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James River Scramble Thoughts
Anyone else disapointed with the evening strat time for the Scramble this year? 83 degrees at the start time just about killed me! I had decided not to run because of the late start time, but a younger brother was running this as his first 10K so I decided to run with him. I would do it again if a family member was running it with me, but I think that is the only way I would run it again. It was also disapointing to have no powerade or gatorade at the water stops in that kind of heat. Lesson learned: even though I don't like to use my fuel belt in shorter races, I would use it if I ran another hot weather race, even if it was a short race.
Views: 16
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Janelynn Testerman on -
I plan on running it next year. I like the late start time because it puts you right in the music and events of the evening. It's not a race in which I'd shoot for a PR, I'd even plunge in the river and squish along for the rest.
No one wants to come to my morning races. But with this one, it's a fun event for my whole family.
I sure hope they add Gatorade at the stops though.
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Permalink Reply by Lisa McKenna on -
I had mixed feelings about the later start. I liked that it felt like part of the DR event...if it had been at 8am there would have been little to no crowd out there. However, I didn't like the heat that came with the later start time. It was brutal and I was glad that I carried my own Powerade.
It is still one of my favorite races, as it is so different than any other race Richmond has to offer. I will definitely be back next year.
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Permalink Reply by Shane Rowley on -
I agree that it was quite hot out. I found myself picking up pace in sun patches to reach the shade, but I don't think the heat was enough to affect my running. I was easily on pace to set a new PR, but I decided to slow down on the second half since I ran the Carytown 10k yesterday. I also walked on the rocks and stuff so I wouldn't re-inflame my knee's tendonitis.
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Permalink Reply by Sean C on -
These are all good thoughts, while many Sports Backers staff are members of RRRC, I don't know if they frequent the message board. I highly recommend sending your input directly to Sports Backers. In my opinion they are very good at listening to their customers and making appropriate changes.
Q
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Permalink Reply by Scott Lewis on -
The heat was definitely a factor and think starting an hour later might have made a difference, but I agree with other folks that have pointed out that starting at 5pm made the race more a part of the overall festival. I can understand the disappointment of the late start and heat but I had a blast doing the race and will definitely do it again next year no matter the time or heat.
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Permalink Reply by Eileen on -
I Love that Scramble run because of the floodwall steps, jumping rocks across the river, steep climb on the Mayan stairs, and all the hard stuff--the challenges and diversity make it so much fun and you feel like you really accomplished something! The music and events and wonderful crowds of people really re-energized at the end there! It was so fantastic!
I am more a morning runner, and you are right! It was a very hot one for sure as you said! I felt quite sick and nauseous from the heat at only one mile in! My very old body can't take that anymore as well as it used to! LOL and that's the sad truth!
But the good news is, I really did appreciate to be out there and keep going despite the heat which I thought was great to test the body, so when you finish, you feel extra happy about accomplishing and finishing despite the challenges!
And it made going into the woods on the way back such a happy blessing!!!
It felt sooooo wonderful, extra wonderful with triple appreciation for the covering shade of the beautiful trees and coolness of the water there at the end!
The best news is I lost about 7 water lbs.! Yay! I really needed that as out of shape as I am! I loved seeing that on the scale! Thank you Scramble!!! :) :)
(Bad news is, boo hoo-- it all came back once I drank to rehydrate and ate dinner! :( LOL! )
Your post is very interesting, because I wondered also, do most runners prefer
morning or evening runs? I guess both can have pluses and minuses for various reasons.
In a nutshell, I think it's kind of nice to have both as choices and mix it up a bit to keep the body on it's toes and try different things!
Looking back I think the heat kind of added to that exciting challenge that the Scramble brings in the first place--it's a tougher run than a regular roadrace so the heat magnified the adventure!
Seeing the finish line was the best and extra celebration--Yay! I survived this and it feels good!
Also, great point and good idea you made about carrying your fuel belt! I did carry an extra large water bottle in my hand which was heavy, but turned out to be a life saver to stay somewhat hydrated.
All that being said, if I had a pick, as fun as it was, I still love the morning start better!
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Permalink Reply by Kyle Beddoes on -
I'd like to go back to the early start as well. Yeah, it's neat that it's during the whole festival, but by the same token, I found it hard to find the start line and hear the pre-race announcements over the music. I carried my own water, thank goodness - after the race a young lady asked me to help her find the water - she looked wiped out and with the big crowd is wasn't that easy to find.
