Katherine Chamblin's Staging Area

This was a great course for a PR. With a net downhill, it is easy to be speedy, though my quads were feeling it for a couple of days afterward. On another note, I loved the material of the race shirt and the swag bag/backpack was a unique offering.

Logisitics-wise, this a point-to-point course, so getting to the starting line requires you to either be dropped off or to take one the provided shuttles. For me, this was the biggest drawback, as the shuttles were scheduled to leave at 5:10 AM for a 7 AM start (we actually started boarding closer to 5:30), and I personally like to sleep in as long as I can. The ride overall didn’t feel too long, maybe 30-45 minutes or so. I wasn’t paying much attention as I was chatting with my seatmate, whom I met that morning. I do know that the shuttles arrived with ample time for gear drop off and to wait in a porta-potty line (which is why they gave us the early departure time). The gear line took, what felt like, a fair amount of time, though my perception was likely distorted by my impatience to get to the bathrooms and find my spot at the start. There weren’t any corrals so the start line was a bit of a mob, but once we got going, it thinned out in the first mile.

The course itself was very peaceful, I thought. It was an overcast morning, and I chose not to run with my earphones, so I found my rhythm listening to the collective sound of sneakers striking the pavement and increasingly labored breathing. The collective effervescence was invigorating. The vineyards in early March are pretty bare, but looking out over them was nonetheless lovely. The crowd support was fairly sparse as we were stretched on a wine country road, mostly appearing at aid stations and as we got closer to town and the finish line. The road itself was fairly straight, with some gentle curves around some bends. There are a couple of 90 degree turns starting at mile 10 as you start to get closer to town. There is one last sharp turn as you enter the last 200 meters or so of the finish, which might impede your kick.

After finishing, medals were swiftly handed out, and photographers were ready to snap a shot. I don’t really remember what options they had for post-race snacks, but I know I accepted a can of water and a banana. Although most people used the identical race backpacks, gear pickup was very easy and efficient. They had all of the backpacks/gear bags organized in the gym by bib number and I was handed my pack in literally 5 seconds. I walked back to my hotel, which was closer to downtown Napa, but some shuttles can drop you off at the same parking lot as the morning shuttles. All in all, it was a good experience and a great race!