Visit my blog for more on this race:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/09/race-recap-night-race/

Pickup and Swag

Package pickup was held at the Running Room on Denman Street but the organizer at work picked everyone’s package up so I never made it there. In the tote, there was a nice navy blue Brooks tech tee with the race logo on it, an Energizer 4 LED headlight, my bib with timing chip, Glow Zone access bracelet (VIP), magazines and flyers for future races. We didn’t get medals, which was fine, I appreciated the headlamp instead. There was face painting at the start line plus glow stuff were handed out (which I didn’t get because I couldn’t make it across to where they were). The race was timed, the chip was built into the bib, although I heard from other people that there were problems with the timing system. Maybe next time they should choose another provider… There were professional photographers at the start/finish only (from what I saw), including a friend of mine, Sandra from Yaletown Photography. It was awesome to cross the finish line and see her! There was a bag check as well but I didn’t use it so I don’t know how well run it was. I think I only saw 2 or 3 aid stations along the course, but I might be wrong. I didn't use them either.

The Course

This was mainly a Stanley Park seawall race. The 5k started at the Stanley Park Pavilion and headed south towards Devonian Park but went back up to the seawall. They passed the Brockton Point lighthouse, then headed back through Lumberman’s Arch and back up the steep hill to the Pavilion. The 10k started and ended at the same place but we looped around the entire park, turned left at Second Beach pool, ran the south side of Lost Lagoon and then hit the final steep hill. This course is actually exactly the same as the Hot Chocolate Run, which I did 6 months ago. It is also NOT 10k, it’s actually 10.4k, which is how the Hot Chocolate Run advertised it as. That makes me question how long the 5k actually was. Running the seawall in complete darkness was pretty amazing. When you look back, all you can see are dancing white lights outlining the seawall. We also lucked out on the weather, it was a clear, cool night with a full moon. Twinkly lights, neon, full moon, it was a neat sight to see.

Post-Race

The finish line was festive, colourful lights, upbeat music, with lots of people cheering at the finish line. They handed out bottles of water, McCafe was there handing out coffee, and there was a long lineup for free beer (unfortunately it was Molson, which I’m not a fan of). We walked in the Pavilion where a DJ was rocking the house. The Glow Zone was in the back and there was free food for runners with access: french fries, burritos, potato chips, veggie and fruit platters, and mini cupcakes. We didn’t stay long though.

Would I Do It Again?

Yes! This race is so unique in many ways that it’s worth doing every year. There’s not a lot of people, you can probably PR it if you’re feeling good, and you get a free headlamp out of it. It’s too bad there aren’t any medals but I guess being able to see in the dark is more of a priority. A medal would be a nice keepsake though. I loved the Brooks tee, I wore it and it was very comfortable. The headlamp was comfortable too, I’ve never run with a headlamp and I had no problems (I wore it on top of my Great Climate Race cap). The seawall is always a fun yet deceptively challenging run. I wish they had multiple face painting and glow stations. They were all set up on one side of the pavilion. Unless you got there early enough, it will be hard to get to with all the people already lined up at the start. The post-race party was fun but I wish there was a better beer sponsor.

I love this race: the vibe, the course, the people, the clothes, and the activities. The course is beautiful, not too challenging, and really showcases the natural beauty that Vancouver has to offer. The positive vibes from the runners, volunteers and race organizers were infectious. If you weren’t smiling, you must have been having a really bad day. I’m going to list all the things I loved about this race.

Free stuff: the swag included a gear bag (which I still use as a gym bag), a water bottle, free JJ Bean coffee voucher, a gorgeous (and heavy) carrot medal, massage oils from Saje, a Lululemon ballcap, brunch (we got a waffle, mini quiche, fruit and yogurt), and of course the training shorts (which registrants received at the start of training). We also got a wet face towel at the finish line to cool down – I’ve never gotten one at a race before and I thought it was a really nice touch.

Free activities: Nooner yoga, sunset yoga, free braiding and nails for women, the men’s lounge, cotton candy, cold brew coffee, post-race massages

No bibs: Runners get a wristband and that’s your ticket to everything. Great idea.

