on bikes, but not a lot of people to direct us. My only disappointment is that few of the locals seemed to be aware of the race. I don’t think it got a lot of press. I would love to have seen a bit more local cheering on the course – though I certainly don’t fault the race directors for this. Overall, a well-organized and fun race!
Bradley recommends this race
(2015)
"Fort Langley Half Marathon - the best little race around!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Read my full race report here:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/07/12/fort-langley-half-marathon/
Overall
This is a small, local race. Nothing fancy, nothing posh. Just friendly people, a challenging course, and a great atmosphere. I'm glad to made the decision to make the trek to Fort Langley. Totally worth it.
Packet Pickup/Expo
We had the option of picking up packets on Friday or Saturday, but I would have had to drive to Langley, White Rock or Abbotsford - none of which is close to home. But there was race day pickup, and we waited about 5 minutes to get our bibs and t-shirts from a table under a tent. No expo here!
T-Shirt/Swag
The t-shirt is a cotton Gildan shirt - good quality, great colour, fun vintage look. On the back it says '12' - which I've been led to understand is because this is the 12th year of the race. I honestly didn't expect to get a medal, but I was delighted to have this lovely ceramic piece put over my neck as I crossed the finish line. I will cherish this one!
Course
Mostly flat, with about 2 kilometres of significant uphill around 8km. There are a couple of fairly steep declines as well. All of the course is on the road, and only about 3 kilometres had any traffic to speak of. Scenery was typical countryside - lots of fields, cows, trees, fields. The course starts and finishes just outside of Fort Langley, which is a National Historic Site.
Aid Stations
There were 5 water stations on the course (plus one that we visited twice), with friendly and encouraging volunteers.
Post-Race
Low-key, but with water, energy drink, fresh watermelon, and bagels (with peanut butter, jam and butter). Only criticism - one of the porta-potties was quite unstable, which should have been taken care of before the race. Thankfully, someone warned us before we tried to get in!
Race Management
This event is put on by Peninsula Runners. Their website provided all the necessary information, including course description and map. I had one question, and received an email reply right away. Mabel signed up by phone the day before the race. Everything went off without a hitch, and results were posted online by the time I got home (and took a nap). If you're in the area, it's a worthwhile race to attend!