See my full race recap here: http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2016/01/race-recap-chilly-chase-2016/

Expo

Package pickup was different this year. They had a booth at the Gluten-Free Expo a week before the race and registered Chilly Chase runners were able to enjoy the Gluten-Free Expo for free. This is good and bad… good for those interested in the expo, bad for those like me who is not a fan of gluten-free products. I was literally in and out… but I did see the Nuun booth there and had a chat with the Nuun team. I had originally signed up for a 10K but I decided to change my distance to 15K. I was able to do that at the booth for a small charge of $5. They gave me a new bib and timing chip and of course the official Chilly Chase socks. If you couldn’t make it to the expo, you were able to pick up your bib at a Fit First location in Burnaby. Same day pickup was only possible if you’re willing to pay for it ($5).

Course

I was feeling kind of blue and unmotivated in the morning until I saw Richard and Graham from the November Project. Turns out they were leading the warmup for today’s race and I think for future Try Events races too. I was stoked… no burpees though! November Project is available in many cities, check their website to see if they have a group in your city! http://november-project.com

The course was a False Creek seawall run that included a loop of Lost Lagoon. I don’t think the course well marked throughout. I saw more kilometer markers along the seawall than Lost Lagoon. It also seems that the city has put on a detour barrier on the north side of Lost Lagoon so some runners were confused and ended up running on the road, instead of along the lagoon. I decided to keep going along the water anyway. A few runners decided to ditch me and went on the road, so I thought ok, I’m not sure who’s right but I guess we’ll see. Turns out I was right as I saw the Try Events cones and arrows at the end of the loop. I believe there were 3 aid stations with water along the 15K route and runners passed them twice (since it was an out and back race). Didn’t need it as I had my Nuun in my pack to keep my going. It’s a nice route, I run this seawall quite frequently so I knew what to expect. It’s 80% asphalt and 20% Lost Lagoon trail (but nothing really technical). It’s very scenic of course and relatively flat. There were volunteers along the course showing you which path to take and where to turn around. They were great and we all really appreciated their help.

Post Race

I don’t think there was really much at the finish line, but then again, I didn’t really stick around. Volunteers were there to take timing chips off shoes and it went very smoothly. We were then greeted by pageant queens and they put medals around our necks. There was a photographer at the start and finish line and the next day, hundreds of photos were posted on their Facebook page. If you’re lucky, they got a few photos of you :)

For a more detailed review, visit my blog here:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/11/rr-fallclassic2015/

Package Pickup/Expo

Forerunners, one of the sponsors of the event, held package pickup at their 4th Avenue store. As soon as I entered the door, I was greeted by one of the friendly staff and directed to the board to find out what my bib number is. I then went to the back of the store to collect my bib, black RUNVAN gloves and a $20 Forerunners coupon for any New Balance item. I liked the RUNVAN gloves, they also had special fibers on the fingertips so you can still use touchscreen devices while wearing them. They’re also thicker & better quality than the gloves I got from the BMO Half.

The Course

The half marathon course is a double loop of the 10k course. It takes you out of the main campus, going south along old Marine Drive, doubling back on NW Marine Drive, then you run a good chunk of Main Mall, pass the School of Engineering’s E and then head back to the start line/finish line at East Mall… times 2! I found the course quite hilly actually. They weren’t short hills either. You’d be treated to a long downhill, then a good chunk of uphill, then another nice long downhill, and before you know it, you’re climbing back up Marine Drive. Getting into the campus was practically another hill until it flattens out a bit at Main Mall… but that didn’t mean it was easy. The Main Mall drag was, well… a drag. I didn’t go to UBC, which meant that I’m not that familiar with the campus. As a result, everything seemed much further than it actually was. I was also worried that a double loop was not a good thing but it turned out to be awesome. By the second loop, I already knew what to expect from the course so I was able to plan where I would attack and where I would ease up. I was very happy to see the aid stations throughout the course and the fact that they had porta-potties were such a big help.

