I registered for the "double" race, meaning I'd do the 10k starting at 7:30 am, then the 5k starting at 9:00 am. Race web site said that double runners needed … MORE
I registered for the “double” race, meaning I’d do the 10k starting at 7:30 am, then the 5k starting at 9:00 am. Race web site said that double runners needed to start with the “first wave” of 10k’ers in order to allow enough time to get back for the 9:00 am 5k start.
All of the 10k’ers were standing in a warming tent, and around 7:15 am, a race official came in and told everyone to start lining up because wave 1 of the 10k would be starting in 15 mins. All pacers (from the 40 minute to the 70 minute pacers) were lined up, so everyone self-seeded according to pace group. During this time, the race director made two announcements saying that double runners need to be with the 55 minute 10k pace group in order for us to “make it back in time for the 5k start”. Those of us double runners who are slower than a 55 minute pace group, and had (politely) lined up with our proper pace group, were confused: Was the 5k starting at 8:30 am (rather than 9:00 am, as we thought), so we wouldn’t make the 5k start if we couldn’t maintain 55 minute pace? Was the race director miscalculating times? Or was it something else altogether?
Come to find out — once the race began — the race organizers put a rope barrier across the start line as soon as the 55 minute pacers crossed. That was the “end” of “wave 1”. The rest of the group had to wait 10 more minutes for “wave 2” to begin.
So this is where I got a bit annoyed: Nowhere on the web site, in email communications, nor in announcements, was it made clear that the waves were associated with paces. Most runners were under the impression that wave 2 was just for latecomers. There should also have been someone carrying a huge “Wave 2 line up here” sign, lined up right behind the 55 minute pacers. The race officials told *all* 10k’ers to line up in advance of wave 1 start — they should have, at that time, made it clear that wave 2 runners should *not* line up yet, but that double runners (regardless of pace) should line up with the 55 minute pacers. They also should *not* have had the 60, 65, 70, etc. minute pacers lining up until wave 1 was long gone. This was just something that could have much more clearly been communicated, and really screwed up people running the double.
Once the 10k wave 2 took off, the race itself was meh. It’s an easy flat route through downtown Plymouth, which was identical to the Kona Halloween run I did five years ago!!! How can they not change the course at all in five years?!?! There are a lot of turns in the route, so there were a number of volunteers on the course at the turns, which was helpful. But I saw all of two police officers along the 10k course, which was surprising given how many city streets were half-closed — there was a lot of traffic backed up in spots, cars trying to cross between runners, and they had teenage volunteers directing this traffic, rather than police. That was odd.
There were three water stops on the 10k route (in theory). The second had run out by the time wave 2 runners reached it. The third was about out of water by the time I arrived on the 10k, so I barely got a thimbleful; this was also supposed to be the one water stop on the 5k route.
Once I crossed the 10k finish line, I decided against running the double. I would have had to start in one of the 5k “waves” soon after finishing the 10k, but I’d not had water since mile 1.5, and they funneled me (as a double runner) through a different finish chute than the 10k only runners, who got a water bottle in their chute. The double runners’ chute went back to the start line, without hydration. I knew I wouldn’t get any hydration on the 5k course, since the water stop was tapped out. I was already cramping, and just sort of pissed off about the whole experience, plus it was starting to snow. So I decided to pass on the 5k and just go home.
tl;dr – I won’t be running a Kona event again.
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Unclear Wave Start, Water Stops Ran Out
I registered for the "double" race, meaning I'd do the 10k starting at 7:30 am, then the 5k starting at 9:00 am. Race web site said that double runners needed … MORE
I registered for the “double” race, meaning I’d do the 10k starting at 7:30 am, then the 5k starting at 9:00 am. Race web site said that double runners needed to start with the “first wave” of 10k’ers in order to allow enough time to get back for the 9:00 am 5k start.
All of the 10k’ers were standing in a warming tent, and around 7:15 am, a race official came in and told everyone to start lining up because wave 1 of the 10k would be starting in 15 mins. All pacers (from the 40 minute to the 70 minute pacers) were lined up, so everyone self-seeded according to pace group. During this time, the race director made two announcements saying that double runners need to be with the 55 minute 10k pace group in order for us to “make it back in time for the 5k start”. Those of us double runners who are slower than a 55 minute pace group, and had (politely) lined up with our proper pace group, were confused: Was the 5k starting at 8:30 am (rather than 9:00 am, as we thought), so we wouldn’t make the 5k start if we couldn’t maintain 55 minute pace? Was the race director miscalculating times? Or was it something else altogether?
Come to find out — once the race began — the race organizers put a rope barrier across the start line as soon as the 55 minute pacers crossed. That was the “end” of “wave 1”. The rest of the group had to wait 10 more minutes for “wave 2” to begin.
So this is where I got a bit annoyed: Nowhere on the web site, in email communications, nor in announcements, was it made clear that the waves were associated with paces. Most runners were under the impression that wave 2 was just for latecomers. There should also have been someone carrying a huge “Wave 2 line up here” sign, lined up right behind the 55 minute pacers. The race officials told *all* 10k’ers to line up in advance of wave 1 start — they should have, at that time, made it clear that wave 2 runners should *not* line up yet, but that double runners (regardless of pace) should line up with the 55 minute pacers. They also should *not* have had the 60, 65, 70, etc. minute pacers lining up until wave 1 was long gone. This was just something that could have much more clearly been communicated, and really screwed up people running the double.
Once the 10k wave 2 took off, the race itself was meh. It’s an easy flat route through downtown Plymouth, which was identical to the Kona Halloween run I did five years ago!!! How can they not change the course at all in five years?!?! There are a lot of turns in the route, so there were a number of volunteers on the course at the turns, which was helpful. But I saw all of two police officers along the 10k course, which was surprising given how many city streets were half-closed — there was a lot of traffic backed up in spots, cars trying to cross between runners, and they had teenage volunteers directing this traffic, rather than police. That was odd.
There were three water stops on the 10k route (in theory). The second had run out by the time wave 2 runners reached it. The third was about out of water by the time I arrived on the 10k, so I barely got a thimbleful; this was also supposed to be the one water stop on the 5k route.
Once I crossed the 10k finish line, I decided against running the double. I would have had to start in one of the 5k “waves” soon after finishing the 10k, but I’d not had water since mile 1.5, and they funneled me (as a double runner) through a different finish chute than the 10k only runners, who got a water bottle in their chute. The double runners’ chute went back to the start line, without hydration. I knew I wouldn’t get any hydration on the 5k course, since the water stop was tapped out. I was already cramping, and just sort of pissed off about the whole experience, plus it was starting to snow. So I decided to pass on the 5k and just go home.
tl;dr – I won’t be running a Kona event again.