The FINAL Pre-RAMBLE POST 2015!
Hi All,
We’re less than 24 hours away from rambling!
We’ve been receiving a TON of emails inquiring about a variety of things. This email is designed to address pretty much any/all questions and/or concerns you may have.
PLEASE READ ALL OF THIS POST CAREFULLY!
THE WEATHER WILL BE WET! 10K AND HALF MARATHON COURSES HAVE BEEN CHANGED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER!
We are not meteorologists, but it appears there will be rain on Sunday. How much and how heavy, we do not know. What we do know is that the Ramble WILL happen rain or shine!
So, get a hat, get a rain resistant jacket, prepare for some mud, and bring some dry clothes (and maybe a towel) to change into after the race!
Additionally, pay CLOSE attention to your footing when you’re on the trails as it will be a bit slippery out there!
Lastly, THE COURSES FOR THE 10K AND HALF MARATHON HAVE CHANGED! PLEASE REVIEW THE NEW COURSE MAPS AND TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS BELOW!
MORE CLIMBING IS INVOLVED FOR BOTH DISTANCES.
INCLEMENT WEATHER 10K COURSE MAP
INCLEMENT WEATHER HALF MARATHON COURSE MAP
REVISED TURN-BY-TURN DIRECTIONS
THE 5K COURSE REMAINS THE SAME!
PRIZES FOR HALF MARATHON, 10K, AND 5K WINNERS!
-The first male/female rambler for the half marathon score A FREE NIGHT ANY KIMPTON HOTEL!
-The first male/female rambler for the 10K scores A FREE ENTRY TO A SASQUATCH 10K/HALF MARATHON RACE OF YOUR CHOOSING!
-The first male/female rambler for the 10K scores A FREE ENTRY TO A SASQUATCH 5K/10K RACE OF YOUR CHOOSING!
WE ARE COMPLETELY SOLD OUT!
We’d REALLY love to accommodate more, but we just can’t! These funny little things called ‘permits’ prevent us from taking on more runners.
Rest assured, we have no extra spots hiding anywhere. Tell any/all interested parties they are wasting their time if they show up tomorrow and try to register.
WIN THE SILVER SHOE CHALLENGE & SCORE $25 @ A RUNNER’S MIND!
Whatever distance you run tomorrow, you have a shot at winning a $25 gift card from A Runner’s Mind! (SF or Burlingame.
A sparkling, silver shoe is somewhere in the general vicinity of the turnaround point for those doing the 5K and the 10K. Find this shoe, bring it back to the finish line, and score $25 at A Runner’s Mind!
Half marathoners will find the silver shoe somewhere in the general vicinity of the final aid station! Find this shoe, bring it back to the finish line, and score $25 at A Runner’s Mind!
BIB/SHIRT PICKUP ON RACE DAY (SUNDAY) FROM 7:30-9AM.
If you missed our bib/shirt pickup events, you can collect your bib/shirt on race day between 7:30AM-9AM at Lake Chabot Marina (where the race starts). Bring ID. We will ask for your last name to identify you on the race roster.
WE CANNOT DO SHIRT EXCHANGES.
We indicated during the online registration process that shirts sizes are GENDER SPECIFIC and tend to run SMALL.
Our shirt order was based on the gender/shirt size you specified.
We can’t support shirt exchanges. If you are inordinately unhappy with your shirt size, reach out to us after the race and we ‘might’ have extra shirts.
THE RACE IS CHIP TIMED. TAKE CARE OF YOUR CHIP!
This race is chip timed. The chips are on the back of your bib. Do you best to avoid bending the chips. We want to make sure we capture your race time accurately.
WE WILL BE SELLING PINT GLASSES AND SASQUATCH RACING HOODIES FROM 7:30-9AM.
If you purchased a pint glass or hoodie, please claim it tomorrow between 7:30AM-9AM. We just need your last name.
If you want to purchase a pint glass or a Sasquatch Racing hoodie, you can do so between 7:30AM-9AM.
We can handle credit/debit, cash (hoodies are $30, pint glasses are $10, please bring exact change if at all possible). A check payable to ‘Sasquatch Racing’ works as well.
IF YOU COLLECTED YOUR BIB BEFORE RACE DAY, DON’T FORGET IT!
This may seem pretty basic, but we have had people from our previous races forget to bring their bib on race day.
Please remember to bring your bib as it’s the most critical piece of information by which we identify you!
We do NOT have any replacement bibs should you forget to bring your bib!
