Since I had the Missoula Marathon and Ragnar Northwest Passage on the calendar within two weeks of this race, I just wanted to get through it so I could qualify for Marathon Maniacs in Missoula. Plus I knew the heat was going to be an obstacle unto itself. It had been scorching hot the week before, and it was projected to be over 100 degrees on the July 4. I was actually surprised when they didn't cancel the race. By the time I crossed the finish line it was in the upper 90's.
Packet pick-up/Expo: Grade:B-. The packet pickup was at the Foot Traffic stores, rotating it through the three branches of the store. There is a store not too far from my house, so it was convenient to grab the packet rather than relying on day-of pickup. There were no other vendors there, but they did offer a discount on merchandise at the store if you bought something during pick-up.
Shirt/Swag: Grade:B+. The shirt was a nice burgundy tech shirt with the crane in front of the stars and stripes heart logo - a logo that I really like. No other swag.
Starting line: Grade B+. The starting line was at a local farm that hosts a pumpkin patch in the fall. There was plenty of parking just across the street from the starting line. There were plenty of porta potties and lots of room to stretch prior to the start. I took advantage of the early start (6 AM instead of 6:30 AM) because I knew I was going to need the extra time.
Support: Grade A-. Support in this race day was way more important than it often is in races because of the heat, especially near the end when it was getting toasty. However, even for those of us dragging ass in the back, there was water and electrolytes, and misting bottles. The course marshals made frequent passes on bikes and cars to keep an eye on all of us. One marshal gave me a cold towel to use for the last few miles, which might have made the difference between finishing or not finishing for me. When I finished I overheard the race director talking on the walkie talkie running down exactly how many runners were still on the course and where they were.
Course: Grade B-. The course certainly lived up to the name of the race, as it was flat, flat, flat. The course runs the length and breadth of Sauvie Island, which is an island situated between the Columbia River and the man made Multnomah Channel.
It is a pretty enough Pacific Northwest scene. However, some of the roads were relatively busy, even for the morning of Independence Day. Twelve miles of the race were on an out-and-back, which I'm not a fan of. At first I thought they were limited by geography, but looking at the map, I think they could have gotten a little more creative with the race to avoid that. (Of course, they would have had to have added more aid stations, which might have been a concern for a smallish race.)Finish Area: Grade C+. The finish line was the same location as the start line. While they certainly paid attention to the back-of-the-packers on the road, there wasn't much in the way of food or drink when we got there. The promised strawberry shortcake had been gone for hours when I got there. (I think a lot of the half-marathoners took more than the one piece they had a ticket for.) They only had veggie hot dogs left. There was water. And they still had the misting station going. It was nice just to cross the street, turn on the car and AC and head out though.
Medal: Grade A. A nice big medal based on their cool logo.
Miscellaneous: Did I mention it was hot?Overall Grade: B. The next time I am around on Independence Day, I'll be back... for the half marathon.
