Shanna Selsor's Staging Area

This is overall a good “local” race! I think it is getting bigger and bigger and they need to work out a couple issues to keep up with the number of runners they have now.
Lets start with the Pros!
– Expo: they gave you free nice pair of gloves and bib magnets! The expo was small but it had the necessities in case you forgot something and a few extra vendors. The gear check bag they gave you was a nice, very large drawstring back pack from Boco Gear! The participant shirt is soft, a little stretch, and a nice relaxed fit! This is a race shirt I will actually wear (for running, ha).
– Hotel Bus Transportation: the Hampton Inn and the bus transportation was smooth as butta. I was worried from prior reviews so I got there at 4:55 am, bus supposed to take off at 5:10. There was no big line, and no issue. I went and used the bathroom one more time before getting on the bus and there was plenty of seats. It finally took off around 5:20 am and we arrived on time, no issue at all! I would absolutely recommend taking the buses instead of driving your car. #1, that cost was included in your race registration hehe, also when I was at the start, the car runner-drop off looked like a very very long line of traffic!!! There is definitely no self-parking at the start. Just take the bus. Drive to a hotel and take that bus lol.
– Perfect race day weather. No rain this time and not too cold! I think the mountains would protect you if there was wind, and there wasn’t.
– Course: very gentle downhill course with some inclines. The hills are not steep, they are gradual, sometimes you barely notice it. Don’t attack the hills and they will not zap your legs you will be fine. Just relax and ease up a little bit knowing you will make up the time of the downhill. It is “scenic”, sure. But its all the same too so that can get boring. Green hills around you, and lots of vineyards, but all the vineyards are all dead. Sometimes the road feels it goes on and on and never ends. This is probably preference.
– Crowds: I thought there wasn’t going to be much course support. However at the cross streets they def showed up and cheered for us!!
– Finish Area: Good amount of free snacks and beverages at the finish. Non-alcoholic beer. 2 picture spots that I saw. The medal is OK looking, its a little bland but prior years i’ve seen nice ones!

CONS:
The only con (though its a big one) is the chaotic start and THEY NEED MORE BATHROOMS!! The road is fairly narrow to handle all the runners. There was only about 40 porta potties total and I kid you not, I was in line for 25 minutes for one and there was a still long line forming behind me. It was the longest I have ever waited for a bathroom at a race start. At the expo, they said there was “plentyy” of bathrooms, but absolutely NOT. Only two sinks. I saw some people (male and female) having to do their bizzz on the side of the road because the bathroom lines were insane. Then theres a long line for gear check that did move quick, but there was SO many people not making it for the start time 7 am. They do recognize chip time, but still starting behind so many people makes for a lot of bobbing and weaving so its still not ideal. The first two miles was very congested. I think they sent everyone off at once and not in mini waves. After the first water stop it opens up.

Give yourself over an hour before gun goes off. This was my schedule and it was barely enough time:
6:00 bus arrived, walked to the starting area
6:10 bathroom – short line
6:15-6:30 warm-up. Not a whole lot of room with the narrow road, runners, and cars and busses in the vicinity
6:30 got in line for bathroom again, waited 25 minutes!!!
6:55 jogging to corrals and making my way as far as I can to the front but still was behind a lot of people. I stood there for about 1 minute before it was go time!! whew. barely enough time with arriving 1 hour early!

Overall, the course would make me come back. Its a gentle downhill or flat to where I don’t feel i’m cheating running down a big mountain. But its nice and definitely PR-friendly. They definitely need to order more Port-a-potties!! Also send us off in waves to ease the congestion!
Downtown Napa is nice and overall recommend this for a race-cation weekend!

This race is my all time favorite because all about women, women empowerment, and loving yourself! They recognize life isn’t always perfect and it can be a struggle, but we are out there getting it anyways and that’s what makes us strong! The motivation and vibe is the best I have ever experienced. They pump you up before the race, and there are tons of motivation and sassy quotes and signs at the start, through out the race, and at the race finish! You will feel like a NEW and AMAZING woman after you finish this race that is forsure!
Just note, at the end, the 5k and 10k walkers/ runners merge together and for the runners, it is difficult to get through all the walkers. I know they are making efforts to work on this. This year they added a “competitive start” which allowed you to start 15 minutes early, and hopefully avoid some of the congestion.

This was a great race, I would certainly recommend this for a fun run and I would most definitely be back!
First off, I think registration was about $50 and you will get a medal, shirt or hat, and 1 ticket to Winter Fest that ca be used anytime during that year. Since the race was on 12/22, it can be used that night, or through Winter Fest which ended on 12/31. So to start off, its a pretty great deal. Parking is also free.
Email communication was good and you can go to a bib pick-up the Friday before, or just pick it up race morning. We picked our stuff up race morning and it was a breeze. Took no more than 10 minutes and they have a good set-up.
There are bananas, oranges, bagels, water bottles, and powerade set-up at the start/ finish for before or after your race and during the race, and also real bathrooms! No porta potties!
When you start the race, the peanuts crew will cheer you on and throughout the course you will see the peanuts crew, or the Great America characters like the nutcracker, elves, or gum drop fairies or whatever they are. They are really good in character so its fun to run by them or take a picture! The course has all the Christmas lights and decorations up, though not lit because its daytime! There is one stretch, maybe a mile long or less, where you run through the back side of the park which is pretty boring. There is a double-sided aid station so you will pass it twice on the loop. The station was stocked with water, powerade and cliff energy gels which is awesome!
The course is flat, with 1 slight hill. But there are lots of turns and curves but the course is marked with small cones. If you happen to lose the people in front of you, be sure you are paying attention to the comes cause there are some tricky parts!

Overall a great, fun race! Good swag and amenities, and its fun to run through the park decked out in holiday decorations. Also they don’t go cheap on the decorations. I haven’t done a disney race, but this is probably the closest you will get to such a fun race with characters cheering you on!