It was a perfect running day in Portland on the morning of the Rock’n’Roll Half Marathon and 10k Portland when close to 8,000 runners and walkers took to the streets for their chosen distance. 52* and cloudy skies made me choose running capris and a long sleeve tech shirt, which ended up being perfect attire for me. Anticipating parking problems and crowds similar to the Shamrock Run, I left my house allowing plenty of time before the 8:30am start. It turns out that I could have slept longer, since on my walk from my parking spot to the start line I saw plenty more open street parking spots.
The start/finish line vendors and offerings were open and ready for business well before the scheduled start, which is great for participants and spectators alike. The wait for porta-potties was manageable, especially at the south end of the lawn by the main stage, since runners would be closer to the start lines already. The 10k start line was the half-marathon finish line, and we were encouraged to line up in our three corrals. I’m not sure if everybody even knew their corral number, but the release and hold system for staggered start stretched the field out quickly and I never felt crowded.
The course for the 10k was mostly flat, except for the on-ramps onto bridges. I liked the fact that the course isn’t the same as many other downtown races, but it goes on the eastside of the river. However, being a 10k, we didn’t get out of the desolate, somewhat depressing industrial corner of SE, which would not be the prettiest part of our town to show to visiting runners. Hopefully out-of-towners who took the time to travel to Portland would have chosen the half-marathon, that’s showing some nicer neighborhoods.
We got to cross the river four times during the race. Within the first mile, Hawthorne Bridge took us to the east side. There was carpet laid out on the steel grid to make running safe and possible. The course marking could have been better on the off-ramp; more cones could have made the division between runners and cars safer. A water station just past the bridge was very well placed. A dreary mile along SE 3rd Ave (the second mile of any run it tough for me anyway..) took us to the next water station and the on-ramp onto the Morrison Bridge.
Back on Naito Parkway, I was approaching the 5k marker when I head the announcement that the 10k winner had just finished his race. The two miles on Naito are a familiar part of many downtown races; however, this time we were limited to the southbound lanes (northbound having being reserved for the half-marathon), which made this out-and-back portion of the course the most crowded part. The on-ramp to the Steel Bridge seemed unnecessarily steep to my tired legs, so I walked to the top. Crossing the bridge I saw the 5 mile marker at the other end and told myself that I only had a good 10 minutes left. Off the top-level of the Steel Bridge, another water station (including Gatorade; yay!), and circling around to the pedestrian lower level of the Steel Bridge, we headed onto the Waterfront Park trail towards the finish line. The last 0.1 mile was on uneven grass, including holes and sand patches, through with I stepped carefully.
Crossing the finish line, I was handed my beautiful finisher’s medal (bottle opener on the back side), and offered water, Gatorade, chocolate milk, Power Bars and a bagel. While I appreciate the water available very quickly after the finish, I was running out of hand space before ever leaving the finish chute. I was also looking for a mylar blanket to drape around me (knowing that RnR events usually offer them), but did not see any offered to 10k runners. There was free food for runners and food for purchase for anybody. Hit Machine was playing on the main stage, and I picked up my free beer. (No lines!) Even spectators were able to get a free 3oz beer sample, or buy a full 12oz for just $3.
The big advantage of a large race organization like Rock ‘n’ Roll’s Competitor Group is the high level of expertise and course support. The 10k had four water stations, two of which also offered Gatorade Endurance. There was no guess-work involved in choosing the drink from the volunteers; water was served in white cups, which Gatorade was in green Gatorade brand cups. The start/finish area was very well-organized with directional signs and designated meetup spots. The fact that the 10k and half marathon had separate start and finish lines was nice to me from a runner’s point of view, but I heard a handful of spectators got confused. I overheard several phone conversations with a “you’re at the wrong finish line; I already finished” theme. However, overall it was a very pleasant and well-run race.