Warning about a Worst Race Organization and a Race Report
twinmom_112002
Posts: 739 Member
Silver Strand Classic Distance Race Report:
It was a total cluster and I will never race with Kozi again. I posted earlier this week that they did not allow family to pick up the packet and they were not allowing race morning pick-up which meant a total logistic nightmare (we had 7 soccer games going on this weekend... 4 of which my husband was supposed to assistant coach). We rearranged our idea of the schedule and went to the pack pick-up yesterday only to find out that they didn't care if I picked up dh's. Off to the host hotel we went. We chose to stay at the host hotel instead of camping because the race stated a shuttle just for the hotel guests to the starting line. When we arrived the people at the hotel said they had no clue about a shuttle and that we would have to walk over to the state beach and hope for a first come first serve spot on a shuttle. We kept checking back along with about 75 other people who had gotten the same information as us. Around 7:30pm we were informed that their would be a single bus but they didn't know how many it would hold and it was first come first serve so we needed to be in the lobby at 5:30. I am totally stressed at this point. This morning we got up early (I was up at 4am). Got to the lobby at 5:30 to find out that the shuttle won't be there until 6:15. Nice. At 6:15 75 of us squeezed onto a bus for the start. As the bus pulled out of the hotel, another was pulling up. This means I could have had a seat instead of trying to stand.
Race started on time at 7:30 and the sun came out. Too bad I left my sunglasses in my room because it was cloudy when we left and forcasted to stay cloudy. I was feeling strong for the first 4 miles. At this point the road started with a large camber. It was banked because the road was a highway so every turn was banked - each bank lasted about 1/2 mile. I have a issue with my glute med. and hamstring so the banks were killing me. The race was also a pancake hill (just enough uphill that it slows you but not enough to notice it was a hill). The last 6 miles of the half was supposed to be a out and back (run out, ran back and then run out to the pier - you paced the same point 3 times....). I knew that my hip/hamstring were done and mentally I couldn't handle seeing the same thing 3X so I chose to head off with the 10 milers. Although not the distance I was aiming for today it was a smart choice because I don't feel injured, just achy. I can run tuesday. Not sure I would be saying the same thing if I had continued. Next attempt is December 29th.
It was a total cluster and I will never race with Kozi again. I posted earlier this week that they did not allow family to pick up the packet and they were not allowing race morning pick-up which meant a total logistic nightmare (we had 7 soccer games going on this weekend... 4 of which my husband was supposed to assistant coach). We rearranged our idea of the schedule and went to the pack pick-up yesterday only to find out that they didn't care if I picked up dh's. Off to the host hotel we went. We chose to stay at the host hotel instead of camping because the race stated a shuttle just for the hotel guests to the starting line. When we arrived the people at the hotel said they had no clue about a shuttle and that we would have to walk over to the state beach and hope for a first come first serve spot on a shuttle. We kept checking back along with about 75 other people who had gotten the same information as us. Around 7:30pm we were informed that their would be a single bus but they didn't know how many it would hold and it was first come first serve so we needed to be in the lobby at 5:30. I am totally stressed at this point. This morning we got up early (I was up at 4am). Got to the lobby at 5:30 to find out that the shuttle won't be there until 6:15. Nice. At 6:15 75 of us squeezed onto a bus for the start. As the bus pulled out of the hotel, another was pulling up. This means I could have had a seat instead of trying to stand.
Race started on time at 7:30 and the sun came out. Too bad I left my sunglasses in my room because it was cloudy when we left and forcasted to stay cloudy. I was feeling strong for the first 4 miles. At this point the road started with a large camber. It was banked because the road was a highway so every turn was banked - each bank lasted about 1/2 mile. I have a issue with my glute med. and hamstring so the banks were killing me. The race was also a pancake hill (just enough uphill that it slows you but not enough to notice it was a hill). The last 6 miles of the half was supposed to be a out and back (run out, ran back and then run out to the pier - you paced the same point 3 times....). I knew that my hip/hamstring were done and mentally I couldn't handle seeing the same thing 3X so I chose to head off with the 10 milers. Although not the distance I was aiming for today it was a smart choice because I don't feel injured, just achy. I can run tuesday. Not sure I would be saying the same thing if I had continued. Next attempt is December 29th.
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Replies
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Sorry you did not have a good experience with the race. Just so you know most races they volunteers will let you have another persons bib if you have a copy (picture on your phone works) of their ID. Rock N Roll are the only ones I have seen that will absolutely not let someone else pick up a bib.0
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Sorry to hear about your bad experience, but I don't see what the race organization did wrong?
From their website:What do I need to bring when I come to the expo?
All you need when you come to the expo is your ID. NO ID- NO BIB NUMBER. You will need to look up your bib number, sign the waiver and then pick up your bib in order of bib number. We will check your ID when you give us your waiver.
If I can’t make it to the expo, can I have my friend pick up the race materials for me?
