The Bulletin • Friday, May 24, 2013 • Happy Girls race preview
Happy Girls Half Marathon runners make their way along the course on Meeks Trail in Bend during last year’s race. Joe Kline / The Bulletin file
TIPS
Who’s ready to run? Prepping for 13.1 miles For Sunday’s half-marathon participants, preparation is key. By following a pre-race regimen, runners of all ability levels can set themselves up for a successful performance once the race is underway. Amanda Brown, 23, is the reigning champion of the Bend Happy Girls Half Marathon. Brown, a West Linn resident who owns a personal training and coaching business (Amanda Brown Training), offers tips on how to prepare for the 13.1-mile race:
• “Drink at least an ounce (of water) per pound of body weight” daily leading up to the race, Brown says of pre-race hydration. “You can’t just start drinking (water) the day before.”
• For several days prior to the race, eat “whatever has worked for you in the past during training runs — specifically what you ate before speed workouts,” Brown offers by way of advice for avoiding stomach cramps during the half marathon. “I make sure what I’m eating (before a race) is really normal, bland foods, like chicken and rice,” she adds.
• “Two days before the race, you want to make sure you get a good night’s sleep,” says Brown. Based on research, she adds, getting quality sleep the night before the race “doesn’t really matter.”
On the flip side
• Turn the page over for more information on the Happy Girls runs, including maps, spectator information and a schedule of events
• During the race, “You’re going to heat up pretty fast,” says Brown, who recommends crafting arm warmers out of socks to wear for warmth until or after the start of the half marathon, when the socks can be discarded.
• Race in your training shoes if you have not practiced running in racing shoes, recommends Brown. She discourages participants from changing footwear at the last minute, and says it is best to stick with shoes you have worn before. — Elise Gross
Happy Girls Half Marathon, 10K & 5K Run Sunday, May 26 • Bend
Running strong • The Happy Girls running festival is back for its third edition, and it is still growing
By Elise Gross The Bulletin
In its third year, Bend’s Happy Girls Half Marathon, 10K and 5K Run is expected to be the largest yet. With the addition of a 10-kilometer race, the number of overall participants should surpass that of previous years, according to Ryan Levering, race director and event coordinator for Lay It Out Events, which is putting on the Happy Girls races. “We’re tracking ahead of last year” in terms of registration numbers, says Levering, who estimates that about 1,200 participants raced in Happy Girls in 2012. “It’s grown tremendously,” she adds in regard to the women’s-oriented event. “There’s a lot of excitement and buzz around the runs — women are really excited about it.” The race expo is also expected to draw a crowd, with a full lineup of fitness demonstrations as well as 30 vendor booths. “We’re trying to make (the expo) more of an event,” notes Levering. As in previous years, the festivities are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Bend’s Riverbend Park — where the entire event is based — with on-site registration, the pre-race expo and packet pickup. The Happy Little KIDS Run races are scheduled to commence at 1:30 p.m. The expo closes at 4 p.m.
Registration information HAPPY GIRLS HALF MARATHON, HALF MARATHON RELAY, 10K AND 5K RUN
Online registration is closed. In-person registration will be available Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at packet pickup and expo at Riverbend Park; entry fee is $100 for half marathon, $80 per person for half-marathon relay and $40 for 10K and 5K.
HAPPY LITTLE KIDS RUN
Online registration is closed, but in-person registration will be available on race day; entry fee is $10, and a portion of proceeds benefits KIDS Center.
and resumes from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Registration will be closed Sunday, but packet pickup will be available, beginning at 7 a.m. The featured event of Happy Girls, the 13.1mile half marathon (and simultaneous halfmarathon relay), will start from Riverbend Park at 9 a.m., followed by the 10K race at 9:15 and the 5K race at 9:30. All three races will also finish at Riverbend Park. Continued next page
The Bulletin • Friday, May 24, 2013
Weather forecast cool but pleasant
As of midweek, the weather forecast for Sunday (race day) called for partly cloudy skies with high temperatures in the 60s, little chance of precipitation and a light breeze. The anticipated cool weather should be close to ideal for race participants, as the half marathon and the 10K and 5K races start in the morning (9, 9:15 and 9:30 a.m., respectively). Runners are advised to wear race clothing in which they will be cool but not cold at the start, and to take layers to wear before the start and after the finish.
