Latest reviews by Bradley

(2016)
"The Wettest Eastside 10K Ever!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

For the full story with photos, visit my blog:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/09/21/eastside-10k-2016/

Quick Review – Eastside 10K 2016

Social Media: Managed by @RunCRSWest (with the #Eastside10K hastag), consistent and responsive. Good email communication. Social savvy.

Package Pickup: Because Debra volunteered and gathered our packages for us, we didn’t need to do so. If I had had to pick up my own package, however, having it open a bit later than 6:30pm would have helped, since getting there during the work day would have been impossible.

T-Shirt/Swag: My favourite race t-shirt, one that I will wear out in public! It’s a cotton T, rather than a tech one – but I have heaps of those. It’s a great design, and a good fit. Love it! We actually got to vote on the design & colour, and I love the crowd-sourcing aspect of it. The medal continues the dog-tag theme from prior years, this time with the Woodward’s Building logo gracing the backside. Love the series!

Course: Basically a U-shaped out and back course that loops through the poorest and most historic neighbourhoods of Vancouver – as well as the touristy and progressively chic Gastown. It’s not ‘scenic’ in the traditional Seawall sense of the word, but it is evocative – and relatively flat.

Post-Race: I will reserve opinion, since I didn’t stick around. I wish there’d been more shelter, but what can you do? I got a banana and half a PowerBar. I likely could have sought out more food, but I just wanted to dry out.

Organization: Professional, like all CRS West events. My only observation was lack of ‘clarity’ at the finish line…I knew where it was, but even I couldn’t see it very well. Maybe a couple of course marshals to guide people through to the end? Just a thought…

Would I run it again? See you in 2017! Let’s hope it’s less of a swim, and more of a run!

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(2016)
"North County Wine Run - Washington Road Trip!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

For a detailed review, with photos, drop by my blog!
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/09/25/north-county-wine-run/

Quick Review – North County Wine Run 2016

Social Media: We got some very thorough and helpful email instructions from the race director. The social media was lacking – very little activity on Twitter or Instagram. However, they promptly posted all (free!) photos of the race on Facebook, which is awesome!

Package Pickup: They had pickup opportunities on both Thursday and Friday nights – but with our late arrival on Friday, we had to pick up before the race. Not a problem – quick and efficient – and we could toss everything into a bag for gear check.

T-Shirt/Swag: A fun and fabulous polyester t-shirt featuring the slogan “Run Now, Wine Later” – which might just become my new running mantra. Unique finisher medal, which is a bullhead wine spout! We also got a free branded souvenir wine glass.

Course: The course is ‘rolling hills’ through countryside and fields. Only one really steep hill, cursedly near the finish line, made it particularly challenging. My biggest complaint is that because the narrow and shoulder-less country roads were still open to traffic, some impatient drivers came dangerously close to the runners. A few more course marshals to ward off traffic might have helped.

Although I didn’t partake of the wine on course, I loved the opportunity to actually run through a couple of the vineyards. I’m sure the relay runners ending at those spots were happy to imbibe!

Post-Race: Loved the pasta lunch, with Caesar salad and buns. And then the free wine – who could complain? There were samples of a few other products, and free massages. Because we had to drive home to Canada, we didn’t stay as long as I might have liked, and I suspect the festivities continued late into the afternoon…

Organization: Overall, I was very impressed with how the race was put together. No surprises, and everything seemed to go off smoothly. This was a ‘fun run’ – but put together very professionally. Well done!

Would I run it again? If I lived nearby, the answer would be yes. It’s super-close to Portland, so I’d recommend it to anyone living in that area. Because of the time/cost of travel, I’d probably like to try something different next time. But if you’re on the fence…do it! Make a wine weekend of it!

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(2016)
"Coho Run - Beach to Bridge to Beach to Bridge to Beach!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

Read my complete race report here:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/09/17/coho-run-2016/

Coho Run 2016 – Quick Review

Social Media: Quite poor, to be honest, but I’ve come to not expect too much from community races. On Twitter, @CohoRun has only tweeted 5 times in 2016, and there was nothing in the 2 weeks leading up to the race. However, we had detailed email communication prior, so that was sufficient.

Package Pickup: Quick and straightforward table pickup at the North Face on 4th Ave. No fuss, no muss.

T-Shirt/Swag: No medal for the Coho Run, but we got a simple black t-shirt with the Coho Run logo on it. The North Face shirt style is a bit boxy for me, but better than the oversized white t-shirt I got back in 2010!

Course: Gorgeous scenery, of course. Beach to bridge to beach to bridge to beach – unbeatable! The slog up Merilees Trail in Stanley Park was challenging, but there was really no other way to do it. I feel like something could be done to improve the congestion at the start, but I’m not sure what. The diversion on Burrard Bridge was unfortunate, but unavoidable. All in all, a pretty fabulous course. There were two water stations, which was just right.

