Davis Stampede

I have run the half and 10k multiple times. The organization for this is excellent. Both are flat fast courses. I’ve run other Change of Pace races and they are all put on very professionally. My only gripe was not having a Friday check-​in for 2015, but that’s pretty minor.

I LOVE this race! It is probably the very best street race I have ever done! Change of Pace races in Davis are awesome and have a nice variety of generous post-​race activities. The people are so friendly, the results are uploaded quickly onto the website.
Course is flat, fun and fair. There are markers AND pacers (YAY!!) so you can know how fast you’re going if you don’t race with a watch.
Change of Pace is generous and their events are well supported and well executed. HIGHLY recommend for everyone!

My first race of the year and I sucked, but enough about that… The race started/​finished at Central Park where the farmer’s market usually takes place. It was rainy the night before, and when I was driving here in the morning the rain was heavy. I did NOT want to run in a downpour. Luckily, it didn’t rain during the race. There was only a slight drizzle towards the end of the race. The course was fine. I’ve done quite a handful of races in Davis through A Change of Pace, and they’re starting to look the same to me.
I wouldn’t say I enjoy running. So why do I register for races? Exercise is important, but I do it for the medals. And the medal for this race is super big. It’s the biggest medal I’ve received thus far. Bling-​bling!

As we tended to a leaky roof & the rain came pouring down, my husband looked at me & said: «I don’t know about you but this weather makes me want to run a half marathon.» Haha. We had an hour & a half drive to the stampede. I set my alarm for 4:30am the night before & checked my mental sanity.
It rained, no it poured the entire drive to Davis. We arrived at 6:45am and snagged a parking spot right next to the start line.
Check-​in, t-​shirt and packet pickup was a snap. The entire area was covered, thank goodness. There were 2 rows of Porto potties and not much of a line. There were a lot of people trying to find cover to stretch and as if by a great mercy, the skies dried up. There were still a ton of clouds but no longer the torrential downpour.
As it seems with most Change of Pace races, the start line was nearly empty up until just a few minutes before the race. As I looked around at every age, race, gender & size buzzing about — I smiled and told my husband: «These are my people!» For me, there is nothing else like the gathering of runners. It’s such a welcoming, positive and inspiring atmosphere.
The countdown sounded out & off we went. Due to the recent weather, there were puddles, slick surfaces & mud. We all happily dodged around and found our way through. The countless numbers of volunteers kept us motivated, smiling, hydrated, and on course.
The route is mostly flat and winds through an array of quaint neighborhoods, parks, a golf course, freeway, railroad track, and the industrial. I enjoyed every part of it.
My husband was really hurting at mile 9, so we slowed down a bit. The rain began to open up again and helped to motivate him through the rebellion of his green muscles and aches. We crossed the finish line and were greeted with our names being called out, a huge medal & tons of smiles. There were apples, oranges, water & bagels at the end.
Change of Pace is my all time favorite running organization. They know what they are doing and keep it affordable for everyone to enjoy. I truly appreciate their attention to detail and outstanding management. I will always look forward to their races & support them fully. All I can say is: Thank you!

The Davis Stampede is organized by A Change of Pace Foundation and they do a fantastic job. This was my 1^st Half Marathon back in 2011 and I have run it every year since. The volunteers are awesome! There are enough water stations throughout the race. Running through Davis, CA is always a pleasure. The medals are always cool. The race itself is cheap compared to similar races. This race is included in the Tour de Fit series. Overall, a great race.

Ran the 5K with some members of my nutrition club and had a blast! I was so pumped!
Parking wasn’t a hassle and there was TONS of food for all the racers! The food was especially my favorite part!
Maybe next time I’ll do the 10K! :)

I LOVED this race… not only because I got my PR ;) but because the course was scenic and great. The only part that I did NOT like about it was that quite a large portion (at least a few miles I think) was on an unpaved trail that I was not prepared for at all.
However, everything else rolled smoothly from parking to the start line!
I’ll be back next year, Stampede!

The race was amazing and I got a PR running the half marathon. Only one mundane downside, the XL tech tee fit like a large or a half size smaller. Other than that everything was great!
I run the nor cal marathon series and I was so pleased with this race I will be running the 7k and the moonlight half in july to receive my tour de fit series medal!
Btw. We need more half marathons in June!
Ryan

