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Submitted by arablover@aol.com
December 16, 2013
Review
This was a really nice race. I loved the race day packet pickup. The course was very nice. The aid stations were well stocked. The people were friendly. The medals are beautiful. The boas, tiaras, champagne, and roses were very nice touches. The only negative thing for me was the green bananas … but that isn’t a very bid deal. I highly recommend this race, it’s a whole lot of fun!
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Submitted by kseiler99
December 9, 2013
Review
This was my 12th half for the year, and it definitely was not perfect, but it had some great spots compared to other races.
My main complaint about this race was the pre-race planning as far as traffic goes. It took me 45 minutes to get off the freeway and park, despite following the clear instructions they gave about what time to arrive. The exit was supposed to be open until 7:00 and I arrived at 6:30 just to see it closed off and a long line of cars at the next exit. That was very frustrating, and I barely made it to the starting line by the scheduled time of the race. They did delay the race start by 15 minutes to allow for the extra traffic which I am sure was appreciated by those who were behind me!
The course itself had some nice views and was very flat, but there were some rather uninspiring parts–you can’t really get around that in Ontario, though. Also, I would recommend that there is a turnaround mat at mile 8, as it would have been extremely easy to cheat. They did have spots with cheerleaders and music playing, which is always appreciated to keep the spirits up. And there was plenty of water and Gatorade at every station, so from a logistics standpoint there, they did an excellent job.
The fun swag and food at the end made the race worth it. I agree with a lot of the FB posts that said pictures should not be “mandatory” to get out of the race. For a lot of us who do races regularly finisher photos aren’t worth the time standing in line and cramping up. Luckily I got around it by making nice with someone guarding the gate out 🙂
I believe this was a first year event, so with lessons learned from this year as far as logistics go, they can make it a top notch race in the future.
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Submitted by Juri Peterson
December 8, 2013
Review
I’d run 14 half marathons in 2 years before I ran this race. I have rarely run a race as enjoyable as this one.
The pre-race expo and packet pickup was smooth and without flaws. The bib and t-shirt volunteers were quick. The race expo offered photo ops, and tons of vendors to look at and buy from. My one request for future expos: at least ONE race equipment vendor. I would like the option to purchase race fuel, electrolytes and gear that I might accidentally leave home. I also like that the packet pickup was in the same location as the race start.
The Course was VERY enjoyable. While it wasn’t particularly scenic, it was nearly completely flat (1 overpass and 1 “hill”) and the roads were in good condition. The traffic control was more than adequate. The course consisted of basically 2 out and backs. One that was 3 miles and one that was 10 miles. It made “chunking” the milage easy on the spirit. If you thought of it as a 5k, followed by a 5 mile out and 5 miles back. There was water and course support nearly every mile and a half, plenty of water and gatorade. The cheerleaders on the course and volunteers were very supportive and cheerful!
The finish line was very organized. The race organizers clearly had limited space to work with and they made the best of it. We got our tiara and boa about .05 before the finish line, and the announcer was still in high spirits when I crossed at 2:50:36 . . . (one of my fastest races of 2013) and I got to hear my name announced. TWICE! I was more than a little emotional and was crying/celebrating with my friend who was at the finish line and one of the photographers stepped away from the finish line to take our photo! We got a bottle of water, then a glass of sparkling cider, then were herded into a queue for pictures. While that was a bit cattle-like, it was making the most of a tight area. Pictures were quick and then off to get dried fruit, cookies, bananas and bagels. The volunteers were constantly saying “Congratulations Diva!” It was amazing.
I plan to run this Diva race again in 2014. It was SO fun and so well organized!
