Mile Hi Mile 2011 year 4

The Mile Hi Mile completed year four in 2011 with a new record of more than 1,700 runners.
I have run in three one mile races in Colorado and the Mile Hi has the greatest number of runners but came with the most problems too.


On the plus side one can count on massive parking options. Along with all of the parking, comes plenty of warm up area in the parking lot.  There are some races where warming up can be problematic, but MHM is grade A for parking and warm up

There were some issues with race however. There were plenty of port-o-potties but one of them ( in the West area lot) was the most disgusting pre race potty I have ever seen. That is not something a race director can control but was a definite negative.



Next, is the always tricky line between respecting runners who planned ahead and arrived on time, and those who arrive late.  The races started about 20 minutes late, but given the weather was good, most runners did not seem to mind.

The course inside the stadium is tight but that did not seem to affect race winner Adam Rich who ran 4:28!

 

Redline Races- Westminster Half Marathon

The spring racing season continued for me with the Westminster half marathon produced by Redline Races. Redline has been around for more than three years, and has sponsored races for thousands of runners, according to race director Josh Melver.

Josh and staff produced a first class inaugural half marathon with tons of prizes and a solid pre and post race food table.

The out and back course offered a pleasant mix of smooth running trails and sidewalks. The course was relatively flat, with ample space for switching from side to side on the trail to shave a few feet off the distance. Race day weather was outstanding, with sunny skies but cool running temperatures. I ran sleeveless and in shorts for maximum comfort.

I’m new to the half marathon distance with this race marking my third attempt at the distance, and my second in two weeks.

Kudos to event organizer Josh Melver and his staff overall for an excellent effort on the first time event. Josh mentioned post race that everyone would go home with a medal or a prize and I did not see too many folks walking away empty handed. 

 Race crew taking a short break between finishers.

There were some great prizes too, ones that you would not even see at larger races- such as three-yep three- prizes $600 gift certificates to Comfort Dental. There were also medals for the top three finishers in each age group.

The only real glitch in the event that I noticed was that the course could have been marked a little better. That is an easy enough fix for a super event, that is an excellent local half marathon to check your spring form. See you in 2012!

Redline Races--Interview with Josh Melver Race Director

Click here to enter the race.

One of the parts that I love best about my job is that most of the inspiration for events comes from being out on trails running.  So the planning for this event actually started 6 years ago when we lived in Westminster and I spent a lot of time on the Big Dry Creek Trail as the training basis for the events that I competed in that year. It is a great trail that allows a runner to go for miles and miles on a forgiving running surface unimpeded by traffic and street crossings and other aspects of urban running. I think the most important part of a great event starts with finding a venue that participants can have a great experience on due to the intrinsic qualities that naturally exist. The Big Dry Creek trail offers that from the wildlife viewing opportunities to the many water features to the various undulations of the trail.  Once the idea is hatched it is a matter of turning into a salesperson and convincing the local municipalities, sponsors and ultimately participants that the event will be special and that your organization has a successful track record of presenting successful events.  

What are some of the challenges of organizing a first time event?

Probably one of the biggest challenges is in fulfilling that "salesperson" role.  It is time-intensive and at times frustrating when people do not see your vision of the event and how it can positively impact their group, be it a city, business or individual.  This event imposed a particular challenge with the timeframe it had to be accomplished in.  We had several runners, who participate in many Redline productions, request a North Denver 1/2 Marathon in the Spring. The requests grew to the point that they could not be ignored so we attempted to organize an event with the shortest lead time we have ever attempted.  The ball for the logistical planning started rolling in mid-January and we received the approval for the event the latter part of February, so we had 4-5 weeks to then start the promotions. The City of Westminster and the business community have treated us phenomenally and we could not pull off this event without their support.  The partnership with Roadrunner Sports as the title sponsor was a key in being able to effectively communicate information about the race and we look forward to continuing that partnership for years to come. The Westminster event will be more intimate the first year with less than 100 participants expected and we are just fine with that as it gives us a chance to really connect with the participants, give them a great experience and in return hopefully see them at future Redline events.   

You also have a running club that meets during the racing season. Tell us about the club and some of the feedback you get from members.