I’ve been eyeing the Davis Stampede for three years now and finally made the commitment to run it. First half-​marathon of 2012 and I’ve got a few things to say about it…
Pros:
Cheap race, especially when coupled with their «race pack» that they offered this year. 3 races for $ 150 I think.
Very nice tech shirts that are separate sex sized (you have to pay 5 extra dollars) Meaning I will actually wear my shirt because it will actually fit and flatter.
Full sized coconut waters at the finish line.
Cute medals for half, 10k and 5k.
Cons:
I was not too pleased with their route, we started off with the 10K-​ers and split off onto a gravel trail that we followed for a few miles, it really wreaked havoc on my feet and calves for some reason. Also, there is very little crowd support on the course, mostly a very quiet race.
Very few porta potties, even at the beginning/​finish, so we would have been late to our race if they hadn’t started late.
Rude volunteers: I appreciate all the volunteers out there and say thank you to all of them from handing me my medal to the gatorade handlers to the policemen and women that make sure none of us gets run over by a car. There was one particular woman that made snippy rude remarks and violently tore down the 10K results among a group of finishers. She was not appreciated.
Overall: I don’t feel that this race was very well organized, especially the results. I probably won’t run it again. Unfortunately, I got the race pack, so I will be running two more change of pace races this year. I hope my experiences improve!

This was both my first competitive half marathon and my first time back in Davis since my graduation in 2005. It was truly a perfect day to run — aprox. 65 degrees and rainy (exactly what I remember to be representative of a typical Winter day in CowTown). Although it was a nice break from my sublime SoCal weather, there was a constant threat of being rained-​out.
I chose this race primarily because I knew the grid (the same route that I used to run in college) and because I knew that the grade would be relatively flat (aside from the pedestrian bridge that spans the 80).
This is a great race!
Pro’s — well staffed, lots of sponsored support, post race refreshments, isolated route (sticks mostly to the bike paths and away from the road), timing chip (and all of the usual amenities)
Con’s — if you’re not a fan of running on concrete the entire time, this race isn’t for you.
All-​in-​all, I believe it was the perfect event to warrant a return-​trip to the «ivory tower». I plan on making this race an annual event but I would rather not stay at a Dixon hotel next year. I had a lot of fun showing Davis and the Sactown area to my wife — she went to college in a large city, so she got a kick out of the whole «college town» atmosphere and the overall supportive community.

For this being an easy 10K fun run… I am a fan! The run is actually pretty cool aside from the section that puts you running by the train tracks and several workers just stood outside and stared you down.
Davis is a neat place to run through and the Stampede brought a younger crowd out so dress up next time!

My friend wrangled me into doing this race because he wanted to add another finisher’s medal to his collection. So I registered…
The day before the race we picked up our race packets at Fleet Feet in downtown Davis. Pick up was easy. When registering you have a choice of a regular t-​shirt or tech T.
Race Day — Starting Line & Course:
There are two seperate starts. One for the 5kers and another for the 10kers and the ½ marathoners. The course for the most part is completely flat and fast. The only real incline is an overpass that is a long slow incline. Other than that you’ll find yourself running alongside railroad tracks, through business parks, and through 5 different neighborhood parks. The finish line brings you alongside UC Davis and into downtown Davis.
Pros:
~ timing chip
~ choice of regular tshirt or upgrade to a tech shirt
~ flat, fast course
~ smaller race; not too crowded
~ finisher’s medal
~ friendly volunteers along the course
Cons:
~ I didn’t really find any cons to this course other it wasn’t that scenic. But when things are flying by so fast, it doesn’t really matter.
To top it off, I PR’d in this run and cut my finishing time down by 5 minutes. I definitely would do this race again in the future!

Mother Nature was so nice to all of the Davis Stampede participants! The expected forecast of rain did not happen! YAY!!!
Davis Stampede is an annual run held in the beginning of February. The expected number of participants is around 3000. Participants can choose from the 5k, 10k, or Half Marathon, Kids ¼, ½, and 1 mile run. To register for the event, participants can sign up online at
, mail in the form, or sign up in person at Fleet Feet Sport in Downtown Davis.
I did the Half Marathon and it was a lot of fun! I will be in PAIN, PAIN, PAIN tomorrow morning since I did not train for the grueling 13.1 miles event. Regardless, the trail for the Half Marathon goes through Downtown Davis, onto 2^nd Street, around the Alhambra area, and throughout the South Davis bike path areas.
I was pleasantly surprised with the number of water stations for the run. There were at least 7 stations. In addition, the police and volunteers did an excellent job facilitating traffic and encouraging the runners!
Those who participated in the half marathon received a medal, tshirt, bib number, chip timer, and food! Oh boy, the food was the best part since I was sooo hungry after the run! I gobbled two pieces of Woodstock’s cinnamon bread, lots of apples and oranges, a warm veggie stew, and yogurt. YUM!
Several gripes about the event:
1) The lines to the portable bathrooms were in the trail of the 5k, so the lines had to redirected.
2) There needed more cheer squads to keep the momentum going.
3) The small size technical t-​shirts were mailed to Oregon, so I couldn’t get to wear my t-​shirt. Luckily the t-​shirts will be mailed once they arrive.
I did both the Davis Turkey Trot and the Davis Stampede, and I prefer the Davis Stampede trail. I like the space between each runner.
Definitely participate in this run! :)