Post-Race

After the race, I was so cold, all I wanted to do was stay inside. I got my medal from a volunteer and grabbed a banana. They were also giving out chips and water but I didn’t take any. We managed to get into the rec centre and exchanged my food voucher for two thick slices of pizza. I was very happy about this, I was expecting only one slice. If pizza wasn’t your thing, you could’ve exchanged it for a bowl of chili or sushi. Great choices for food, I think. The Beer challenge games were outside, I decided not to take part because, like I said, I was just too cold and also kinda beat. I didn’t want to wait in line and try my luck. The toques they were giving away looked pretty cute though.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes! I need to redeem myself. Luckily we had some sunshine and UBC really is beautiful in the fall… but I need to conquer this so I’ll most likely be back next year.

For a more detailed recap, visit my blog here:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/11/rr-greatclimaterace/

Package Pickup

There’s not much to say about package pickup, other than it was quick. They held it at one of their sponsors’ shops, Patagonia. All I got was the bib and that was it.

Course Review

The 2.5k was a loop of Lost Lagoon… but I didn’t do that one, I did the 10k race, which looped around Stanley Park. The start/finish area was at the park by Second Beach Pool. I was able to take a bus to English Bay and from there it was just a 1k jog to the starting line. It was a good warmup.

The corrals were self-seeding. Pace polar bears were available so I lined up behind the 60 minute bear. The race started on time and went along the north side of Lost Lagoon before doubling back to get on the seawall. We ran it in the counterclockwise direction and I still think it’s the easier way to go around the seawall. Thankfully it was a beautiful day, runners were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery the seawall had to offer. True to their zero-waste goal, there was 1 aid station that I saw but they didn’t provide paper cups. Runners were warned well in advance, their communication with us was very good. At some points, there were also live bands and cheer stations with signs. Those were welcome sights for us weary runners who needed a boost. The race was timed by SportStats which is always a plus.

Post Race

There were lots of people at the finish line cheering and an announcer who called out your name as you crossed. There were some snacks given out I think but I didn’t get any. I just found friends right away to socialize and take photos with. The atmosphere was happy and vibrant and the Solar Bear was making rounds taking selfies with people.

Swag

The swag came in the form of a virtual race bag and a hat. There was no mention of a medal on the website but I was surprised to see volunteers handing out these little fabric leaf medals to everyone who finished. Nice touch, guys! I also like the idea of a virtual race bag. No need to cut a tree to give out coupons :)

Would I Do This Again?

Of course! Nice course, chip-timed, great company, with focus on giving back to the environment. Who can say no to that?

For my full recap, visit my blog here:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/11/rr-rnr10k/

The Expo and Package Pickup

The expo was huge and busy. They were open for only a few hours on Friday (3 PM til 7 PM) so the 10k runners had no choice but be there between those hours to get their bib. The half marathoners had all day Saturday as well to pick up. I didn’t like that at all. Thankfully, I made it just in time to pick up my bib. I normally get off work at 6:30 and that meant I only had half an hour to walk to Canada Place and pick up my package. That’s not a lot of time. What’s worse, only you can pick up your own bib. You can’t ask someone else to pick it up for you even if there’s consent. That’s not very accessible for people who work outside the city or even work at night. Other than that, bib pickup was fast. Walk to the next room and you get your free t-shirt. The next area is a large Brooks store filled with Rock n Roll merchandise… they were pricey though. I chose not to buy anything. The next room had more vendors (Running Room, Garmin, Oasis, Nuun, etc) and booths for various races. Another thing I didn’t like was that there were no ATM’s at the Expo and some vendors only accepted cash. You had to go all the way back to the lobby of the Convention Centre which was a pretty far walk since the Expo was held at the furthest rooms in the building. Plus, security was so tight, it made it difficult to leave without having to walk the full length of the expo twice just to get money out. It was a big expo and even though I was able to buy something I wanted, I wasn’t thrilled about the whole experience.

Course Review

The course is pretty straightforward: a Stanley Park seawall run, going clockwise. It started at the Inukshuk at English Bay. Getting there was pretty easy, very accessible by transit. There were so many people that my corral was actually 12th in line. We had to wait at least 20 minutes in the cold before we were off and running. The race ended at Devonian Harbour Park on the other side of Stanley Park. I should’ve paid close attention to the course route because I didn’t realize that at Lumberman’s Arch, there was a surprise hill that we had to go up and then back down again to the seawall. I guess they needed that to make it an even 10k I would also have known that the finish line would come sooner. I thought it would be further into the park but much to my surprise and relief, it wasn’t. If you haven’t run Stanley Park before, going clockwise to me is more difficult than going counter-clockwise. Mostly flat though. I was expecting great course entertainment but all I saw was 1 band and 1 Elvis. It was not what I expected. I could hardly even hear the band! Not impressed by the rock n roll-ness of this race. It’s like they just put all their money on the main event and tossed aside the opener.