The club actually meets year-round and it has blown away our growth expectations.  We started the first week of 2011 and we are approaching 30 members of the club.  I have 2 very accomplished and enthusiastic coaches that work alongside me in training the team. It is a blast to get together a group of distance runners as we (speaking collectively of the demographic) are a pretty energetic and fun group to associate with.  There are three training options that the club offers (2/week, 1/week, or online) to help meet each runners individual scheduling demands.  We meet Tuesdays @ 5:30am or 6pm and then Saturday's @ 6:30am (soon to be 6am as the summer heat approaches). The group concept of training is very powerful as there is a natural synergistic element that exists at each training session.  With the numbers that we have there are a variety of different pacing structures that are present (from 11 minute miles to 6 minute miles) so everyone normally has someone to run with, in front of and behind.  That environment forces a person to make greater gains in fitness levels than performing the identical workout solo. Our group sessions concentrate on the speed aspects of training, since those usually lack consistency and quality when attempted alone.  The club has been ecstatic about both their performance increase and the camaraderie of the team that helps these key workouts take place with less pain and effort.  In addition, it is great to see friendships formed that extend to new running partner relationships on long runs and other training days.

Speaking as a race director what would you say makes for a top quality event?

One of our niches that we really focus on at Redline Running Company is to not think primarily as a "race director".  We strive to have our "default" inspiration for every event, lean on and be guided by our experiences in our personal competitive and recreational running pursuits and those of our participants.  It is then a matter of plugging in logistical specifics to make that vision a reality.  Some of that is simply having enough water stations and port-a-potties and having them in the right place on the course. I also think it is key to have the course flow naturally with needed directions so a runner does not have to "think" while they race. One of my biggest "pet peeves" as a runner is inaccurate course measurements and timing.  It is not right for me as a race director to have a lack of respect for all of the time and effort that a participant puts into training for my event and then not extend the assumed courtesy of accuracy at the event.  I have spent the last 10 years of my professional life in retail management where the focus everyday has been providing outstanding customer service.  We take that same approach with our running company, that I now have the privilege of pursuing full-time.  With that in mind, we solicit responses from our participants via exit surveys about each event we put on.  These are sometimes hard to hear, but they have been so valuable in structuring future events so they are more customer friendly to our running/walking participants.  The ability to be "big enough" to hear the criticism is key to a successful event. At the end of the day, our hope is that a participant in a Redline Race has a fun, challenging and memorable experience that allows them to perform at their highest level and walk away inspired to "dare to put their foot down" and dream bigger in every aspect of their lives.  

Rudi's Organic Half at Boulder Res

Completed the Boulder Spring Half Sunday, March 27th. This was a first class event. Excellent support on the course. A great day for running with temps in the 40's. More to come

Countdown to race day.....

Colleen De Reuck & Mario Macias

to Headline Half Marathon Field! 

Dear Boulder Spring Half Runners,   

Less than a week until the 2nd Annual Rudi's Organic Boulder Spring Half Marathon, 10 Mile & 10 Kilometer!  

Colleen De Reuck & Mario Macias at Spring Half Starting Line! 

We're excited to report that the elite field will once again be incredible at the Rudi's Organic Boulder Spring Half - and we just got word that Colleen de Reuck will headline the women's race! Colleen's accomplishments are many, some of which include: 4-time Olympian, former world record holder, and currently the most accomplished female masters runner in the United States.  

Mario Macias will once again headline the men's field, and his accomplishments are impressive. Mario finished a 2010 season that was simply incredible. He started 2010 by winning the Boulder Spring Half in March, and then over the summer won the Vail Pass Half Marathon and Teva Mountain Games 10K on consecutive days! Last fall Mario won both the Denver Half Marathon as well as the Boulder Half Marathon. We look forward to seeing Colleen and Mario on race day!

Interview with Jeff Mason- Race Director Rudi's Organic Boulder Marathon

How did the Boulder Spring Half Marathon come about?

For the past several years I had thought that there was an opportunity to produce a quality half marathon event in the early spring. Early spring in Colorado is really a special time, and I had hoped that runners would be motivated to jump into a quality distance event after the long winter. To a lot of people, spring symbolizes newness, and an opportunity to start the season out with a renewed sense of optimism. That's what we've tried to capture with the Spring Half, so far it seems to be working. 

Two years ago I started talking to the Boulder Reservoir about letting me operate the Spring Half there, and they gave me the green light for the 2010 event. While I hoped it would be successful, the 2010 event ended up being a big hit. We had nearly 2,000 runners in the half marathon, 10 mile and 10K and it was a really successful day (and the weather cooperated). So the groundwork was obviously set for the 2nd Annual Spring Half, which takes place this Sunday, March 27th. We have a lot of really great things in store for our participants and it looks like the weather is going to be ideal (fingers crossed!). I'm really excited and we'll have runners coming from across the state and many people flying in from other states as well. As the event is only 7 days away, I can safely say that it's going to be a really fun and successful event. Lots of good surprises for the runners as we have tons of sponsorship support - which will allow us to operate a first class event. 