Cheer stations: Lululemon works hard to make it entertaining for runners not just at the start/finish area but all throughout the course. Some neat things I saw were human statues, big white balloons, the spin class on the viaduct, rock band on a barge, mermaids, paddleboarders, and a bunch of sponsored cheer stations by ivivva, Saje, and the BC Lions cheerleaders, the Felions.

The Expo: It seemed very organized and there were loads of volunteers helping keep the line moving. Runners received their gear bag with timing chip, water bottle, and coffee voucher. At the expo you were also able to record a video for your runner, which would then play once their chip hits a certain mat along the course. I didn’t know about this until after the race and I was wondering what that big screen was for… but I guess that’s it. Nice touch Lulu!

The Showcase Store: I liked this but I also didn’t like it (see below). I arrived at around 1pm and there were still loads of items available in my size (6). The patterns this year were not as outstanding as previous years but I did find a cute top and shorts.

The Course: This would be a great first half marathon course. It’s fast and mostly flat. With Lululemon turning this into a weekend event, it makes for a great destination race if you’re coming from out of town.

Sunset Festival: It was fun just to lounge on the grass on your blanket or yoga mat while enjoying live bands perform on stage. They had some food available (I didn’t partake) and even a trapeze area where people can channel their inner circus performer… just one swing though, and then you line up again. They also had a free shuttle going back and forth from Jack Poole Plaza to the festival site. They really thought of everything.

Criticisms:

No refunds or transfers: I don’t understand why Lululemon expects people to commit to this a year in advance with no chance of transferring their ticket officially to another runner. Things happen, injury, pregnancy, other commitments… why not let other people run? Even if there’s a transfer fee and a deadline that people need to get their transfers in. Why, Lululemon? Why don’t you offer transfers?

Not enough Vega Hydrator stations: I was counting on Vega Hydrator in the later stage of the race, only to find out that they didn't offer it. I could've brought an extra electrolyte tab. Oh well. Why not offer it at all water stations?

The Showcase Store: Everything is regular price, nothing is on sale. Not to mention if you want to see the FULL inventory you’ll have to line up hours before the store opens because people will buy everything. 15 items max? Really? How about 5 instead? That way there will be less Craigslist and Ebay resellers hawking your clothes. We missed out on the hoodies and other cool patterns that were available.

Allow more runners to participate: This is a popular event for a reason, why not open it to more runners? Or allow people to sign up in different time slots so people can have a fair shot at it?

To find out more about this race, visit my blog below:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/09/race-recap-pne-donut-dash/

This is more of a fun run than a race. For starters, the timing chip is available for purchase and not given out to all racers. So in essence, you're only racing against other people with timing chips. Also, the point of the race is to load up on mini donuts and cotton candy. This unique feature makes it an instant attraction to all levels of runners.

What I liked…

Lively and fun ambience – costumes, tutus, inflatable donuts, and PNE characters cheering you on throughout the course was pretty awesome.
The medal – it’s super cute and they had red or blue lanyards available so you can choose which colour you wanted.
It’s cheap – $40 (max) included a t-shirt, medal, entry to the PNE and your race bib
Free entry to the PNE – It made it into a full day event rather than just a morning. Seeing the Superdogs and eating some Hunky Bill’s perogies really hit the spot after the workout.

What I didn’t like…

The course – it was hillier than I thought it would be and I didn’t like that it kept psyching me out. I thought I was getting close to the end and suddenly, we turned back into Playland.
No kilometer markers – where were they?
Timing chips were extra – why not just include it in the price like in other races?
Not enough donuts at the finish – I chose not to get the bags of cotton candy and donuts in the hope that I would PB (nope it didn’t happen) so I was expecting that there would be more at the end. They did hand out small chocolate dipped donuts but I think that was it. Or did I miss the stall with all the mini donuts? Please tell me if I was just being oblivious. Either way, I left disappointed. They could’ve easily given out more donuts at the end.
PNE wasn’t open early – Unfortunately the faster runners had a lot of time to kill after the race because the PNE didn’t let us in until 11am (and the race started at 9am).

I would recommend this race. It's cheap and fun and you get a day at the PNE out of it. I wouldn't treat it as a serious race though :) Next time I would just grab the donuts lol

Note that this year, there was a heat wave - it's not usually this hot!