— Bulletin staff reports
Joe Kline / The Bulletin file
WHERE TO WATCH
SCHEDULE
Want to watch a friend or family member tackle the Happy Girls Half Marathon, 10K or 5K? Here are some suggestions:
A look at the schedule of events for the Happy Girls Half Marathon, 10K & 5K; start/finish area for all races is at Riverbend Park:
C
l rai sT d n hla Hig e ad asc
Galveston Ave.
Simpson Ave.
BEND
M
5K
MILES 0
1/2
Dr. lius o t e
Mt .W ash ing ton Dr.
SATURDAY, MAY 25
10 a.m. — Pre-race expo, late registration and packet pickup (including Happy Little KIDS packet pickup) 12:30 p.m. — Late registration for Happy Little KIDS run closes 1:30 p.m. — Happy Little KIDS Runs starts 4 p.m. — Expo closes
Colorado Ave.
SUNDAY, MAY 26 . Ave do Colu a l mbia St. r lo Co Reed Mark et Rd .
Start/Finish
Dr. ury t n Ce
BUS 97
97
1
7 a.m. — Late packet pickup opens (no race-day registration) 8 a.m. — Pre-race warmup activities 9 a.m. — Half marathon starts (individuals and relays) 9:15 a.m. — 10K run starts 9:30 a.m. — 5K run starts 10:30 a.m. — First half-marathon finishers expected 9 a.m.-2 p.m. — Postrace expo and finish-line activities
BEND ve. oA d a lor Co
Miller’s Landing Park
Riverbend Park
iver utes R Desch
Finish Start
BEND
HALF MARATHON (13.1 MILES)
Columbia St.
d. arket R Reed M
Farewell Bend Park
Times in hours, minutes, seconds:
t.
DOWNTOWN BEND
2012 RESULTS
Bon dS
Drake Park
Century Dr.
Galveston Ave.
Simpson Ave.
Happy Girls 5K Run
Rd.
Harmon Park
Columbia Park
Fra nk lin Av e.
Bro oks wo od Blv d. Ben dP ark way Th ird St.
The Happy Girls 10K course begins and ends at Riverbend Park. The single-loop course circles the Old Mill District and passes through several of Bend’s parks (including Drake Park in downtown Bend).
Happy Girls 10K Run
. Rd
Newport Ave.
Sk yliners Rd.
10K
The Happy Girls 5K course also begins and ends in Riverbend Park, looping through the Old Mill District via Colorado Avenue and Reed Market Road.
Sk
ers ylin
Portland Ave.
Par kR d.
Brookswood Bl vd.
The Happy Girls half marathon and half-marathon relay course is a single 13.1-mile loop that starts and ends in Riverbend Park along the Deschutes River. The course includes a few minor elevation gains as it heads west before returning to Bend via Skyliners Road and Galveston Avenue.
She vlin
The three race courses merge here — 5K participants will run the middle third of their race along the avenue, while 10K and halfmarathon runners will not get to Colorado until the late stages of their races.
Hixo n
HALF MARATHON
Happy Girls Half Marathon
COLORADO AVENUE
If you plan to watch only the 10K, plant yourself near the footbridge in Drake Park. The park is roughly halfway between the start and finish — a good place from which to offer encouragement to fatigued participants.
She vlin
COURSES
DRAKE PARK
14th St.
To avoid crowds of spectators at Riverbend but still catch the racing action, station yourself at Farewell Bend Park. The half marathon, 10K and 5K courses all run through the park; half marathoners will go west, and 5K and 10K runners will head east.
Century Dr.
FAREWELL BEND PARK
Mt. Washington Dr.
The park is where to be if you want to watch the starts and finishes of all three events. The event expo is also being staged at Riverbend Park.
Me eks Tra il
RIVERBEND PARK
d. hR anc eR ylin Sk
The Happy Girls expo is back for a third year, with just as many vendors, exhibitors and demonstrations as before. The two-day expo, located in Bend’s Riverbend Park, gets underway Saturday and runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. At the expo, individuals can register for Sunday’s events and pick up race packets. But the expo is not limited to race participants, according to Levering. She encourages the public to check out the 30 vendor booths, as well as the fitness demonstrations onstage. Activities include Jazzercise, yoga, Pilates and Zumba, and instructors “encourage people to do (the activities) with them on the grassy field” below the stage, notes Levering. Like last year, spectators can hear Sarah Bowen Shea, author of the books “Run Like a Mother” and “Train Like a Mother,” read a selection of her work onstage. Shea will also serve as master of ceremonies for the event. In addition, participants and spectators can write motivational messages to themselves and others to post on an “Inspiration Wall” prior to the race at the Women’s Inspiration Station. Similarly, kids can craft signs to hold up on the course for loved ones taking part in a race. Race participants will receive a “swag bag” stuffed with goodies such as socks, lip balm, a race T-shirt and coupons redeemable at various local businesses. “We try to tailor it towards women so they feel welcomed and inspired,” says Levering of the expo, which continues from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday.
