Yoga, Run, Party: SeaWheeze 2015 Recap

SeaWheeze 2015 in Vancouver was nothing short of a really good time. Sure, I was crunching in an international half marathon with a quick three-day, two-night trip (read about how I prepped and packed for the race here!) — but pushing the limits of air travel was worth it! I am so glad I traveled to experience such a unique race presented by the Canadian brand, Lululemon.

I was warned ahead of time not to expect a PR for a variety of reasons — and that was okay. I haven’t kept track but I estimate this was my sixth half marathon. My goal was to finish between 2:30 and 2:40, however I started to bonk at mile 9. Likely because I hadn’t gotten in as many long runs during the hot Phoenix summer as I wanted and because — well — traveling a long way for a race is hard! Luckily, this race had TONS of supportive ladies on the course and things to make the race more about the experience than the clock. I finished with a great group of women and enjoyed all the event had to offer.

Thinking of doing SeaWheeze, too? Here’s what ROCKED about this race …

SeaWheeze 2015 Pros

1. Atmosphere. From greeters at the airport to a DJ, the energy in the mostly female crowd was contagious. Fun announcements, temporary tattoo stations, post-run massage offerings, lots of yoga opportunities and runner camaraderie was unlike any race I’ve run. There were ping-pong tables, free coffee, people in animal costumes performing, a haircut station, pool tables and more at packet pickup. Of course, the crowd — full of out-of-towners like myself — was colorful and well dressed, too!  My favorite was the starting line announcement: “There’s three minutes until the next wave starts; just enough time to take a selfie, select a filter and post your SeaWheeze selfie.” My running buddy and host for the weekend, Yuri (author of the running blog Yuri in a Hurry) admitted he loved this home-town race since it was so much fun. In fact, the first annual SeaWheeze was his first half marathon many years ago! The race is very organized, which is a nice change from some other young races I’ve done.

2. Fun stuff and swag. Every runner got a very cool check-in bag that was actually a messenger bag, plus a special water bottle with various motivational savings, and every registrant got limited-edition shorts in the mail before the race. Even the timing chip has thought put into it — it’s a photo of “Chip,” as in Chip Wilson, the founder of the company. Pretty clever!

Not only was there a line 4,000 people long to get into the expo shop (runners got in early), people camped out at 8 p.m. the previous night just to get in the next morning. The expo shop had apparel and accessories that were limited edition and available only at the race. Definitely a step above most expos. I didn’t get into Vancouver proper until about 2 p.m. on Friday but still managed to pick up a pair of shorts and a shirt at the expo shop.

The post-race food offerings included fresh fruit on a waffle and water, and every finisher got an unusual medal, essential oils from Saje and a limited-edition SeaWheeze hat.

3. Nighttime festival. Many races offer a post-race party, but SeaWheeze kicked it up a notch and let us go home and shower before a stunning sunset festival in Stanley Park complete with yoga, three relatively well-known bands, a trapeze station, local vendors and beer and wine.

The backdrop of the mountains, grass and water was one of the stunning sites and provided a very low-impact way to spend a night outside soaking in all a Vancouver Summer has to offer. The vibe was very relaxed, but some of the crowd near the stage was dancing and excited, too.

Photo credit: Lululemon

It was nice to meet some of my host’s fellow Vancouverites and just relax with other runners. Best of all, admission was free if you ran the race! A very welcome value.

4. Easy transportation. Vancouver is a great city for walking and public transit and Lululemon had buses available that went to Stanley Park, home of the sunset festival. If you flew in like I did, you can hop right on the train at the airport and get to the Convention Center in about 25 minutes.

Although streets were closed near the course, much of the course (about 10K) was on the Seawall, which definitely eliminated some of the congestion I’m used to for this size of event.

5. Beautiful, yet urban course. Vancouver is a town of runners and the mix of urban convenience and stunning natural beauty combined with unique “road side” attractions like mermaids on the rocks of the seawall, spinners on bikes, and the viaduct and drag queens in the West End made this a never-be-bored race.

Photo credit: Karrie Dutton

There was pretty much some attraction or local group cheering us on every 3K, and the course offered a chance to see several neighborhoods up close.

SeaWheeze 2015 Cons

Some improvements this race could use …

1. Better pacer signage. Once the race started, pacers became difficult to find if you weren’t running right on their tails.

2. A SeaWheeze shirt. The limited-edition expo shop stuff was great, but it didn’t say the name of the race or year on it, as they’ve offered in previous years. Almost everyone agrees — bring the shirt back!

3. A lighter medal. This year’s medal, while fun, weighed a ton and I heard horror stories of people not being able to get them through the airport in carry-on luggage.

Huge medal! Photo credit: Yuri in a Hurry

4. Placed corrals. The start of the race is relaxed, but that means that lots of people are not really in the proper corral. It would be great if Lululemon asked you about your pace when you register and provided a stricter corral placement. This was many participants’ first half marathon, and I ended up going quite a bit of extra distance weaving around walkers who were walking three and four across.

5. More Porta-Potties. I waited to find a less-than-crowded Porta-Potty station and still waited 10 minutes in line before I gave up and continued on running. It’s a race full of ladies so someone miscalculated.

6. Race photos. The downside of the race’s wristband and shoe-chip system is that there are no official race photos, which if you’re traveling by yourself like I did, makes it hard to guarantee you’ll get a photo of yourself running.

Want to run SeaWheeze next year? Registration usually happens in September and sells out in less than half an hour, so if you’re interested, watch social media outlets and chat groups for registration date confirmation. Then, have a blast!

Anyone else do SeaWheeze? What did you think of the race? —-Kate Crowley