Post-Race: Combined with the Coho Festival, there was lots to do! There was a free pancake breakfast & coffee for runners (although I chose to go for brunch instead), and lots of family activities at the festival. Rather than stick around, we bussed home for a relaxing afternoon.

Organization: Some of the kilometre markings seemed out of whack, but my watch was precisely 14k at the finish, so I guess it was alright…I suppose the last-minute course changes might have had an impact. Overall, a very well-organized smaller community event.

Would I run it again? Probably, although I find that there are a lot of races taking place in the early fall – so I’m going to plan carefully before deciding next year. So it’s a definite maybe at this stage. Still – it’s a great distance and a well-organized run, so I would still recommend it!

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(2016)
"SeaWheeze - everything about it is EPIC!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

You can read about the SeaWheeze & see all of the photos on my blog: http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/08/14/seawheeze-2016/

SeaWheeze Half Marathon 2016 - Quick Review

Social Media: Someone at @SeaWheeze is on all the time! Their response times are phenomenal. I was also part of a SeaWheeze Facebook group, which had a lot of interesting discussion - although this was not moderated by SeaWheeze itself. The email updates were frequent enough to be useful, but not annoying. And they had an app, too!

Package Pickup: Running all day on Friday, I found the package pickup to be crowded but quick - with volunteers guiding you to the numbers spots on the ground to keep the line moving. It was all quite efficient.

T-Shirt/Swag: Rather than a t-shirt (and, honestly, I don't need another one), we got an exclusive pair of lululemon shorts. I like this year's design for the men quite a lot - better than designs from other years. In addition to the shorts, we got a mesh duffle bag, nuun, a cap, some Saje products, an endless supply of KIND bars, sunglasses...and one of the most epic medals I've ever seen!

Course: The course features some of the best of Vancouver - the city, water views, the Seawall and Stanley Park. There are a few hills, including two crossings of Burrard Bridge, but it's a relatively flat course. I've run ever bit of this route at some point, but it all works together quite nicely for SeaWheeze.

Post-Race: Because I finished a bit nearer the front, the flow from finish line to brunch to post-race plaza gathering was quick. I heard from later finishers that there was quite a bottleneck, and a serious lack of hydration. Since I didn't experience this firsthand, I can't really comment...but I figure there are a few more logistics to sort out. Overall, I was satisfied.

The Sunset Festival was also some good fun - although I missed the mass yoga event, and didn't stay late into the night. If you were in the mood, it would be an excellent time!

Organization: lululemon knows how to put on a good show. Overall, I was pretty impressed with how well everything was organized. The one exception - and this did not affect me personally - was the congestion at the finish line for slightly slower runners, and the fact that they ran out of water. For an August race, I consider this to be unacceptable. That aside, I thought things went very well.

Would I run it again? It depends. Since I'm not a huge fan of the brand, I'm in no hurry to get more gear and swag. And that's what you pay for. That and the spectacle of the whole thing. This is not a criticism - simply a matter of my own priorities. If you haven't participated in SeaWheeze before, I'd definitely recommend giving it a try!

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(2016)
"2nd Half - completing the Half It All Challenge!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management

In 2015, I ran the 1st Half - so I decided to run the 2nd Half this year in order to complete the Half it All Challenge and get an extra medal! For more details and all the photos, visit my blog post: http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/07/31/san-francisco-second-half-marathon/

San Francisco 2nd Half Marathon – Quick Review

Social Media: @theSFMarathon is quite active on social media – Twitter, Facebook & Instagram. Their communications via email ramp up as the event approaches, and provide what I consider to be just enough information. Thumbs up!

Package Pickup: The Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason gets pretty crowded, and I was really glad we didn’t have to worry about parking! If you can, come by transit. There were loads of vendors and sponsors at the Expo – pretty much every kind of gear you could want. Since we were shopping with low-value Canadian dollars, the only purchase I made was some nuun.

T-shirt/Swag: I’ll admit that I loved last year’s long-sleeved technical shirt because it was orange. This year’s was grey-ish, with a colourful design. The race medal itself was simple if underwhelming – but I absolutely adore my Half It All medal!

Course: More uphill than you might expect weaving in and around Golden Gate Park. With divided pathways as people wound their way out and back, I found this part of the route too crowded. Steep downhills mid-race were fun and speedy, but took their toll on my calves the next day. I’ll admit that a good chuck in the latter half of the race was kind of boring, until we approached the finish line. But at least it was flat.

Post-Race: It was a LONG walk from the finishing chute to where the after-party was taking place. There was a beer garden, but I didn’t partake. Not a bad setup from what I could see.

Organization: The SF Marathon puts on a top-notch event. The whole thing is really well organized, their aid stations are plentiful and well-stocked, and the volunteers are amazing. Very consistent and in line with what I experienced last year.

Would I run it again? Probably not. And this is not to downplay the event – but because I want to travel elsewhere and do other races! And because SF is an awfully expensive city to stay in. If I did have the opportunity to participate again (free race entry anyone?), I would probably go back and do the First Half, which is far more scenic and honestly more fun!

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