I did the Tartan Twosome (5k/5k) this weekend. Fantastic experience!

This is a 2 race combo (yielding 3 medals). 5 k on Friday night and then the distance of your choice on Saturday morning (5k, 10k, 1/2, full). I don't run normally on consecutive days so I went conservative and did the 5/5 version.

Pre Race
Lots of informative emails prior to race. Including maps of where to park and potential weather conditions. A lot of pre-race swag giveaways leading up to the weekend. I didn't need an elevation map for my mostly flat course but If I'd been doing the 1/2 or the full I would have liked one.

Registration
Early birds not only get better prices, they got to choose their race swag. I went with the short sleeve race shirt, running gloves, & race buff. Other choices included socks, hats, long sleeve and tank shirt options. This race is capped at 2500 and sells out early. They do have a wait list and a method for transferring bibs.

Expo
Best organized race expo I've ever been to. Pick up was in 4 stages (short lines) and lots of good signage directing you. Small number of vendors though but they were good ones. I bought stuff at 2/5. There were also charities there raising funds using raffles for things like lifetime registration for the race. The volunteers were plentiful, knew what they were doing, easy to identify and seemed happy to be there. There was a swag swap station (step 4) where you could exchange sizes or types of swag. I changed the size of running gloves. They also had some extras so if you saw see something someone else had you could buy it.

Swag
Wins hands down! Three cool medal designs. Options for shirt style and options for additional swag (if you registered early). This also the only race where the shirts actually seemed to fit the size they were advertised for! Sizing charts were available at the time of registration. The only thing I would change was the assumption that shirt size and glove size are highly correlated. I don't carry weight in my hands like I do in other places. But the exchange at the expo was super easy.

Parking/traffic
There are limited routes in and out of Eastern Passage so traffic especially Friday night was a crawl (we were warned in advance). There was parking within walking distance and really close parking if you: 1. Got there early enough and 2. Didn't want to move your car until after the races. Car pooling is an excellent idea. Professional traffic control plus the RCMP were on hand and of course, this is Canada, most drivers were pretty polite to each other. Road volunteers were still in position to direct runners even after the roads had been reopened. As a back of packer this is greatly appreciated!

Course
5k is mostly flat and along water. Probably would have been pretty without the fog. But then again the cool cloudy conditions were perfect for running. Only 1 water/ porta potty stop on the 5k (not surprising) but manned by enthusiastic charity volunteers. They also were still out there waiting for the last people (also greatly appreciated).

My mom did the half and she described it as hilly with a mix of water and neighborhood views. She also commented that water station volunteers ran out to great her (about a quarter mile) to see what they could bring her. I'm sure there was nutrition on the longer courses but I didn't pay attention to that.

They did run out of Clementines towards the end at the finish line, but still had bananas, bagels and chocolate milk.

There were plenty of pacers on Saturday with the White Rabbit Pacing group, who also doubled as cheerleaders it seemed during that last 1k. Also a lot of bike support on the course.

Intangibles
There's also a costume contest - dress like a pirate. So quite a number of folk running in costumes. Pretty surprising how well running apparel can be made to look like a pirate. I went with the low key Pittsburgh Pirates cap. And Pirates will greet you at the finish to give you your medal.

What the race organizers can't control is of course is the rest of the town. But here it seemed like the town was into the race. Lots of lawn spectators (who stayed for even the last racers), lots of fun pirate themed motivational messages on area business signs and pirate scarecrows out on lawns.

Summary
Getting there isn't the easiest, but it's worth the trip.

This is my 3rd year with the Victoria Goddess Run (which is actually in Langford BC). I walked the 10K in 2013, ran the 10K (with the new route) in 2014 and ran the 5K this year (2015). They also offer a Bathrobe Run and Kids Race the day before.

This is a women's only race (5,10, 1/2) known for it's high participant energy and costumes. There are kids activities during the races so if you have a small (age wise) cheer crowd, they'll have something to do while you're busy running (not that watching Mom for 10 seconds out of 0.5 - 2 hours isn't fun). The locals also come out to cheer as you run by their houses. This year some of the really nice ones offered to use their hoses to cool you down (it was pretty hot for BC).

