For my complete race review, visit:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/05/03/bmo-vancouver-half-marathon-2015-race-report/

Overall
The BMO Vancouver Marathon/Half/8K is arguably Vancouver’s premier race. It’s actually the only full marathon in town. And it’s in Vancouver – the best running city!

Packet Pickup/Expo
I can’t comment on this year’s expo, since someone else picked up my bib for me. If it was anything like previous years, there were long lineups. And a lot of people at the expo. Decent swag and some free samples.T-Shirt/Swag

I liked the t-shirt this year. Nice medium grey. Saucony brand. Definitely an improvement over the see-through yellow shirt from last year.

I think this year’s medal is the best yet. It’s bigger than previous years, and has a nifty cut-out Vancouver skyline.

Course
In my complete review, I give details of the course (with pictures). In short, it starts with a downhill, has a few short by painful uphills, but it’s a mostly flat course. And beautiful. As expected.

There was a bit of entertainment along the way – a few bands and singers.

Aid Stations
I had prepared ahead, with a couple of PowerGels and a glucose tablet (grape). I felt well hydrated. I only used one of the water stations (just a few sips around English Bay), but there were plenty en route (8 in total, according to the map).

Post-Race
The announcements at the finish line, giving us directions, were loud and clear. I heard someone say it sounded like the end of the world – very ‘big brother-ish’. I even heard someone it sounded like the end of the world. Straight after the medals and photos, volunteers were handing out juice, bottles of water, and sports drink.

The food included a banana, SunRype Okanagan Energy Bar, Kettle Chips, and a half sandwich from Bread Garden (including veggie option – but a little dry). If anything could have been improved, I would have wanted a bit more food variety – and maybe a bag to put it in (although that does go against my inclination to avoid waste…)

I was anxious to get to brunch, so I didn’t stick around for the Street Festival. I saw where they were selling souvenir items – but as a local and a returnee, I didn’t feel the need for retail therapy.

Race Management
Excellent! Well organized, solid social media presence, good communications and updates, everything running smooth and on time. Great volunteers, top notch across the board.

Read my complete race report here: http://bradleyontherun.com/2015/05/27/ottawa-half-marathon-2015/

Overall
The Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend (#TORW) is a huge event. There are 5 races: 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon and kids 2K. Over 48,000 people participated in these events. The city is alive with the festivities, and I was so impressed by how many people were out to cheer on the runners.

Packet Pickup/Expo
Probably the smoothest packet pickup ever, given the size of the race. You check you bib number on a printed list, pick up your bib, go upstairs and pick up your shirt, then activate your bib at the expo entrance. Done! Painless! Mind you, I went mid-morning on Friday, so I can’t speak for what chaos may have ensued on Saturday.

The expo was sizeable, with all the usual suspects – a bit more US presence than what I’ve seen in Vancouver, which means more variety. Great opportunity to sample Nuun products, as mentioned.

T-Shirt/Swag
I really like the t-shirt design – it just looks good. The medal has the spinny centre – maple leaf and parliament buildings. Great design. I like the lanyard as well – same design as the shirt.

Course
Mostly flat, with that ‘killer’ hill around 10km. Great scenery for most of the route. And I loved being able to run over the bridge into Quebec, and back again into Ontario – the dual-province factor really appeals to me.

Aid Stations
Lots of them, and I took advantage of most of them. Consistently Gatorade first, followed by water. 3 sponge stations. One orange & banana station. Plus a PowerGel station. Excellent work by the volunteers.

Post-Race
Snaps with Mounties – very Canada. Bagels (really dry), yogurt, Muscle MLK, granola bars. Pretty standard fare.

Race Management
Honestly, my only complaint was about the toilet situation. Men’s urinal station = problem solved. Waiting for 30 minutes to pee just doesn’t make sense. Other than that – excellent! Volunteers were fabulous. Race info, social media, pamphlet – all executed professionally. Kudos all around!

Read my complete race review here: https://bradleyontherun.wordpress.com/2015/04/19/vancouver-sun-run-2015/

Overall

The Sun Run is an experience of epic proportions. Because I was in one of the front corrals, it wasn’t quite the ‘crush’ of people that I’ve faced in previous years. I love the spirit and energy of this event that brings Vancouver together!