Price: When I decided to join, the price was already around $85 but could've gotten in for as low as $60 if I was really a keener. I thought the price was average for a half marathon.

Expo & Swag: I picked up my package on the first day the expo opened, around lunch time. Pretty smooth sailing, got my bib right away, the shirt was the correct size and I like the shirt, it looked really nice. Oasis also gave a free juice box to each runner. It was a very small expo. Asics was a main sponsor and gave out $20 off coupons for purchases over $100 (too bad I had already bought shoes). You were able to buy other running necessities like clothes, Superfeet insoles, hydration belts, Powerbar gels and chews, and other goodies. They had speakers as well but I felt bad for them... there was hardly anyone in the audience so they were basically talking to no one, but what do you expect on a work day? Other than that, there wasn't really much here... the expo didn't wow me. They provided a virtual race bag with coupons as well... again, not that great except for the discount to their next race, which I took advantage of.

Course: The course was as described... fast with lots of downhills but Marine Drive was quite boring and I'm not a fan of the turnaround. I prefer a point A to point B course without backtracking but oh well! The hills were nicely spaced out and without the heat, PB's will definitely be attainable with this race. The course was well marked per km (not miles) and there were course marshals directing people where to go. It was impossible to get lost. Running past the beaches and through Kitsilano was pretty cool, and the finish was awesome... a challenging last hill (the Burrard Street Bridge) followed by a downhill towards Stanley Park along Sunset Beach and English Bay. This area was where all the cheering people were so if you were feeling crummy at this point, your mood will elevate, guaranteed! The finish party had water, bananas, yogurt, Gatorade, and a bunch of booths which I didn't visit because I just made a bee-line to where my friends were and just hung out.

Aid Stations: They had an aid station every 2 km it seemed, which was GREAT! Lots of water, helpful volunteers (thank you for filling up my water bottle several times), and lots of gels. No complaints here. The medical teams were out in full force as well since it was so hot. I saw numerous runners being taken care of at the side of the road. The paramedics did a great job and I hope that those people managed to recover.

Parking/Access: It was easy to get to UBC by car and they also provided shuttle service. Their website had all the details and it was very complete and easy to figure out.

Medal: It's very pretty! I love how the downtown skyline is carved onto it. iTab was also available for purchase so you can personalize your medal with your name and time.

Would I do this again?

Yes! The course was well-managed. I've run a Canada Running Series race before (the Modo 8k - which I reviewed here too) so I felt positive that this would be well-run again and I was right. They know what they're doing, very organized, and really took care of us. Sportstats took care of timing (no problems there) and Marathon Photos took pictures (meh, I'm not too impressed by them). Awesome race, I just hope Mother Nature turns down the heat next year.

To read a full account of the race, check out my blog here:

http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/06/scotiabank-vancouver-half-marathon-2015/

The BMO Vancouver Marathon was an awesome event from start to finish. Their website was very clear and complete, and their newsletters gave me all the information I needed to know, when I needed to know it. The Expo was big with a lot of choices; however, I feel that they should’ve had more sales on. Saucony provided great quality tech shirts that I see myself using repeatedly in my training runs. The half marathon course was great. It was gorgeous and took you through so many neighbourhoods. Difficulty wise, I’d say it was moderate. It is definitely not flat but at least the hills were evenly spaced out. I loved how many people turned out to cheer. It’s a sign of a long-running and much-loved event that even if they’re not running, people are still willing to wake up and be a part of all the action. The support throughout the race was outstanding. There were so many opportunities to get water, energy drinks and gels. There were also so many opportunities to get your photo taken. All you had to do was get to their side of the road and smile. MarathonFoto is expensive but if you take advantage of their many photographers, their high price turns into quite a bargain. I got 17 photos out of it which ended up being about $4/full sized download. The entry price was high but I was lucky to be sponsored by my work. It is worth the money though. This race has everything you could ask for and if the weather cooperates and you get a PB… it’s a perfect race. I seriously can’t think of anything wrong with this race. I’ll see you next year BMO! Thank you to the organizers and the volunteers. Amazing work!

See more on my blog: http://everythingbutweddings.ca/2015/05/bmp-half-marathon-2015/