Sixth Annual Hazel Dell Half Marathon & 8k
Date and time: Sunday, February 22, 2015 @ 8:30am
Events and price:
Half Marathon $55-65
8k $35-45
Virtual Race
Location: Max Muscle Hazel Dell; Vancouver, WA
Number of runners: 250
Beneficiary: Panda Paws Animal Rescue
Swag: Gender-specific tech t-shirts, red velvet cupcakes, post race snacks. Half marathon finishers received a medal.
Course: The course is an out and back on streets and paved trail. The half marathon course is hilly through the neighborhoods, with a flat section on the Klineline Trail.
Past recaps: 2014
I'm a huge sucker for dogs. I talk to them in a baby voice, call all of them "puppies," and will totally ask complete strangers if I can take a picture with their dog. Since my current lifestyle and home situation aren't conducive to me owning a dog (I'm never home, and my condo is tiny), the Hazel Dell Half Marathon & 8k is an opportunity for me to help--a portion of the proceeds from the race goes to Panda Paws Rescue, a local non-profit that seeks to end the homelessness, abuse & neglect of all animals (not just dogs).
And in addition to helping animals in need, race day was beautiful. We've been very lucky to have unseasonably warm weather lately, AND THERE WERE GOING TO BE RED VELVET CUPCAKES.
I arrived at the race only about half an hour before the start of the half marathon. Due to past experiences, I knew the race was small, and that there was TONS of parking. I had plenty of time to chat with friends and hang out, and dump my jacket back in the car before the start. But I had kind of forgotten the bathroom situation. There was one indoor bathroom, and three portapotties, and I waited too long to use them, so the lines were pretty long and I made it back to the starting line with just a few minutes to spare.
The small size of the race meant there wasn't much congestion at the start even without corrals, and it also helped that the 8k didn't start until 15 minutes later. The course winds quite a bit through neighborhoods.
My Garmin said the course was short by about 1/4 mi, and several other runners had the same issue. But part of the course also has poor reception (Spotify stopped streaming for awhile), so I wouldn't be surprised if the problem was the Garmin, and not the course, but it's possible that the course wasn't the full 13.1 miles.
After the race, runners could hang out indoors or outdoors. There was water, Max Muscle recovery drink, red velvet cupcakes, rice cakes, Belvita, pb & bread, and granola. But most importantly, the red velvet cupcakes were delicious. IT TASTED SO GOOD after a half marathon--and they were locally made too.
This is a fantastic small, local race with a lot of heart. I definitely love running it every year!
Events and price:
Half Marathon $55-65
8k $35-45
Virtual Race
Location: Max Muscle Hazel Dell; Vancouver, WA
Number of runners: 250
Beneficiary: Panda Paws Animal Rescue
Swag: Gender-specific tech t-shirts, red velvet cupcakes, post race snacks. Half marathon finishers received a medal.
Course: The course is an out and back on streets and paved trail. The half marathon course is hilly through the neighborhoods, with a flat section on the Klineline Trail.
Past recaps: 2014
I'm a huge sucker for dogs. I talk to them in a baby voice, call all of them "puppies," and will totally ask complete strangers if I can take a picture with their dog. Since my current lifestyle and home situation aren't conducive to me owning a dog (I'm never home, and my condo is tiny), the Hazel Dell Half Marathon & 8k is an opportunity for me to help--a portion of the proceeds from the race goes to Panda Paws Rescue, a local non-profit that seeks to end the homelessness, abuse & neglect of all animals (not just dogs).
And in addition to helping animals in need, race day was beautiful. We've been very lucky to have unseasonably warm weather lately, AND THERE WERE GOING TO BE RED VELVET CUPCAKES.
I arrived at the race only about half an hour before the start of the half marathon. Due to past experiences, I knew the race was small, and that there was TONS of parking. I had plenty of time to chat with friends and hang out, and dump my jacket back in the car before the start. But I had kind of forgotten the bathroom situation. There was one indoor bathroom, and three portapotties, and I waited too long to use them, so the lines were pretty long and I made it back to the starting line with just a few minutes to spare.
The small size of the race meant there wasn't much congestion at the start even without corrals, and it also helped that the 8k didn't start until 15 minutes later. The course winds quite a bit through neighborhoods.
My Garmin said the course was short by about 1/4 mi, and several other runners had the same issue. But part of the course also has poor reception (Spotify stopped streaming for awhile), so I wouldn't be surprised if the problem was the Garmin, and not the course, but it's possible that the course wasn't the full 13.1 miles.
After the race, runners could hang out indoors or outdoors. There was water, Max Muscle recovery drink, red velvet cupcakes, rice cakes, Belvita, pb & bread, and granola. But most importantly, the red velvet cupcakes were delicious. IT TASTED SO GOOD after a half marathon--and they were locally made too.
This is a fantastic small, local race with a lot of heart. I definitely love running it every year!
 Me and race official Brian Davis post-run |  Amy is also a total sucker for cute dogs |
