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Latest reviews by Bradley
Bradley recommends this race
(2016)
"Summerfast - not my fastest...but there were baked goods!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the full review (with photos of brownies and whatnot), visit: http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/07/17/summerfast-10k-2016/
Summerfast 10K – Quick Review
Social Media: Both the Twitter and Facebook accounts picked up in activity in the weeks prior to the race. This included tantalizing photos of baked goods! No emails after registration, but we had all the info we need.
Packet Pickup: I didn’t have time to go to the Running Room on Friday evening, so I just went a bit earlier to get my bib morning of. It took about 2 minutes.
T-Shirt/Swag: No t-shirt for this race, and medals only for the age group and overall winners. However, if you signed up early enough (like me!), you got a pair of Drymax socks!
Course: ‘Fast’ (for some – not me!) and flat. Almost entirely at sea level, with views of Vancouver, the north shore, and the Pacific as you round the Seawall. Loop course, starting and finishing near Second Beach.
Post-Race: Yummy baked goods for everyone! A chance to mingle with many familiar faces of local runners. A wide array of draw prizes, including sunglasses, gift cards, and free race entries.
Organization: With the exception of a few teaser starting guns (were they warning shots?), the whole thing went off flawlessly. Great volunteers, well-marked course, fabulous after party. Well done!
Would I run it again? See you in 2017 – a faster man!
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Bradley recommends this race
(2016)
"Scotiabank - My Silver Half Marathon"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
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This was my 25th half marathon! For the full race experience, please visit:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/06/26/scotiabank-vancouver-half-marathon/
Scotiabank Vancouver Half Marathon 2016 – Quick Review
Social Media: Newsletter updates are consistent and informative – not too many, not too few. The @RunCRSWest Twitter handle is fairly active, and #ScotiaHalf got a lot of attention during race week.
Packet Pickup: I took my dad along with me, and the process was smooth and straightforward. Upon entering the Convention Centre, bib pickup was right there. Following the lead of the BMO Marathon, you had to wander through to get to t-shirt pickup, and then wend your way through sponsor booths to the exit. We went around noon, so things were pretty quiet.
T-Shirt/Swag: Unfortunately, ‘ShirtGate’ reared its ugly head again this year. The men’s small shirts are simply too large. Like last year. This is disappointing because I like Asics shirts, and because I KNOW they can make smaller sizes. These are RUNNERS – we don’t like big baggy clothing. Can anything be done? The finisher’s medal is lovely and iconic Vancouver – the only thing I found funny is that it features Science World…which is nowhere near the race route. No matter – glad to have it!
Post-Race: Because I was meeting up with family, I didn’t hang around for long afterwards. There was nourishment, there were booths and photos, there was music. Had I not been so eager to get to brunch, I would gladly have hung about for a while.
Organization: The CRS West events (including Modo 8K and Eastside 10K) are consistently well-organized. I have nothing but positive things to say about the planning and setup, the volunteers, the announcements, the aid stations, the race organizers…bravo! Well done, once again!
Would I run it again? Yes, absolutely. I haven’t decided yet on what my race plans are for 2017, but it’s more than likely that Scotiabank Half will be on the calendar in the near future!
Bradley recommends this race
(2016)
"An Honest Review of the Longest Day 5K"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
For the complete report, with photos, visit http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/06/13/longest-day-road-race-5k/
Longest Day Road Race 5k – Quick Review
Social Media: There wasn’t a lot of social media activity, but regular email updates kept us abreast of the event as it approached, and the pre-race instructions were quite detailed.
Packet Pickup: Although there was package pickup at the Running Room on Thursday, I just went to the pickup table (once I found it) on race day.
T-Shirt/Swag: You could get a t-shirt for purchase – but I have more than enough race shirts, so no need to buy one! No swag or medal for this race.
Course: A fairly straightforward loop of the UBC campus – slightly uphill at the beginning and end, and briefly in the middle. Otherwise, a substantial downhill in the first kilometre, with everything else reasonably flat.
Post-Race: A great BBQ with loads of good food, music, festivities…quite a good bit of fun! Draw prizes, too!
