Summer Scamper

***3.5 stars***
i participated in the inaugural summer scamper in 2011, as well as the following year, but have not been able to work this event into my schedule the past two years. this year, i signed up early, with my run group, as we decided to participate and support lucille packard children’s hospital together as a team. i love that this event focuses on kids, and even has a kids run in addition to the main distances.
for this particular event, there was a choice of 2 distances:
1. 10k (6.2 miles)
2. 5k (3.1 miles)
children between the ages of 3 and 10 had their own kids’ fun run, broken down as such:
1. ages 3 – 4, 200 yard run
2. ages 5 – 6, 400 yard run
3. ages 7 – 8, 600 yard run
4. ages 9 – 10, half mile run
the pros:
+VERY REASONABLE race fees, $ 30 for the 5k and $ 35 for the 10k. since my group was registered as a team, i saved an additional $ 5 on registration.
+FREE and EASY PARKING on stanford’s campus, in the lot directly across the street from the registration and finish line festival area (which was just a couple minutes walk from the start line)
+FRIENDLY VOLUNTEERS directing runners in the parking area, manning aid stations along the course, flagging runners to ensure that we stayed on course, and keeping the refreshments’ tables well stocked at the post-​race festival area.
+LOTS of PORTA-​POTTIES by the start/​finish line as well as the festival area. we also had access to the proper restrooms at the stanford track which was where the kids’ races took place.
what you get:
*choice of BIB AND TSHIRT PICKUP at campbell sports basement two days before the race or fleet feet sports menlo park the day before the race. for those who couldn’t attend either, they could pick up their bib and shirt at the registration tent the morning of the race.
*teal, DRI FIT FINISHER’S SHIRT with a white summer scamper logo
*VIRTUAL GOODY BAG, emailed to all registered participants the week of the race, with discounts to local retailers
*several AID STATIONS with volunteers handing out cups of water
*customised SUMMER SCAMPER MEDAL for each child who crossed the finish line at the kids’ race. these were super cute and i know that all of the kids loved these special medals that were made exclusively for them!
*TONS of POST-​RACE FOOD & DRINKS, including assorted bagels, bananas, oranges, KIND bars, and water.
*SPONSORS including lyfe kitchen, farm hill, kind water, kombucha, offering samples of their food, including chocolate chip cookies, mango salsa, kale salad, date bars, flavoured water, and kombucha shots.
*lots of FINISH LINE FESTIVAL ACTIVITIES, including games, more food, and opportunities to win prizes from local sponsors
the cons:
–race started 5 minutes late. both the 5k and 10k were supposed to start at 8am sharp, but they did not begin announcements until this time which delayed the start til 8:05am.
–courses were not marked properly. when comparing the official 5k course from the website to the course charted out by my garmin watch, the routes did not match and i could see that one section was missed, shortening the course by roughly 0.27 miles, which is about 9% of the distance for a 5k. my friends who ran the 10k with a garmin system reported that they ran about 5.75 miles, almost ½ mile short of the official 6.2 miles for a 10k.
–i only saw the mile 1 marker along the course, but nothing beyond that… it made me wonder whether this was intentional or perhaps i just didn’t see the mile 2 and mile 3 markers.
–there were lots of short, sharp turns along both courses, making it necessary to slow down frequently
–although i was given the small size tshirt that i signed up for, the shirts were all unisex, and mine was far too big for me. it was even too big for my husband who normally wears a small or medium sized tshirt. it would have been nice to offer both a women’s cut shirt and men’s cut shirt for proper fitting.
–no finisher medals for 5k & 10k participants, only the kids’ races
since the course was marked short, i ended up with a terrific 5k finish time, one that i knew was not possible given my current running abilities. i still ended up finishing 2^nd in my age group, and 12^th female, which surprised me considering the fact that nearly 2000 participated in the 5k, with more than half of these being women.
i did not walk away with an additional medal or prize since there were only awards for the top 3 overall men and women per distance, and winner for each age group. but i still enjoyed the awards ceremony since the announcer did a good job and many teams and kiddies took photos on stage after.
overall, a well-​organized event, but i hope they make the necessary corrections to both the 5k and 10k courses for next year so that the distances are as accurate as possible.

Just finished my 10k run for the Summer Scamper. Loved the event as the course ran through and around the Stanford campus. Well organized, easy parking, volunteers were very nice and helpful. They handed out a nice dri-​fit t-​shirt to all the participants. Some reviewers mentioned the course as not a 10k but my Nike app had the course from start to finish at 6.2 miles. This race is great for families and recreational runners as well. Had SJ Sharkie, Lou Seal (mascot for the SF Giants), and Sourdough Sam (mascot for the 49ers) there for the kids. Looking to convince my family to participate next year!

