2010 Long Beach Turkey Trot

This is the last year we will run the LB trot. It's too bad because it is a nice, flat, fast course along the beach, but it is seriously getting way too crowded for the narrow bike path. It's great that the sport of recreational racing is getting more popular, but some events just have to know when to evolve and this one hasn't yet.

The race cost $30 and with an estimated 6000 runners, you would think they would have chip timing or at least take your tag and document your time. Nope. They also run the 5k AND the 10k at the same time. Dumb. They also ran the races at 7:30am, then at 8:30am then again at 9:30am. What they don't tell you is that they only keep track of and award prizes to the runners of the 9:30am race. Stupid. Especially since Kristen was 1st place female yet no one even acknowledged this as she crossed the finish line. No one. Nothing. And the "beauty queen" handing out the traditional pumpkin pies wouldn't give one to her because apparently Kristen didn't have "the right bib number". Are you kidding me? It's one thing to hand out pies to a random sampling of bib numbers, but to not even give one to THE FIRST PLACE FINISHER! Not smart. I went back to ask if I had the right number because I just kind of blew by the finish line and the "beauty queen" yelled at me over her shoulder, "You don't have the right number!" I thought it was funny that she didn't even bother to look at my bib. Oh well.

So Kristen ran the 10k in 41:38 and was the first female to finish. But only the 9:30am racers got acknowledged. I ran the 10k in 54:37 which is 2:26 slower than my PR. Anyway, we ran it with some fellow AREC'ers and close friends so regardless of the problems with the race, we still had a good time. Next year, Dana Point.