Can you talk about how many volunteers it takes to put on a successful event? 

The Spring Half requires between 100 and 150 volunteers. We've been recruiting volunteers for months now and it looks like we'll be in pretty good shape. From the food tent, to all of the other tasks at the reservoir, and course needs like aid stations…it really adds up. We make it worth their while as all volunteers receive a race shirt, glass, and the same food as the runners get. Events like this simply couldn't be possible without the help and support volunteers. It's great that many people give back to the running community in the form of volunteering at events like the Spring Half.

What does race day look like for you? 

Race day for me is always a stressful affair. Even when things run smoothly you're operating on zero sleep, and you always worry about the things that can go wrong. So I just do the best I can covering all of the details and hope for the best. Optimism get you everywhere in this business. You have to just expect that things will go well, event though you know that things will come up that you didn't expect.

How does the mixture of walkers and runners add to the uniqueness of the event?

I think that having runners and walkers make the event more interesting – for the simple fact that we have people of all ability levels coming out and having a good time. After all, it really is about participating and completing the race course. How fast you finish the course isn't really very important for a large percentage of the participants, nor should it be. Especially being the first large event of its kind in the early spring – many people just want to show up and have a good time, and they could care less how fast their time is. 

This event has a great spot on the running calendar—talk a little about what you see for the future of the race.

I'm really excited for the future of the event. I think it will always be at about 2,000 runners, as we really can't fit more at the reservoir. 2,000 is really a perfect size for an event like this at the Boulder Reservoir. My goal is to improve the Spring Half each year and hopefully give people reasons to come back and run in future years. 

Additional comments:

We have some really cool things in store for the Boulder Marathon event this fall. We've moved the event to Labor Day for the first time, and this will have a really positive effect on the event. Labor Day in Boulder is a really fun time (with events like the Boulder Creek Fest going on), and I'm really excited to get working on the event once the Spring Half is over!

Finally, I think it's great that motivated runners like you do blogs like this. I really appreciate the opportunity to tell your readers about the Boulder Spring Half, and I hope to see you all out at the Boulder Reservoir this weekend. Go to bouldermarathon.com if you'd like more information on the event! 

See you on the roads!

Regards,

Jeff Mason

Race Director

Rudi's Organic Boulder Marathon & Boulder Spring Half

www.bouldermarathon.com

ROTG 2011 in the Books

The first race of the season is over, for a lot of us with the 23rd annual ROTG in downtown Denver. This years event drew more than 4,000 runners and offered several changes including:

• A new corral start
• An additional short hill between miles 2 and 3
• A short finishing stretch rather than last years longer flat finish

I’m interested in your thoughts on the course change, which I give high marks. I definitely should have done some recon on the finish line. L

I found the course changes to be challenging.

I liked the corral start, but would have preferred a designator letter similar to the Bolder Boulder. Like others, I wasn’t sure how quickly the first corral would fill up so I arrived plenty early to guarantee a spot in it. This gave me more than an hour of standing around waiting which was a big negative.

The course itself is pretty fast. After starting on 17^th street heading East for a couple of blocks, the course turns left on Market-heading north. The first mile has a little uphill and down but seems to be generally fast. There is plenty of room to pass (or to be passed) which is a huge plus for any race.

Heading uphill on 29th to Mile 2 is challenging. There were plenty of runners like me who  looked forward to cresting and enjoying the downhill to come.

New for this year was the continued downhill and a sharp turn to the South out by REI sports. Coming downhill I kept thinking about going back up but decided to run hard anyway. I managed ok on the uphill climb and headed North again on Central Street towards 20th.

One part of the course that was a little tricky was the merging of runners with the un-timed walkers on the two mile out and back. The potential 20^th street chaos seemed to be well managed, save for a couple of small children who weaved their way through a couple of runners in front of me.

Once past the merging section (again wide lanes of 20^th street were quite helpful) I shifted gears and headed for the finish. I would have preferred to have a strong kick but managed to complete the course a mere 7 seconds of my goal time.

So I left downtown Denver slightly disappointed that I just missed out on my goal time (sub 30 minutes) but very happy for another great running experience. See you next time!