I guess I could run the XTerra race in June instead, but they want about $10-15 more for the same race. Seems like a lot for a 10K.
Still, this is my favorite race since it's so unusual.
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Permalink Reply by Ken Hodge on -
Actually Xterra sent out an email to past participants advertising a $15 entry fee for their version of the scramble (the fugitive) that was good on tax day, April 15th. Sorry you missed it.
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Permalink Reply by David Hagan on -
I'm split. The evening start caught people who had done it before by surprise but next year (if it is at 5pm), everyone will know what to expect. As Joe says, not every race should be about a PR and I like the challenge. Speaking of challenges- I improved 7:31 in less than 15 hours, where else can you get such an improvement?
On the other hand, I think it is very reasonable to expect a minimal amount of carbs after a race (Kudos to Carytown 10K!). My car and wallet were too far away and 3 powerades and a beer (not a regular drinker) didn't revive me very well. I guess next time i'll use the drink ticket for the beer and the bag check ticket for the post-race carbs i'll have to bring for myself.
Final- thanks to whomever posted the $15 tax day registration in the Trail Running Group commentary- I'm doing the 21K for about $1.15/mile.
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Permalink Reply by Dana on -
I think with a race like that you need to expect the unexpected. Go prepared. I think most of us knew it would be hot and sunny at 5pm. That being said, heck yes I prefer the morning start time (even the Xterra in 6/08 was better). Because it was later and going to be hot and sunny; I prepared an ice bottle to carry at my back to help keep me from being so hot and to back me up on the last stretch. (A water stop at the Belle Isle side of the pedestrian bridge would have been nice.) I don't depend on the race director or organizers to care for all my needs even when they claim post-race food and refreshments, I'm slow and am usually surprised when there is anything left by the time I finish. I packed a cooler with water and Powerade Zero, skipped the post-race festival, jumped in the river. I still enjoyed the race and its challenges, also the wonderful camaraderie between participants of such diverse abilities.
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Permalink Reply by Joseph Ryan on -
I would take a morning or late afternoon race start (say 6pm) but please scrap the 5pm start. It was too toasty out there. If they start this race next year at 5pm some people may choose not to run. And for the money we spend on the entry fee, we should not have to expect the unexpected like no Gatorade on the course, no bananas or bagels at the finish. A good question was raised above in where did our fees get used for if not for food and drinks on the course? Sports backers being members of the RRRC makes it worse. They should know better. It is my opinion that the 5pm start was chosen to get the most bang from our bucks. Its a money issue because lets face it, race management on this scale is a business. Most races are held in the morning and early during the summer. So why the 5pm start??? My guess is to have more people with money in their wallet on that island at a time when festivities are going on. It sure seems that SAFETY was not a paramount issue when deciding to change the start time of the race to 5pm. One other thought, I didn't see any medical personnel until I was crossing the pedestrian bridge and they were carrying a stretcher in search of an injured runner. There may have been a presence on the course but in my delirious state I might have just overlooked them. How long would it have taken to get medical attention to someone injured anywhere on the course??? On the positive side, the course layout offers a great challenge and it was very well marked. That is a very important asset in a trail race. This is not a PR course but one that will definitely give one a sense of accomplishment for just finishing. A few tweaks to this race event are needed for the sake of the runner and I'd say it would be one of my top races to do each year.
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Permalink Reply by John Burton on -
Thanks to everyone involved in putting on the Scramble and making it the great event that it is. As folks who obviously enjoy running and the organized events, I think we are mightly blessed to have RRRC and Sports Backers! I must admit that the 5pm start gave me pause in signing up, especially since I signed up for Carytown, too. I personally like the early morning start, but understand SB may have wanted to make the race more a part of the overall festival. I know you can never predict the weather, but at least in the early morning you don't have the blazing sun to run into for the first half of the race. I would be in favor of a later start, like 6:30 or 7pm, at least the sun is going down. But I guess allowing enough time for everyone to finish, before it gets dark, has to be factored in. But I have to remember, the Scramble is not a typical 10k and endurance is a big part of it. Given that, the heat just added to the test. Funny thing, Carytown the next morning didn't feel much cooler. But hey, the Scramble's heat was just good prep for Patrick Henry!
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