Post-Race

The finish line was lined with cheering spectators so it was a fantastic sprint! I got an official photo taken shortly after I got my medal and then grabbed a bottle of water. There were lots of tents around and a main stage being set up. We went straight for the beer garden and had my free Stanley Park Brewing winter ale. It was fun while it lasted but we didn’t stay long since we had things to do. Pretty lively atmosphere though!

Swag

I love my Brooks t-shirt that came free with the race and the medal is one of my favourites.

Would I do this again?

Yes because I still want to do the half marathon course and get the full experience. I would also do the Remix challenge which means, do both races back to back. Participants get a third medal that shows you did both. I wouldn’t mind the extra bling :) I also noticed that they seemed to be frantically selling entries on Groupon the closer it got to the race so if you want to save money, it would be a good idea to look out for it.

To read more about my experience, visit my blog:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/09/eastside10k-2015/

Package Pickup

This was held the day before race day and for me, it was convenient because it wasn’t too far away from my work (at Queen Elizabeth Theater). Lots of volunteers were available to help out and I got my shirt and bib without problems. Forerunners was there with a New Balance display. Runners also received a $20 coupon for New Balance stuff which we could use right away. There wasn’t much else there. Rock and Roll Marathon had a table there but I was already signed up so I just grabbed a plastic bag with two running magazines in it… well I grabbed it mostly because they didn’t provide bags to take the bib and shirt home in (to reduce waste). They were also collecting non-perishable food items for charity if anyone wished to donate. There was also race day package pickup but you had to get there a lot earlier so if you can pick up your package the day before, that will be ideal.

Course

I looked up the elevation of the course on Strava and it came up with a low number (my race registered a 68 m elevation gain). That didn’t mean it was flat though. There were rolling hills all throughout the course and some flat sections. The inclines really weren’t too bad but when you’re feeling under the weather, they seemed a lot worse than they were. There were definitely enough downhills and flats to recover from until the next hill. The course scenery wasn’t really the best since we were running through residential streets and a poorer part of town. Gastown was beautiful though. The cobblestones were a bit of a hazard since it was so wet but if you’re careful and alert, you should be ok. I seem to have timed it out well too, I ran by the steam clock as it was chiming. How very Vancouver that was! There were two aid stations available but because the course was laid out as an out and back, you actually hit an aid station 4 times, which is more than enough for a 10K. The start and finish was at the Dunsmuir Viaduct. I didn’t think that viaduct was long going out but heading back with the finish line in sight, it seemed endless. I guess it’s a mental thing. Either way it was a really nice way to start and end the race.

Swag/Medal

The shirt they gave out is not a tech shirt, but it’s a nice soft cotton round neck t-shirt. I liked it, I wore it later that day and it was so comfortable. I also liked that race organizers asked for feedback from runners to vote for the logo and colour of the shirt. We’re gonna have to wear it so I was really happy they gave us a say in it. They asked people to vote on their Facebook page so if you get their notifications, you had the opportunity to vote. The medal is also awesome. It’s a dog tag style medal. The Eastside 10K logo stayed the same as last year but on the other side, the statue of Gassy Jack was engraved onto the medal. It’s probably one of my favourite medals so far. It also has a slot for an iTab, those customized plates you can insert which has your name and race time engraved on it. I opted for that so I can’t wait to put it on. After the race, volunteers were handing out Powerbars and raincover jackets to runners. Online, I saw a photo of volunteers handing out cookies, which I must’ve missed. That’s probably because I went straight home to dry off. The last thing I wanted was to get even more sick from the cold and rain.

Would I do it again?

I would love to do this race again in nicer weather. It was raining cats and dogs the whole time but everyone still had a smile on their face even though they were drenched. The course was challenging but not impossible. The medal is unique and the price is right at $40 (and I got a 10% off discount by signing up through another race as well). The race was a good size at 2,232 participants, timed by Sportstats and professional photographers were on the course. I'll be signing up next year for sure!