Unfortunately we are unable to allow friends or family members to pick up bib numbers. ALL PARTICIPANTS MUST PICK UP THEIR OWN RACE MATERIALS. If you can't make it to the expo you can register for the mailback option, the VIP option, or choose to pay the $10 late fee to pick up on race morning. Those under the age of 18 will need to have an adult sign the waiver and be present to pick-up the race packet.0 -
The packet pick up was the least of all the issues. It was more of an inconvenience. All the races I have done allow for family/friends to pick up packets with a copy of the idea and a written note. The information you copied and pasted was not updated on the website until the week of the race.
The main issue I had was with the communication between the race officials and the HOST hotel. There was a large disconnect in the information sent to the racers and what the hotel knew. The fact that the day before the race we were being told that the only shuttle to the start would be for the 5K runners even though the race advertised it for the half was nerve racking. This issue didn't get fully cleared up until the morning of the race. Put yourself in my shoes not knowing how you are going to get to the race until the morning of the race.....0 -
The packet pick up was the least of all the issues. It was more of an inconvenience. All the races I have done allow for family/friends to pick up packets with a copy of the idea and a written note. The information you copied and pasted was not updated on the website until the week of the race.
The main issue I had was with the communication between the race officials and the HOST hotel. There was a large disconnect in the information sent to the racers and what the hotel knew. The fact that the day before the race we were being told that the only shuttle to the start would be for the 5K runners even though the race advertised it for the half was nerve racking. This issue didn't get fully cleared up until the morning of the race. Put yourself in my shoes not knowing how you are going to get to the race until the morning of the race.....
I get how nerve racking that might be, but that doesn't hardly make this race organization the worst.0 -
Me either. Yes it's a logitical mess, but it's hardly the worst. FWIW most of the big races I've done and looked into oftentimes have an in person packet pick up policy so that's something you might need to plan for in the future. It's really not that rare.0
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What I'm seeing is a series of communication failures:
- No information...Only a runner can pick up packet......actually, they don't care
- There will be a bus...there won't be a bus...there may be a bus
- Get here by 5:30 for the bus...Bus will be here at 6:15
- This is the only bus...Hey, there's a second bus
I would definitely be annoyed.0 -
Me either. Yes it's a logitical mess, but it's hardly the worst. FWIW most of the big races I've done and looked into oftentimes have an in person packet pick up policy so that's something you might need to plan for in the future. It's really not that rare.
Exactly.0 -
The packet pick up was the least of all the issues. It was more of an inconvenience. All the races I have done allow for family/friends to pick up packets with a copy of the idea and a written note. The information you copied and pasted was not updated on the website until the week of the race.
The main issue I had was with the communication between the race officials and the HOST hotel. There was a large disconnect in the information sent to the racers and what the hotel knew. The fact that the day before the race we were being told that the only shuttle to the start would be for the 5K runners even though the race advertised it for the half was nerve racking. This issue didn't get fully cleared up until the morning of the race. Put yourself in my shoes not knowing how you are going to get to the race until the morning of the race.....
I get how nerve racking that might be, but that doesn't hardly make this race organization the worst.
I can understand how stressful it must have been to deal with not knowing if there would be a bus to pick you up. You've given me something to think about should I need transportation to the race. I'll make sure that I confirm transportation beforehand. Regarding the packet pickup. The site states upfront who can pick up the bibs and it specifically indicates that they are "unable to allow friends or family members to pick up bib numbers." If that was going to be a problem for me, I wouldn't have signed up. So, next time, just make sure that they allow family/friend pickup just in case your family's busy like this time. :happy: I've also heard of some people checking out the route before the race by looking at forums, etc. Just consider it a learning experience. I hope that your next race isn't as stressful. :happy:0 -
Guess I should qualify that its the worst organization that I have seen in the 4 years I have been paying for races. The orginal website information did not indicated that family was not going to be allowed to pick-up. That info came in the week before the race. Again not a huge deal but an inconvenience and the first time I have encountered that. It was made even more frustrating when we got to the packet pick-up and they gave me both mine and my husbands even though he wasn't in line with me (he was checking out a cute puppy).
In viewing the facebook page it looks like they ran out of medals and all finisher food/water. I crossed the finish line before 2 hours and immediately got on a bus (where the bus driver didn't know where he was going until someone flagged down an official). They also ran out of certain sizes of the race shirt (despite sizes being ordered on your registration). Pictures were posted but there is only 5 pages of photos which does not cover everyone (and does not include myself or my husband). It is a lesson learned. I will never race with this organization again.
I will now go hide in my own corner....0 -
Are they mailing out shirts and medals to those who didn't get them? I know that among other things, it was reported that MCM ran out of medals this year but was working to mail to those who didn't receive one at the race? Honestly, I've had races that were organized poorly with incorrect markings (to the point where someone with a GPS watch could have done much better), clearly insufficient food, late race information and other things. I really don't know what to tell you. Race enough and it's going to happen.0
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As I said earlier I'm sorry you had a negative experience at this race. On the bright side if this is the worst race you encounter you should count yourself lucky. A couple of weeks ago I ran a trail half that didn't bother to mark one of the turns and ended up in BFE Temecula; I had to use Google maps on my phone to get back to the car.0
