Latest reviews by Bradley
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full race report, visit my blog:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/11/20/great-climate-race-2016/
Quick Review – The Great Climate Race
Social Media: The Great Climate Race organizers are pretty savvy and active on social media. You can find them on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Certainly no shortage of information to get us ready for the big day!
Package Pickup: Since Debra kindly picked up my race package, I didn’t experience it – but it was held at Patagonia on 4th Avenue.
T-Shirt/Swag: No t-shirt for this race, but we received a very cool hand-crafted wooden medal at the finish line. Very nice to add to the collection!
Course: Stanley Park Seawall, counter-clockwise, beginning and ending at Ceperley Park. Flat and – arguably – fast, although I never seem to be able to swing a PB on this route!
Post-Race: Whatever they had, I missed it! For sure, there was a water-filling station, and assuredly some food – I just don’t know what kind.
Organization: Other than the fact that the 2.5k race ‘took longer’ than last year, resulting in a later start by about 10 minutes, things went off pretty smoothly. No complaints.
Would I run it again? Depending on how many Seawall races I end up doing in 2017, I would probably give the Great Climate Race another go. I’ll get faster eventually, right?
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full race review, with photos, visit:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/10/19/shlf-run-5k/
Quick Review – SHLF Run 5K
Social Media: While they are fairly active on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, there is definitely some room for improvement on their website. I totally understand the limitations of non-profit and volunteer organizations, but I’d like to see more current content…and some easier navigation.
Package Pickup: I stuck with day-of pickup at the school, which was very quick and easy. They offered pickup on Friday and Saturday, but North Van is a destination for me, so I did it all in one trip!
T-Shirt/Swag: If you signed up early enough (which I didn’t), you could get a SHLF t-shirt! No medals, which is absolutely fine with me.
Course: The 5k course is a loop, starting and ending at Handsworth Secondary School. Downhill, then uphill – and everything before and after that reasonably flat. Stroller-friendly – yes, I was passed by a stroller. The 10k course has trails, but that’s all I know! Given the length of the race, there was no aid station for the 5k.
Post-Race: In the warmth of the gymnasium, with food and drink – a lively, kid-friendly, neighbourhood atmosphere. Lots of damp people, lots of smiles!
Organization: Very nicely put together, with professional timing and friendly volunteers. Kilometre markings would have been a nice touch, but that’s minor in my books. Overall, very well done!
Would I run it again? Yes! Next year, I want to tackle the 10k!
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full race report (including a double rainbow!), visit:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/10/15/spirit-of-the-shore-half-marathon/
Quick Review – Spirit of the Shore Half Marathon
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!
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
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For a complete review, with pictures, visit my blog:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/10/26/mec-north-vancouver-race-five/
Quick Review – MEC North Vancouver Race FIVE (Haunted Headwaters)
Social Media: MEC events are very reasonably priced, and fairly bare bones. There is no specific event-related social media, though you can follow MEC North Vancouver on Twitter. We received a detailed email a couple of days before the race, and that communication was sufficient.
Package Pickup: We arrived early, so bib pickup was quick. The lineup had grown quite a bit as the start time approached.
T-Shirt/Swag: Bare bones. No t-shirt or swag.
Course: Slightly shy of 5k, the route was mostly well-groomed trail, with some boardwalks and a few stairs at the end. I believe the 10k course was more hilly and technical. Beautiful, unbeatable north shore scenery – flowing water, and lots of trees!
Post-Race: We got coffee (or tea), KIND bars, and bananas. Just enough to feel satisfied!
Organization: This is only the second MEC event I’ve been to, but it was just as well organized as the previous one. No complaints!
Would I run it again? There are so many MEC events throughout the year – I’ll either do this one, or another one in the series. Fun times!!
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For the full story, with photos, visit my blog post:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/08/30/vanrace-2016/
VanRace 30K 2016 – Quick Review
Social Media: VanRace is pretty good at keeping engagement up on Twitter @VanRaceBC, although I’d like to have seen a bit more activity. The VanRace Facebook page is oddly hard to find, since it’s categorized as a Product/Service…so I think there is some room for improvement here. The VanRaceBC Instagram page was also pretty active in the weeks leading up to race day. Overall, I felt they did a reasonably good job.
Package Pickup: Identical to last year – a table set up at the Running Room on Cambie Street. Grabbed my bib and was done in a couple of minutes.
T-Shirt/Swag: There was a t-shirt available for purchase, but I already have enough race Ts! We got a bag of SportsBeans with bib pickup. The medals were small but I liked the simplicity and the translucent blue V – and the nicely matched age category winner medal!
Course: Almost the entire VanRace route is along the Seawall, with the exception of the 30K when it cuts across from Second Beach to Coal Harbour. As such, it’s a very flat course. The 15K is 100% out-and-back. The 30K loops Stanley Park, but the first 10K and last 10K are identical. The biggest challenge is that as it gets later, there are more and more pedestrians/dog walkers on the Seawall, so it can get a bit crowded.
Post-Race: Baked goods! And coffee! And chips! A very easygoing, hang-out-in-the-park finish line. Enjoyable and simple.
Organization: Things went really well – I didn’t notice too many differences compared to last year, though I may have missed some stuff since I finished about an hour and a half later (due to the length of my race). My two observations: 1) some sort of sound system would have been good at the beginning, just to get us started efficiently; 2) the race markers from 23km to the end were backwards (27km came at 23km…) – not sure what happened here, but that should have been dealt with. Overall, however, I thought things went really well.
Would I run it again? Unless I decide to train for another marathon next year, I will probably stick with the 15k! But I expect that I’ll be back!