2014 North County Wine Run
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North County Wine Run
Date and time: Saturday, September 27, 2014
Events: Half marathon & 10k
Location: Battle Ground Village; Battle Ground, WA
Number of runners: ~400
Beneficiary: Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation
Events: Half marathon & 10k
Location: Battle Ground Village; Battle Ground, WA
Number of runners: ~400
Beneficiary: Doernbecher Children's Hospital Foundation
It was nice to wake up Saturday morning and feel the crisp beginnings of Fall in the air! It was definitely a nice change of pace from all of the hot and muggy races I've run lately. :) Charlene and I arrived at Battle Ground Village about an hour early so I would have time to register, meet up with our friends and snap some pictures! When I arrived, Karen from Get Bold was extremely apologetic--apparently the t-shirt company they've used for TONS of their events told them just a few days before the event that they weren't able to deliver the Wine Run dry fit t-shirts in time due to a typhoon delaying the shipment. I do appreciate that Get Bold went through the effort of getting replacement shirts--though the replacements were cotton-poly blend, I really appreciate the fact that Karen went out of her way that there would be A SHIRT for participants during packet pickup and race day.
Outside, the Battle Ground market was setting up as well as the pre/post race area. There were plenty of porta-potties for everyone! There were tables and chairs, and running-related vendors. At 9:00 we cheered on our friends running the half marathon, then hung out until the 10k starte at 9:30. There wasn't bag check, so I tossed my stuff back in the car a little bit before the race was going to start. I had wanted to run the half marathon, since only half marathon finishers received a wine stopper medal, but since I was planning on attempting Portland Marathon the following weekend, it seemed best to just do the 10k and to take it easy. I paired up with my friend Kerianne and fellow Run Oregon blogger Maryalicia who were also planning on running about a 55:00 10k. The course was gently rolling hills with a gradual overall incline for the first half, and the second half of the course was gently rolling downill, which was fun! I love these two cheerful ladies and had so much fun running with them. And we ended up finishing just under 55 mintues!
After the race, I got on the list for a free 5 minute massage from Better Health Massage, and grabbed some food while I waited. There was root beer, bananas, bread and butter, but I went straight for the warm food: penne with meat or veggie marinara, salad with choices of dressing and croutons, and garlic ciabatta bread. Warm food always feels like such a treat after a race and this was delicious. I finished my plate just about the same time that Sara was ready to massage my legs. She did an amazing job of really targeting the spots that needed it in just five minutes. Then it was time for wine tasting! Heisen House Vineyards, Olequa Cellars, Gouger Cellars, English Estate Winery, and Emanar Cellars were all pouring samples. Race registration included four "tastes" or one full glass. The wine tasting was definitely fun!
The timing kiosk said that I had placed first in my age group so we waited around for age group awards. And, some friends didn't have results/place showing up on the kiosk. Elba and Karen were very proactive about trying to figure out what was going on with the timing. It seems that Rogue Timing messed up, and started the "gun time" late, so about a dozen runners didn't have a start time. As a result, I was actually third in my age division, and my actual time was slower than the kiosk had first showed.
This year's location was different than previous years' events, which had been at various vineyards, with courses that went by the rows of grapes. While there weren't any vineyards on the course this year, Elba said they're working on a different location for next year. I still thought it was a nice course and nice venue though! Although there were issues with the shirts and timing, I appreciate that Get Bold (especially Karen and Elba) really strove to immediately fix everything within their control as soon as possible. Events don't always go according to plan, I really think a lot of it depends on the attitude and efforts of the race organizers in spite of that, and I felt like they worked their tails off so that participants would still have a good race experience. I had a good time at the race, and definitely enjoyed spending time with my running friends :)
Outside, the Battle Ground market was setting up as well as the pre/post race area. There were plenty of porta-potties for everyone! There were tables and chairs, and running-related vendors. At 9:00 we cheered on our friends running the half marathon, then hung out until the 10k starte at 9:30. There wasn't bag check, so I tossed my stuff back in the car a little bit before the race was going to start. I had wanted to run the half marathon, since only half marathon finishers received a wine stopper medal, but since I was planning on attempting Portland Marathon the following weekend, it seemed best to just do the 10k and to take it easy. I paired up with my friend Kerianne and fellow Run Oregon blogger Maryalicia who were also planning on running about a 55:00 10k. The course was gently rolling hills with a gradual overall incline for the first half, and the second half of the course was gently rolling downill, which was fun! I love these two cheerful ladies and had so much fun running with them. And we ended up finishing just under 55 mintues!
After the race, I got on the list for a free 5 minute massage from Better Health Massage, and grabbed some food while I waited. There was root beer, bananas, bread and butter, but I went straight for the warm food: penne with meat or veggie marinara, salad with choices of dressing and croutons, and garlic ciabatta bread. Warm food always feels like such a treat after a race and this was delicious. I finished my plate just about the same time that Sara was ready to massage my legs. She did an amazing job of really targeting the spots that needed it in just five minutes. Then it was time for wine tasting! Heisen House Vineyards, Olequa Cellars, Gouger Cellars, English Estate Winery, and Emanar Cellars were all pouring samples. Race registration included four "tastes" or one full glass. The wine tasting was definitely fun!
The timing kiosk said that I had placed first in my age group so we waited around for age group awards. And, some friends didn't have results/place showing up on the kiosk. Elba and Karen were very proactive about trying to figure out what was going on with the timing. It seems that Rogue Timing messed up, and started the "gun time" late, so about a dozen runners didn't have a start time. As a result, I was actually third in my age division, and my actual time was slower than the kiosk had first showed.
This year's location was different than previous years' events, which had been at various vineyards, with courses that went by the rows of grapes. While there weren't any vineyards on the course this year, Elba said they're working on a different location for next year. I still thought it was a nice course and nice venue though! Although there were issues with the shirts and timing, I appreciate that Get Bold (especially Karen and Elba) really strove to immediately fix everything within their control as soon as possible. Events don't always go according to plan, I really think a lot of it depends on the attitude and efforts of the race organizers in spite of that, and I felt like they worked their tails off so that participants would still have a good race experience. I had a good time at the race, and definitely enjoyed spending time with my running friends :)
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