What I love about this race:
- Great volunteers, lots of them marking the course (no wrong turns)
- mobile medical support
- plenty of water stations
- necklace medal that you can wear other times besides right after the race
- firefighters giving out said necklaces at the finish line

Things I whine about every year:
- The shirt never fits. No matter how I try to second guess their sizing (some transparency here would be good).
- The expo is really small (although the 10% coupon for Red Barn Market is always appreciated)
- The parking is a fair bit of a walk. Yes, there's a trolley but it never seems to be around when I'm ready to leave.

Other things to know:
These races are on road, gravel path and sometimes trails. There are hills. No run elevation is given and not all of the route is accessible by car so be prepared for some surprise hills. There are stadium bathrooms in addition to the portable ones - so no long lines! There's also a lipstick station about 1K from the finish. This is my third year so obviously I keep coming back for this race.

The Beginner Tri for MS is a mini sprint triathlon - 500m pool swim/17.5k bike/4k road/trail run. The course was set from Saanich Commonwealth Place. The race was exceedingly well organized and would be a great way to try out triathlons.

The pre-race bulletins were plentiful and they offered free sessions on how to do transitions. This race is untimed. There are plenty of triathlon coaches in transition to help newbies get set up and answer questions. There were lots of road marshals and volunteers on the the bike and run courses to keep participants on course in addition to the signage. Triathlon doesn't really lend itself to spectators outside of the transition/finish area, but this one has a number of spectators on the "out there" portions of the bike and along the run course.

The race is organized that the slowest swimmers go first in heat 1 - this means that there's not a "dead last" type of finish. Slower participants finish with the faster ones as they've had a head start on the course. Volunteers along the course communicated back to the announcers tent so as you ran around the corner to the finish - they were calling your name.

The lane counters were helpful in keeping track of everyone's laps. The number of participants in lanes 4-5 wasn't too much (25m lengths) and folks were briefed on passing etiquette prior to starting. I swim in this pool regularly and I'd describe it as cold, but I was cold from being outside in transition and the water actually felt warm (told me how cold I really was). The bike course was not closed but there were road marshals at all the major intersections handling car traffic. Most of the course had a dedicated bike lane. The course would be considered hilly by a newbie but probably just rolling hills by an experienced competitor. It was a 2 loop course (hope you liked that hill the first time....). The run course also had some hills in an out & back course. The hills would be noticeable to both new and experienced runners. About half the run is on pavement and then it switches to woodland trails out to Beaver Lake (pretty!). There was a water station at the transition from pavement to trail. Nicely placed for hitting it on the way out and the way back. The trail portion was really well marked both with chalk and volunteers. A good thing because I probably wouldn't have guessed it otherwise. There was a very supportive crowd at the finish cheering folks on. There were plenty of munchies (cookies, muffins, fruit, coffee, water) at the finish and free massages!

For the organization of the race alone I'd say this would be a great experience. But it was a fantastic experience because of the participants. I've run in a number of races and I've never seen the participant-participant support I saw in this race. I could count on one hand the number of participants who didn't call out support to other participants. I heard them in the swim, on the bike and while running. You can't organize that kind of good will but it was abundant at this race.

If you were just getting started in triathlon or were looking for something to start the season with, this is a great race. If you're hyper competitive and are looking for Kona-like challenges, this is not your race.

The race route goes from downtown Bellingham out to the Bay and then up to State Street and then back to downtown via the trail from Boulevard Park.

There's a long steady hill in the beginning 1/3 of the race getting you up to State street. A good portion of the course is the same as the Bellingham Bay Marathon's 5k. The course is scenic with views of the bay and about half of it is run through a wooded, hard packed gravel trail.

It's a fun, family oriented race (lots of toddlers, strollers and pooches). Great race for those just starting out.

Parking can be a bit of a challenge as this is Saturday am in downtown Bellingham and often the same day as the St. Patrick's Day parade (right after the race). It was hard to find the start line as it wasn't set up until less than a half hour before race time and the google map wasn't too specific. Turns out I parked my car about 30 m from the start but wandered most of downtown trying to find the start line before the race. There are no aid stations - this is a 5K, porta-potties and lots of food/drink establishments are available at the start and finish.

The shirts run large for this race - a better surprise than those that run way too small. Package pick up was fine. Nice relaxed family race. Great way to start a Saturday morning.