ZombieRunner Halloween Run

***3.5 stars***
this is an annual race that takes place on or around halloween (depending on which day of the week it falls upon). this year, it happened to be the day after halloween, so costumes were still fresh for race day!
for this event, participants had 3 distances to choose from:
full marathon (26.2 miles)
half marathon (13.1 miles)
5M
i chose the 5 mile distance since this course had the fewest number of inclines and hills.
the pros:
+TINY event, with just over 200 participants between the 3 distances
+FAIR REGISTRATION PRICES only $ 40 for the 5M, $ 45 for the half, and $ 60 for the full when registering in advance. $ 5 less if you skip the race shirt.
+FREE PARKING just outside vasona lake county park. most of the side streets were empty on saturday morning, so it was easy to find parking.
+BIB AND TSHIRT pickup the morning of the race, with only a few minutes wait
+CHALLENGING COURSE in my opinion, since all distances had rolling hills and inclines, the half and full climbing all the way up to the lexington reservoir/​st. joe’s hill!
+LOTS of AID STATIONS throughout the course, all stocked with water, electrolyte drink, and salty snacks
+VARIETY OF POST-​RACE REFRESHMENTS, which included fresh fruit, clif bars, salted tortilla chips, graham crackers, trail mix, peanut butter filled pretzels, muffins, and candy. since it’s that time of year, they also had pumpkin pie! yum!
+CUPS for the water and electrolyte drink jugs at the finish. props to the organizers for not giving out bottled water and using recyclable paper cups!
+LOTS OF FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS assisting with bib pickup and registration pre-​race, manning the aid stations on the course, handing out medals at the finish line, and preparing/​re-​stocking the food at the finisher’s area.
+COSTUME CONTEST post-​race, which featured many very creative costumes worn by children and adults.
+CUSTOMISED FINISHERS’ MEDAL for all runners who cross the finish line. i liked the purple and green logo, very fitting for the day after halloween!
+AGE GROUP FINISHERS’ MEDALS for the top 3 men and women per age group, per distance. i finished 2^nd female, and 2^nd in my age group, so i walked away with an extra medal.
the cons:
–paying $ 6 for parking inside vasona lake county park, if you could not find parking outside the park gates
–confusion on the course. i expect a 5M race to be exactly 5 miles, but the official results posted the course at 4.8 miles, and yet, i got 4.93 on my garmin, so i’m a bit unsure that the pre-​planned distance was supposed to be.
–9am was the start time for all 3 distances. given the narrowness of the trail, it was difficult to start at the very front and not lose any time since this event was gun-​timed. would suggest staggering the start times going forward.
–few restrooms. i saw only 1 proper restroom structure with 3 stalls (for the ladies) and 2 porta-​potties. before the race, i had to use the restroom twice, and each time, ended up waiting a while until it was my turn. would suggest more porta-​potties next year.
–no mile marker signage. although the turnaround for the 5M was clear, with a volunteer ensuring that runners turned around, i never knew what mile i was on, unless i looked at my garmin.
–wrong year on the finishers’ medal! when i asked the race organizer, i was told that there was a printing problem, and everyone ended up with a 2013 medal instead of a 2014 medal. whoops!
while not my favourite zoom event, the organizers still did a pretty good job, and i applaud all the volunteers for coming out early on a cold, rainy, saturday morning to set up the aid stations and everything else so that we runners could have a good experience.