January 2017 ~ run-for-beer

This was race #2 in the first ever ConqurLA Challenge. I signed up for all of the races at once, so let's skip over that portion.

Packet pickup: The expo was held on Friday and Saturday at the Pasadena Convention Center, I opted to go on Sat. It was very well organized and had some of the usual vendors. For comparisons sake, it was a little bigger than the Revel Canyon City expo, much smaller than LA Marathon. Parking was a little tricky due to other events going on in the area, but I got lucky with a metered spot on the street. It was extremely organized, which you would expect from a Conqur event. I got in and got my bib, t-shirt, and check out a few vendors before leaving. There were some issues with the incorrect names being on the bibs, but runners were assured that the correct names wee linked to the timing chips. I really like the shirt for this since I wear a lot of black t-shirts as casual wear.

The Race: I was running late on race morning, which meant I ended up at the back of the massive live to enter the stadium parking lot. The other race ambassadors were planning a meetup around 6:15, but there no way I would make it. I imagine that someone with the city of Pasadena dropped the ball here because stop lights were still functioning and police were nowhere to be seen directing traffic. Conqur group was very responsive on social media and communicated that the race would be delayed. I understand that some people were upset about waiting in the rain during the delay, but we were about to run a half in it anyway. I’m sure these issues are at the top of the priority list to improve on next year. Check out the course maps below to get an idea where it took place.

On to the race itself, which started right around 0730. It was raining lightly and the wind wasn’t too bad, I estimate it was around 45-50 degrees. That’s cold for SoCal natives, but I thought it was perfect. I hate racing with the sun beating me down. The course went through a few neighborhoods before heading to Old Town Pasadena and surrounding area. Even though it was raining, there were still plenty of people out cheering us on. There were hills, but nothing too steep and there were plenty of downhill stretches as well. This is a good training run for the LA Marathon, because that isn't exactly flat either. Around mile 9 the course crossed over the beautiful Colorado Street Bridge back down towards the Rose Bowl, where the half runners ran what doubled as the 5K course around the golf course. The finish chute started just outside of the stadium culminating with the finish at the 50-yard line. As far as my performance, I took it easy for the most part. My wife and I decided to have a date night on Saturday so I didn't get to bed until after midnight. This could have been a PR day for me if I had decided to go that route early in the week, especially with the perfect weather (by my standards).

Post Race: On the field they had signs for taking pictures, mylar blankets, and water/Gatorade. I do wish they had a fixed camera of the finish with a live feed to the video board, perhaps weather factored in that not happening. Snacks were available exiting the stadium which led to the finish festival. Not many people were sticking around since the rain was getting heavier and the wind was picking up. I decided to have my free beer courtesy of Ballast Point and then head home. Traffic leaving was a bit backed up due to the single entry/exit point. The volunteers were absolutely AMAZING for this event! They had to stand in the rain and did so with a smile on their faces and the aid stations were handled very well. Traffic and parking aside, this was a great race with a fun challenging course and a awesome medal. I’m positive the parking issue will be addressed and there isn’t anything they can do about the weather. Can’t wait to run again next year!

Swag: The double sided medal is flat-out awesome. It's almost as heavy as the medal from last year's LA Marathon. I love how it carries a similar design to the Santa Monica Classic. All of the medals in this challenge will look great next to each other! As stated before, the t-shirt was also nice. People were complaining that there was nothing in the bag, but they e-mailed the virtual bag a few days before the race. Vendors at the expo had free samples of items. Virtual bags are better in my opinion, less trash and better for the environment! Race pictures were free and available 3 days after from Game Face Media. More races should do photos like this as registration fees rise, find a sponsor that wants their logo on them and only charge people if they want a logo-free download.