NOTE: Let me qualify this race review by saying I am somewhat picky about races and my race dollars are limited. If I am paying $45 for a race, certain amenities are expected. Smaller, less expensive races put on by running clubs always get more leeway.

Today I walked the Scioto Miles 15K race held in Downtown Columbus with five other Buckeye Striders. I was hesitant to enter (which is why I just registered this week) because this series has not impressed me in the past.

There are three distance options in each of these races: 5K, 10K or 15K at $45 each. I think $45 is a little high for a 5K or 10K, but that might just be me. My goal was to complete the race at an easy pace feeling good.

At packet pickup, we found out there were issues with the race shirts. They were extremely small and the volunteers recommended going up a size or two. Deb decided to go with a large, I opted for a medium. I regretted not going larger. It is a nice fabric and they are cuter than last year’s shirts.

At the start, we lined up at the back of the pack facing west on Broad Street. We could not understand a word the announcer said. Not sure if it was the sound system or him. There was no National Anthem.

As soon as the race started, we were passed by tons of runners. I honestly thought we had lined up toward the back — where were they coming from? (I know, I say that nearly every race.)

The wind had slowed, the sun was rising and it was a beautiful morning!

There were police officers directing traffic at nearly every intersection! They did a great job!

The first issue came at the Long Street water station. There was one lone guy standing there at a table with his back to the racers. I asked if he had water, he said yes. Deb and I grabbed a cup off the table and walked on. How on Earth did he handle the large crowd of fast 5K runners?

There was a lot of road construction on Long Street making the street uneven. It was a cool area, though. The renovated Lincoln Theater was beautiful! There were some really pretty houses, great murals on buildings, and it looked like there were new businesses in the area.

We returned to Broad Street with no problems, trying to stay between 13:45 and 14:30. As we passed the finish line to continue the second loop of the course, we noticed a small family at a table handing out full bottles of water. We did not want to carry water with us, so we declined.

Traffic picked up as we went west on Long Street again. Some run/walk leap froggers stopped a race staff member on a bike to grab bottles of water. When we got to the water stop, there were a couple more people helping the original guy and they did actually hand us water this time. Deb was unexpectedly given Gatorade, which was quite a shock.

Toward the end of the second loop, I started to have pain in my left hip. It was severe enough that I considered stopping. Deb and Pat convinced me to keep going at an easier pace. We slowed to a 15 to 15:30 pace. As time went on I felt better.

For the final loop, the runners around us had really dissipated.  Not only were we much slower than typical, but a lot of runners did just 5K or 10K. Traffic became more of a problem with stupid drivers not listening to the police. We felt safe though.

The temperatures dropped as we returned to Broad Street. My hands were freezing! We crossed the finish line much slower than we had anticipated, but we were happy and I was not in much pain. We received our medals and walked to get some water and food. We saw a few boxes of NutriGrain bars and nothing else. I asked about water. Apparently, they had run out, but we were told someone was bringing more.

We grabbed granola bars and walked back to our cars.

This race was disappointing for several reasons, but the only inexcusable one was water. When someone pays $45 to enter a race, there are a few things that are expected: a shirt that fits and water on the course.

OK, sometimes the shirt people make a mistake. I don’t like it, but it happens. But the lack of people at the water stops? Handing out full bottles of water with 6 miles to go? No water at the finish line? It made me wonder if they even want people to do the 15K distance.

Last year this race series was along the Scioto Miles park on the the other side of the river. Both races — two weeks apart — used the exact same course with the exact same 1-mile marker in the wrong spot. We did the 5K first and discovered that at the finish there was tons of food and water and coffee… it was wonderful! When we did the 15K only two weeks later, there was chocolate milk, water and maybe a bagel or granola bars. But very little was left. It was evident then that the 15K participants were second class. On top of that, doing the exact same course, the exact same shirt in different colors, the exact same medal in different colors…. I felt no need to do this race again.

If we were not training for a half marathon in April, I would not have entered this race. It was a last-minute decision this week and our goal was an easy training pace. And because of the lack of attention to the last finishers, I’m pretty sure I won’t do it again.

In Fleet Feet’s defense, I posted a comment about no water on their Facebook page and they did respond that they will do better next race. An explanation would have been nice, though.

 

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