Rachel Reed's Staging Area

I was really excited for this race!! A few changes/forewarnings could’ve made this a lot more fun for me. It seemed like maybe the organizers were new/inexperienced with organizing runs/races, and maybe they were also understaffed/resourced.

PROS:
– Finisher medals are superrrr cute
– Awesome, festive atmosphere fueled by participant cheer
– Warm bib pickup location at Road Runner Sports was nice for the chilly day
– The long-awaited cookies were provided in a grab bag
– Chip time and festive pre-race photo opportunity!
– Great park for a flat road run or walk.

CONS:
– Long line at bib pickup. Only two volunteers that I saw handing out bibs. Seemed like they could’ve used some help.
– No gear check or even bag drop spot. 🙁 Never not had this before, so I just assumed, road my bike to it, and had nowhere to stash my bag, water bottle, bike gear, etc. When I finished, I saw some folks piled their stuff in the corner of the store to grab afterwards. For eco-conscious race organizers (it was a cupless race), it seems like a no-brainer, knowing you are going to have likeminded participants come by alternative transit/have no car to stash their stuff (e.g., water bottle, warm clothes).
– At least one organizer was really pushing everybody to pick up their cookies before the race to make it easier for them afterwards (and run with them??). All of the pre-race materials said pickup was after race, so that was weird to me.
– No mention in pre-race info of a head lamp or flashlight being necessary for on-course safety. The race website photos showed the race being in daylight, but the run started just after sunset, and, despite it being in an urban park, 90% of the course was very dark. Potholes, deep puddles, uneven pavement… all could really hurt someone.
– No volunteers or water stations visible to me on the course.
– I saw only two arrows on the course, which I’m not sure were put up by the race organizers. And it was, again, pretty dark, so I missed them entirely in my first loop.
– Regular park-goers seemed surprised/confused and a bit put out that the walkway was completely blocked at the starting area by the park’s parking lot for 10 minutes or so. I didn’t see any signage around besides the arch at the finish line warning park goers that a race was going on and would cause some congestion.
– I didn’t hear any communication at the end telling us we should go back to the store to pick up our grab bags of cookies/not continue to clog the walkway at the finish line. Also didn’t see anything about what to do after race in pre-race info.
– One water jug with cups a few yards away was on a ledge by a tent if you needed water, no other refreshments by finish line at all, to my knowledge. There was definitely not enough water for everyone to fill one water bottle, and it took me a while to find it. I didn’t see any water back at the store.
– I also thought we would have something beyond 3 cookies each and one jug of water overall in term of festive refreshments afterwards. Maybe some hot cocoa with the cookies? It was a frosty night, and that would’ve been a real pick-me-up to mingle over. And, with all of the focus on cookies (website reads “Celebrate your achievement by dining on the finest cookies from Seattle’s bakeries.”), I thought they would be pretty awesome, but they looked like something you would get at a regular old grocery store.

PROS:
– THOSE VIEWS. I could cry. Makes the point-to-point nature of the race 1000% worth it.
– Speaking of which, they had drop bag transit from start point to end point of race. Andd…
– Shuttle back to the start was an old ski bus with CHARACTER. The perfect ending to our Bellingham experience.
– On-trail volunteers cheering runners on and helping us navigate the few tricky spots.
– Shoe recycling and extra restrooms carted in at the starting point (portapotties). Mid-point aid station.
– A really nice rolling/gentle trail run for those not looking to climb mountains.
– Super fun finish line food/drink set up at Larrabee State Park with great, refreshing refreshments. A really family-friendly picnic atmosphere with beautiful views just around the corner. Plus, plenty of restrooms.
CONS:
– I literally can’t think of one. This race set the standard for all trail races I’ve participated in since. GBRC is a really fantastic group of folks.

PROS:
– Great trail marking and volunteers to help at key points
– Mid-point water at starting area was handy and well-placed for 10k!
– Great vibezzz — organizers were passionate and invited Seattle Parks & Rec to talk about volunteer opportunities if folks were interested (I was! Since I’m a major beneficiary of my local parks and how well their trails are cared for)
– Well, it’s in my favorite Seattle park for trail-running 🙂
– Helpful pre-race info on course, technical stuff
– Raffle and post-race snacks were fun and appropriate for our chilly day (soup, hot drinks, etc.). Everyone seemed in good spirits and ready to hang around for a bit to enjoy our surprise November sunshine.
CONS:
– Parking got a bit chaotic, I think — the park ran out of spots, and the walk from anywhere to the start line outside of the main lot is long/not clear
– It was not chip timed and we had a big bottleneck in the first few hundred yards that was frustrating for me since I got pushed to the back behind walkers and could not pass easily. The competitor in me got sad. :'( Lesson learned!