The Pints to Pasta race has been a late summer staple for many local runners for years. In 2015, race organizer HTC Race Series made some changes to the course and added a half marathon, and several things didn’t work out so well for about half of the 10k participants. (You can read my recap of the 2015 race here.) HTC has promised to overhaul the race plan, and today they announced some promising changes in their email sent to newsletter subscribers.
Register by December 20 to get this awesome gear! Click on the image to be taken to the registration page.
Check out all the details here, register by clicking here, and read on for the quick info.
P2P Course Map (click to enlarge)
The biggest change is that 10k runners will be parking their cars near the start line. The plan is that the parking lot at Daimler on Swan Island will serve as the designated parking spot, and there will be shuttle buses offered to cover the 0.6 miles to the start line on N. Greeley Ave near Going Street. This also means that the start will be at the top of the hill again, offering a fast downhill start! There will be a gear drop at the start, which will be transported to the finish. After the race, participants can take a shuttle back from the finish to their parked car.
The second big change is the finish line, which is moving to OMSI on the east side of the river. That location offers plenty of parking for the half marathon participants, who will start and finish their race on Water Ave near OMSI. I love running bridges, and the fact that this course will give me both the Broadway and the Morrison Bridge makes it even more attractive to me.
Last but not least: Date change! For 2016, Pints to Pasta is slated to take place on July 24th. This is still seven months in the future, so there’s a chance it may change because of permitting, but a mid-summer race could have a very different feel than late summer.
There is also an incentive for signing up early: If you register by December 20th, you will receive a 22 oz bottle of Full Sail, a Nike running cap, and a Pints to Pasta pint glass.