Such a fun event! Its definitely an event that caters for both families and hard-​core runners. First, they had a 5K and 10K run start at the same time. They had about 2K runners so it was a sight to see. Incredible talent in the runners. The 1^st guy back on the 5K came back in 16 minutes. Wow! What was different about this event was the Kid’s run that happens after the main race is over. They organize kids by age up to 10 years old and have them sprint on the track and have volunteers and our local sport mascots (49er’s, Giants, and Sharks) greet them at the end. All the while, they have a fair-​like atmosphere with vendors and free food and swag for the volunteers and runners. Plenty of parking across the street and police to smooth out traffic.
I came as a volunteer. They had us cheering on the runners at the beginning of the race with awesome signs like «Keep Calm and Scamp» and «Keep on Walken (With Christopher Walken’s face on the board)». Robin, the main volunteer coordinator, ran a tight ship and had a pulse on where volunteers were needed. When they had a shortage of volunteers at the water booths, they had us race over there to help them out. All-​in-​all, a very well run event and fun for everyone.

First 5k experience with family and a whole bunch of friends (all also first timers) had an awesome experience this year. The event was very organized and there were a lot of volunteers and were very friendly and helpful. The overall mood of the event was very happy. Even my little one scampered with other kids and received a medal, which made him so happy and made his experience more fun and memorable. We will definitely do it again next year.

Well organized! Lots of fun for the family — kids & parents!

Such an organized run! They had plenty of parking, quick/​efficient registration booths, visible pace/​corral starts, started on time, and had plenty of signage along the course. Plus, there was actual food at the finish!
I wasn’t in racing shape and was thankful to cross the finish line. However, the 10k course was short by about 0.2 miles. Next time, they need to double check the route or add a lap around the track.

I am a little biased since my co-​workers organize this event, but I attended the 3^rd annual Summer Scamper on June 23 as a volunteer and parent and I have to say it was fabulously fun and inspiring for our whole family!
There are beautiful 5k and 10k courses through the Stanford campus, plus a kids’ fun run (basically a mad dash!) complete with medals, t-​shirts, and high-​fives from local mascots like Sharkie. Everyone is in such a good mood, the DJ was rockin’ (hello, old school NKOTB) and we loved all the great food, freebies, and kids’ activities.
Plus, there are so many great stories of families attending in honor of their kiddos who received care at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. An all-​around super event!

Pretty awesome! I’ve done 5ks before, but this one was my first race, and I got my first ever number with my name on it! I really love that it was on Stanford University’s campus, and that participants got to park in the garage for free. The walk through campus was really lovely, and there is no uphill or downhill areas (for 5k at least, I don’t know about 10k), which was great as there were so many people with strollers and wheelchairs (very kid friendly). It’s a nice walk for a good cause. I’m definitely going to be back next year!

I think this is a great event, but maybe I’m biased because I work to raise money for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and the child health programs at Stanford. It’s really a fun day where participants of all skill levels can come out to support our patients. The event staff are terrific and you don’t see this level of service at many local 5k/​10k races. The festival and kids run afterwards are a nice touch. You’ll see me there this year working at the fundraising booth again!

It was my first race ever and I can’t compare yet but I loved everything about it. The event was vert well organized — from registration to package pick-​up and the race itself.
I have to thank the volonteers: they did an amazing job helping all the way out, and the race was a fun family-​friendly event.
I am doing it next year again.

Participated with a team of seven friends in the second annual Packard Summer Scamper this past week! It was my first race, and I commend the volunteers, staff, and organizers for having a very smooth and well-​organized race, making it quite enjoyable!
Signing up, registration, packet pick-​up, and pre-​race communications were all seamless, and the course was well-​marked and had plenty of volunteers showing us the turns. I only have two minor quibbles — first, there was a last minute change in course from what had been posted. Granted, it was a very minor change and was due to construction closing off some paths, but this made the course non-​USATF certified, and probably a tiny bit shorter than 10K. Second, the spacing of the two water stations on the 10K wasn’t great — the first one was pretty close to the beginning, and there was a significant distance between that one and the second (and final) water station. A more even spacing would be beneficial.
Overall, though, the race was a ton of fun — the post-​race expo was also tremendously organized, with plenty of food, vendors, etc. The 5K and 10K were staggered (and run on different courses, for the most part) so there wasn’t great congestion, and they also have fun runs for kids. The run is very welcomgin for runners or walkers of all levels — there were walkers, runners, and even people with strollers there! Something for everyone, and the event supports a good cause!

I’m torn on this one, the packet pick up was smooth,
parking was easy, plenty of port-​a-​potties at the start, a perfect 8am start right on the nose. Just about everything about this race was almost as good as a race can get. The 5k/​10k runners having separate finish gates was perfectly done (one of the better races I’ve done for handling different that challenge)
but… and this is a big but
the course was non USATF certified at the last moment, and the 10k was not 10k, it was roughly .25 miles short. (I know garmin data is not perfect, but I’ve run eleven 10k races and the recorded distance has ranged from 6.16 to 6.35 miles, this race measured at 6.00, much shorter than any other 10k I’ve done)
the distance of the race is sort of a big deal
I really want to give this race higher marks, absolutely everything except for the length of the course was top notch, unfortunately the length of the course is the most important thing to get right.