Runners cross the Deschutes River near the start of the Happy Girls Half Marathon in Bend during the 2012 edition of the race.
60 4
Expo on tap
A Happy Girls guide
F.S. Rd .4
This year, female distance runners have another reason to be happy: Sunday marks the first Happy Girls 10K. The decision to add a 10kilometer race stemmed from runners in the community who wanted more options, according to Ryan Levering, race director and event coordinator for Lay It Out Events, which is putting on the Happy Girls races. “It’s for those who have done the 5K and are not wanting to jump into a half marathon,” she explains. “The 10K is a good distance — it’s right in the middle.” Levering describes the 10K course as “pretty flat” and the surface as a mix between road and trail. It is also scenic, she says, with abundant views of the Deschutes River. “It’s a nice run around the river, through a couple different parks.” The event’s youngest participants will also have a chance to try a longer distance in the Happy Little KIDS Run on Saturday. Boys and girls ages 3 and 4 will run 100 yards — twice the distance of last year’s race for the youngsters. Additionally, kids ages 5 through 7 will run 500 yards, and those ages 8 through 10 will go 1.5 kilometers — just short of a mile. None of the races for kids will be timed. Like all Happy Girls festivities, the kids runs will be staged at Riverbend Park in Bend. A warm-up is scheduled for 1 p.m., and the kids runs start at 1:30 p.m. Race-day registration will be available on-site. Entry fee is $10, and kids will receive their own bib number. A portion of event proceeds will benefit Central Oregon’s KIDS Center (Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service Center), a child advocacy center dedicated to the prevention, evaluation and treatment of child abuse. According to the event website, Lay It Out Events donated nearly $9,000 to the KIDS Center in 2012.
Columbia St.
10K race new this year
Simpso n Ave.
1, Amanda Brown, 1:32:06 2, Amy Vantassel, 1:33:33 3, Nikki Bilello, 1:34:03 4, Jody Chinchen, 1:34:59 5, Nicole Downin, 1:35:37 6, Carolyn Green, 1:36:12 7, Kathy Schoderbek, 1:37:04 8, Karly Nash, 1:37:44 9, Alison Viles, 1:38.11 10, Gretchen Hingley, 1:38.27
5 KILOMETERS
Centu r y Dr .
NOTEBOOK
e. Av do a r lo Co
Farewell Bend Park
Start/Finish Columbia St. Riverbend Park
Reed M
arke t
Rd.
The Happy Girls expo will be open Saturday and Sunday.
From previous page The half-marathon course is identical to last year’s route, with a climb up to and then along Century Drive from the park before heading on Meeks Trail, Metolius Drive and Skyline Ranch Road toward the Phil’s Trail
complex west of Bend. Participants will run back into town via Skyliners Road, which becomes Galveston Avenue, before heading south on Columbia Street and on to Colorado Avenue and to the finish line in the park. Male runners in eye-catching cos-
tumes — the “handsome pacers” — will be back this year to run at certain paces (between 8 and 12 minutes per mile) during the half marathon, according to Levering. While men are welcome to compete in any of the three races, says Lever-
The Bulletin file
1, Dawson Cockman, 24:48. 2, Kristan Dauble, 24:59.1 3, Hannah Gindlesperger, 25:23.7 4, Siri Chotechuang, 25:52.6 5, Brad Cockman, 25:56.4 6, Julie Aster, 26:25.0 7, Marilu Semph, 26:43.7 8, Nichole Chambers, 26:45.8 9, Susanne Flynn, 26:53.5 10, Mary Horvath, 27:04.5
ing, the event is geared toward women. For many female participants, that is the event’s primary appeal. “It’s fun to go out and run with your girlfriends,” says Levering. “For moms or busy women, this is a break — a chance to do something fun.”