Organization: As noted in more detail in the full report, this year’s organization left a lot to be desired. The ‘festival’ setup was extremely confusing, bag check was understaffed, and the start line was chaos. I really think there’s some room for improvement, with just a few tweaks.
Would I Run It Again? I’m kind of on the fence. While I’m glad that I ran the 5k after 5 years, the rushing from work to get to a race kind of stressed me out this time around. Let’s give it a solid maybe.
Bradley recommends this race
(2016)
"BMO Vancouver Half Marathon 2016 - nearly a PB!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
Parking/Access
Race Management
Happy to share my complete race report here:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/05/05/bmo-vancouver-half-marathon/
You can also hear my thought via podcast on the Runner of a Certain Age Podcast here:
https://roacapod.wordpress.com/2016/05/03/episode-68-the-sun-never-shines-in-vancouver-edition/
But for a quick overview of this awesome race, here's my summary:
Social Media: BMO/RunVan does a great job of social media – Twitter, Facebook…they pay attention to what’s going on, follow up and connect. Thumbs up!
Packet Pickup: As noted in my report, this year’s Expo was a huge improvement over previous years – new venue, smooth flow of people, quick and efficient. Plus, a bunch of people I knew!! Two thumbs up!
T-Shirt/Swag: I really like this year’s t-shirt. The colour is kind of a blue-green, something I don’t already have. The design is simple but impactful, and the fabric quality is light but not too thin. The medal is similar to that of previous years, clean design, and solid. Nice!
Course: A great spectrum of what Vancouver has to offer! City streets, ocean views, Stanley Park…what more could you ask for? The one complaint I heard is that because we weren’t running the Seawall during the Half, the views of the ocean were not as spectacular. This was not my experience!
Post-Race: The flow of people at the finish line was smooth. Medals, photos, water, juice and bananas – all delivered by awesome volunteers! Other food was piled high, allowing us to grab what we needed as we went by. Baggage pickup was pretty quick. There was a ‘street party’ nearby, but I made a beeline out to meet friends.
Organization: I really thought BMO organizers did a great job this year. The one glitch (that may have been a technical issue at Sportstats) is that results were slow in coming. There were volunteers with iPads near the finish line, but the informed us the website had crashed. Many folks had Facebook/Twitter notifications popping up about them being on the run…hours after they had finished the race. This problem should definitely be addressed! Otherwise, things went off without a hitch!
Would I run it again? Vancouver’s only marathon, along with a half marathon and an 8k…as well as a marathon relay! Chances are pretty good that you’ll see me on the course in the future!
Bradley recommends this race
(2016)
"Sun Run 2016 - Crowds and Fun!"
Overall
T-Shirts/SWAG
Aid Stations
Course Scenery
Expo Quality
Elevation Difficulty
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Race Management
Read my full review at:
http://bradleyontherun.com/2016/04/28/sun-run-2016/
Sun Run 2016 – Quick Review
Social Media: Organized through my company, there wasn’t the need for too much social media – plus, I knew pretty much what to expect. However, @VancouverSunRun had a pretty active Twitter feed, and engaged with its audience really well!
Packet Pickup: We had a corporate team event that involved free appies, so this was quick and easy!
T-Shirt/Swag: For the first time (in my experience), the Sun Run t-shirt was not cotton, but a legitimate technical shirt in blue and black. A nice souvenir that I can use in the future!
Course: Scenic, as is to be expected in Vancouver. The first kilometre downhill is always a challenge, trying to gain some momentum without going out too strong, and dodging walkers on the way. There are a couple of challenging hills…Hornby between Beach and Pacific, Burrard Bridge, and Cambie Bridge. But I’m pretty familiar with these, so I was prepared.
Post-Race: The BC Place festival is epic. Thousands and thousands of people on the stadium floor, free samples galore (if you’re willing to line up), and gigantic letters so you can pre-arrange meeting places. I didn’t stick around too long this year, but it’s quite an experience.
Organization: Given the scale of the event, I cannot but commend the organizers for pulling this off year after year. Tremendous!
Would I run it again? Oh, you know I will! How can I not?