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING DETAILS
There is a TON of FREE parallel parking located on Lake Chabot Road in front of the entrance to Lake Chabot Marina. We’d suggest parking here (arrive early if you want to take advantage of the free parking).
Alternatively, you can pay $5 and park in the parking lot inside Lake Chabot Marina. There are tons of spots in the parking area as well.
If you’re using GPS and/or other navigation devices to get to the start of the race, the address to use is 17930 Lake Chabot Road, which is in Castro Valley.
The race itself starts near the ‘Cove’ picnic area inside of Lake Chabot Marina (there is a big sign with the words ‘LAKE CHABOT MARINA’ in front of the entrance).
HALF MARATHONERS START AT 9:15AM, 10K RUNNERS START AT 9:30AM, 5K RUNNERS START AT 9:45AM!
We STRONGLY encourage arriving early even if you already collected your bib/shirt. You may need time to find parking, walk to the start of the race, use the restroom (there are public restrooms available at the start/finish area), etc.
If you haven’t looked at the course maps and/or turn-by-turn directions, here they are once again…
Rattlesnake Ramble Half/10K/5K Turn-By-Turn Directions (we’d recommend printing these out)
In addition to the above, we will have volunteers (BE NICE TO THEM!) on the course helping to direct traffic. Each race will also be following specific colored flags.
Half marathoners follow RED flags. 10K runners follow BLUE flags, and 5K runners follow YELLOW flags.
BE ADVISED THAT WE DO NOT HAVE ‘EXCLUSIVE’ ACCESS TO THE TRAILS ON RACE DAY! WHAT THIS MEANS IS YOU MAY ENCOUNTER WALKERS, HIKERS, MOUNTAIN BIKERS, OTHER RUNNERS, AND A CRITTER OR TWO.
PAY ATTENTION TO WHERE YOU’RE GOING AND WHAT YOU’RE DOING. WE’D DEFINITELY DISCOURAGE WEARING HEADPHONES DURING THE RACE.
POST RACE!
We’ll have chilled Pyramid Brewery Beer (2 maximum per participant), Hint Water, Crunch Culture Yogurt, Mamma Chia Chia Squeeze, Somersault Snacks, peanut M&M’s, peanut butter filled pretzels, mandarin oranges, and Powerbar Products for all participants to consume during/after the race.
If the aforementioned does not meet your race nutrition and hydration needs, we strongly encourage you to bring some food and beverages of your own.
BTW, there are water fountains very close to the start/finish should you need just regular water.
We’ll also have massage therapists on site from PSOAS Massage/Bodywork if you need help working out a few kinks after the race!
Our friends at Showerpill were kind enough to provide their awesome wipes that are the closest thing to taking a shower short of actually taking one. This might come in handy for wiping off some mud 😉
We have two large picnic areas reserved for the race until 1PM. So, if you want to have a little post-race picnic in the start/finish area, feel free!
TIPS FOR A POSITIVE EXPERIENCE ON RACE DAY!
-Pay attention to the weather forecast and plan accordingly! It does appear rain is in the forecast for Sunday, but things change! Pay attention to what the forecast indicates NOW and a day before the race. Just a reminder that we will run rain or shine!
-Take advantage of the aid stations. There are ‘3’ aid stations in total. One is for 10K runners and half marathoners. The other ‘2’ are for half marathoners. There is no aid station for the 5K.
All aid stations will include water, Powerbar Electrolyte drink, and Powerbar Energy products. You can refill your bottles at the aforementioned aid stations. If your nutrition/hydration needs exceed what we are providing at the aforementioned aid stations, we encourage you to bring your own nutrition/hydration products.
-Adjust your pacing on the hills! We know many of you are fairly new to trail running. One of the biggest differences between road running and trail running is the hills. With this in mind, back off on your pace/level of effort when you encounter hills. If you find yourself feeling markedly winded/fatigue, there is NO SHAME in taking a walk break to catch your breath and find a second wind!
-We’d discourage using an ipod/mp3 player. We know many of you LOVE listening to music when you’re on the road. But, the trail is different. You need to pay attention to the terrain in front of you as it can sometimes be uneven. Also, by listening to music, you’re potentially losing out on some of the sights/sounds of the trails (including Honey Badger)! To boot, our course marshals and aid station volunteers will be playing music on the course!
If the magnum opus above hasn’t addressed ALL of you questions/concerns, drop us a line!
Cheers!
-Sasquatch Racing