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Race name: Bridge to Brews
Date/time: Sunday, April 6th, 2014; waves start at 8:40
Registration/price: 10k or 8k $34-54; VIP 10k or 8k $89-99
Location: Lilis-Albina Park (Portland, OR)
Events offered: 10k and 8k run/walk
Number of runners: About 3800 total
Beneficiary: Molly's Fund Fighting Lupus
Date/time: Sunday, April 6th, 2014; waves start at 8:40
Registration/price: 10k or 8k $34-54; VIP 10k or 8k $89-99
Location: Lilis-Albina Park (Portland, OR)
Events offered: 10k and 8k run/walk
Number of runners: About 3800 total
Beneficiary: Molly's Fund Fighting Lupus
Packet pickup: You could pick up packets Thursday or Friday at Foot Traffic before the race (I went Friday after work). One of the young ladies handing out packets actually recognized me as being that makeup/running blogger ;) There was supposed to be beer but nobody offered any :(
Swag (t-shirts): The shirts were grey tech tees with a nice white and blue Bridge to Brews logo, and came in mens and womens styles. Additionally, each runner received a metal beer cup and 5 tasting tickets, bread, soup
Parking: Because we arrived really early, we snagged a great parking spot just around the corner from the start/finish, on the same block as the park! However, there really isn't a lot of parking around the park--it was strongly suggested on the race website that you carpool, and I can see why.
Bag check: Lines got pretty long for bag check! Fortunately, we were close to the start/finish and just left our stuff in the car.
Course: The race starts/ends at Lilis-Albina Park in Portland. Both the 10k and 8k courses pass over two bridges (Fremont and Broadway bridges) which was awesome! And the course didn't cross any train tracks (YAYYYY)!!!
The race: Even though we arrived early, we had issues figuring out how to escape the fenced park and get to the starting line (and we weren't the only ones!) By the time we got to the start, several waves had already gone. I think that the confusion caused the waves to be random paces instead of organized, and may have led to more congestion on the course. The course was mostly flat except for going up/down the bridges, and at the very end (not my favorite time for a hill!). The views off of the bridge were gorgeous. The bad news... I wore some new Brooks pure project running/lifestyle shorts that were really cute and really expensive... but ended up chafing and leaving me with two spots on my legs :( Owie. I know better, and I STILL wore new clothes the day of a race! Don't do it. Better safe than sorry.
Post-race: While I loved that Terrapin Events wanted to do more of a beer festival style post-race party this year, it could have used a little help with the execution. The lines were CRAZY long and it seemed like hardly anyone got a taster, people just went for full glasses to avoid being in line a second time. Maybe next year have clearer signage for each beer being poured (outside on the tent, instead of just at the table), and spread the beer tents farther apart. It started to get a little cold, so we decided to get some pizza and more beer elsewhere.
Photos: Race photos were taken by Capstone Photography and are available for a fee. As usual, I look tired and my eyes are closed in half of my photos, so I think I'll pass :P
Results: Not my fastest 10k, but not too bad. The course was a little congested but it was fun and no injuries!
Swag (t-shirts): The shirts were grey tech tees with a nice white and blue Bridge to Brews logo, and came in mens and womens styles. Additionally, each runner received a metal beer cup and 5 tasting tickets, bread, soup
Parking: Because we arrived really early, we snagged a great parking spot just around the corner from the start/finish, on the same block as the park! However, there really isn't a lot of parking around the park--it was strongly suggested on the race website that you carpool, and I can see why.
Bag check: Lines got pretty long for bag check! Fortunately, we were close to the start/finish and just left our stuff in the car.
Course: The race starts/ends at Lilis-Albina Park in Portland. Both the 10k and 8k courses pass over two bridges (Fremont and Broadway bridges) which was awesome! And the course didn't cross any train tracks (YAYYYY)!!!
The race: Even though we arrived early, we had issues figuring out how to escape the fenced park and get to the starting line (and we weren't the only ones!) By the time we got to the start, several waves had already gone. I think that the confusion caused the waves to be random paces instead of organized, and may have led to more congestion on the course. The course was mostly flat except for going up/down the bridges, and at the very end (not my favorite time for a hill!). The views off of the bridge were gorgeous. The bad news... I wore some new Brooks pure project running/lifestyle shorts that were really cute and really expensive... but ended up chafing and leaving me with two spots on my legs :( Owie. I know better, and I STILL wore new clothes the day of a race! Don't do it. Better safe than sorry.
Post-race: While I loved that Terrapin Events wanted to do more of a beer festival style post-race party this year, it could have used a little help with the execution. The lines were CRAZY long and it seemed like hardly anyone got a taster, people just went for full glasses to avoid being in line a second time. Maybe next year have clearer signage for each beer being poured (outside on the tent, instead of just at the table), and spread the beer tents farther apart. It started to get a little cold, so we decided to get some pizza and more beer elsewhere.
Photos: Race photos were taken by Capstone Photography and are available for a fee. As usual, I look tired and my eyes are closed in half of my photos, so I think I'll pass :P
Results: Not my fastest 10k, but not too bad. The course was a little congested but it was fun and no injuries!
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