The Pints to Pasta 10k race has been a September tradition for many runners in Portland. Last year, a half marathon was added, and this year it is moving to July. Making changes to something that has worked is always risky. But while there will probably be people who choose not to run a race they have loved when too many things are different, there will also be other people who participate for the first time because of the changes. Race organizer HTC Race Series is promising improvements over last year’s logistics, and the new course looks great. After you register, keep an eye out for race-day instruction emails from the organizer, since parking and shuttle service is different from past years.
For the first time since its inception, Pints to Pasta will not end at the Old Spaghetti Factory, but instead it will be just across the Tillikum Crossing Bridge at OMSI on Water Ave. The half marathon starts and finishes at OMSI, and participants can park their cars there at their start/finish. Packet pickup and gear check for half marathon is also located at OMSI. Runners and walkers start at 7:30am, heading north on Water Ave, crossing the Morrison Bridge, then north on Naito and through the Pearl District to cross the Broadway Bridge. After a quick loop around the block near the Moda Center, the next two miles head north on Interstate and Greeley Ave to the half way turnaround point, which is also the 10k start. From there, the half marathoners trace back the exact way they came. For the half marathon there is a course limit of about 3h15′, meaning that you have to maintain a 15 min/mile pace. The course will re-open to traffic behind the 15 min/mile mark.
P2P Course (click to enlarge)
The 10k course runs point-to-point, starting at the half marathon’s half way turnaround on N Greeley Ave. 10k participants park their car at Daimler near the start, and while there are shuttles that cover the 0.6 mile distance between the parking lots and the start, you can also make this your warmup walk. At the 10k start, runners and walkers can pick up their race packet (if they didn’t at the early pickup options) and check their gear, which will be transported to the finish line after start of the race. The 10k starts at 7:30am as well and follows mostly the same route as the half marathon. The only exception is on Naito Blvd where 10k-ers turn left onto the Morrison Bridge while the half marathoners have a quick out-and-back portion to bring their distance up to a full half marathon.
At the finish line party, there’ll be music and refreshments, every participant gets food from Old Spaghetti Factory, and choices of drinks from Barefoot Bubbly and Full Sail Brewing. There’ll be raffle prizes by sponsors, and awards are given to the top finishers and top three in each age group.
Pints to Pasta details:
When: Sunday, July 24; 7:30am
What: 10k, half marathon
Registration: Online here
Registration cost: $74 (10k), $99 (Half) through 7/10. $79/$109 7/11-7/23.
Registration includes: chip timed race, event shirt, finisher’s medal, post race food, drink, music, raffle.
Packet pickup: Thursday, July 21st: 10:00am – 7:00pm, Portland Running Company, 800 SE Grand Ave., Portland, Oregon 97214
Friday, July 22nd: 10:00am – 6:00pm, VillaSport, 13900 SW Meridian St, Beaverton, OR 97005
Race Day: Sunday, July 24th: 6:30am