Packet Pickup/Expo

As part of the Corporate Team Challenge, I didn’t have to do my own bib pickup. Instead, we had a post-work event at the pub where shirts & bibs were handed out – along with the technical t-shirts kindly provided by our company.

T-Shirt/Swag

The Sun Run shirt itself is a simple cotton affair (Gildan) – I generally use them for non-running workouts at the gym. Corporate Team Challenge runners get their company brand on the back as well.

No medals for this race – just too many people! Unless you place in your age category. Then you absolutely deserve it!

Course

Scenic – along English Bay, and over Burrard Bridge. Very quick downhill for the first kilometre. Three hill challenges: Hornby and Pacific (just before 5km); Burrard Bridge; Cambie Bridge. Biggest challenges: tight corners from Georgia onto Denman (around 1km) and very soon thereafter heading onto Robson – with big crowds, and a lot of variation in people’s pace, it can get pretty crowded.

Good entertainment from bands/performers with live music, and a few DJs from local radio stations.

Aid Stations

I didn’t use any of them, but there were plenty of aid stations staffed by young, cheering volunteers. They provide good signage of upcoming stations, too. I think it was mostly water, rather than sports drinks.

Post-Race

Held inside BC Place – good to either warm up or cool off, depending on the outside weather. Food included: bananas, bagels, and fruit juice (thanks to Spud.com and Oasis). Sponsors also provided samples: PowerBar, Muscle MLK, McDonald’s (coffee), Dairyland (chocolate milk), and Nature’s Path.

The stadium also posts giant letters so you can meet up with your team – which is great, given that 40,000 runners is a lot to sift through to find your people!

Race Management

No complaints whatsoever. The Sun Run team clearly knows what they’re doing. Per everything above – top notch job. The only thing I didn’t like was the darn beach balls while we were waiting in the corral – anything flying at my head kind of stresses me out. But I’ll let that one slide. Because the Sun Run rocks!

Read my full race report here:
https://bradleyontherun.wordpress.com/2015/03/22/race-report-modo-spring-run-off-8k/

RACE REPORT:

Overall
A consistently well-run event. This is my fourth year running this race, and I feel like it just keeps getting better. I like the fact that it’s ‘big enough’ to be really professional, but not too big to lose its local charm. Keep it up!

Packet Pickup/Expo
No expo, just pickup at the local Running Room store. And although they discourage it, you can also get bibs the morning of. Suggestion for improvement: option to pick up on Friday night. I understand it comes down to volunteer availability and likely other organization factors, so this is not a major issue.

T-Shirt/Swag
The men’s shirt is baby blue, not my best colour, but I like the simplicity of the design. Very good quality technical shirt from ‘The Authentic T-Shirt Company’. I wish they had an ‘extra-small’ option, however, because the shirts fit a bit large and loose.

Course
As noted above, tight and twisty downhill for the first kilometre, and then flat along the Seawall until 7km. Then it’s a not-too-steep but consistent uphill to the finish line.

Aid Stations
I didn’t use either of them, but there were aid stations with energetic volunteers at 3.5km and 7km.

Post-Race
Fantastic finisher medal – substantial and well-designed, with a very bright and attractive lanyard. Great addition to my bib board!

Food included: water/Gatorade, juice boxes, cookies, bananas, bagels, yogurt, granola. They were also selling breakfast wraps (both turkey & veggie) for $5, with proceeds going to the Take a Hike Foundation. And if you were so inclined, there was beer available.

We stayed around for the awards – they recognized the top 5 female and male winners, while age group winners could claim their medals themselves. It’s nice when they recognize all the winners, but I also appreciate it when they keep it short and sweet. There were also some great door prizes (be there to claim yours!).

Race Management
As mentioned, Canada Running Series does a phenomenal job (they also manage the Scotiabank Half and the Eastside 10K) – and Modo as the title sponsor for the second year did a great job with branding and involvement.

My second time running the fantastic West Van Run. New course this year, improving on the previous 'out and back' to make the whole experience even better. Want to learn more? Drop by and read my race report:
https://bradleyontherun.wordpress.com/2015/03/04/west-van-run-2015/