Pre-Race Rattlesnake Ramble Post!
Race day is coming. We’re excited and we hope you are too!
We’ve been receiving a TON of emails inquiring about a variety of things. This post is designed to address pretty much any/all questions and/or concerns you may have.
PRE-RACE BIB/SHIRT PICKUP IS TBD!
STAY TUNED! WE WILL HAVE DETAILS FOR YOU SOON
BIB/SHIRT PICKUP ON RACE DAY (SUNDAY) FROM 7:30-9AM.
If you can’t make it to our pre-race bib/shirt pickup event(s), you can collect your bib/shirt/hoodie/pint glass on race day between 7:30AM-9AM at Lake Chabot Marina (where the race starts). Bring ID/printed copy of your race registration. We will ask for your last name to identify you on the race roster.
WE CAN’T ACCOMMODATE SHIRT EXCHANGES ON RACE DAY.
We place our shirt order based on the gender/size you specified when you signed up. The following is indicated during the registration process when you selected your shirt…
‘Be advised all shirts are GENDER specific and tend to run a bit SMALL.’
If you are inordinately dissatisfied with your shirt size, you can reach out to us AFTER the race and if we have extra shirts in your desired size, we will do what we can to accommodate.
IF YOU COLLECT YOUR BIB BEFORE RACE DAY AT OUR PRE-RACE BIB/SHIRT PICKUP EVENT, DON’T FORGET IT!
This may seem pretty basic, but we have 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! Without your bib (which has your chip on it), we can’t capture your result accurately.
IF YOU WANT TO ‘DOWNGRADE’ TO A SHORTER DISTANCE, PLEASE DROP US A LINE!
Ideally, we want to avoid dealing with changing bibs/distances on race day. So, if you REALLY want to ‘downgrade’ from the half to the 10K or the 10K to the 5K, please DROP US A LINE AT INFO@SASQUATCHRACING.COM!
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! (*NOTE-If you are running the half marathon and anticipate needing 4 hours or more, we will be supporting an early start time of 8:45AM).
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.
NAVIGATING THE RATTLESNAKE RAMBLE
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.
There is an aid station at the 10K turnaround (3ish miles) with electrolyte drink/water/snacks.
There is an aid station for half marathoners 4ish miles in, 8ish miles in, and 10ish miles in with electrolyte drink/water/snacks.
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.
SCORE PRIZES VIA THE TREASURE TRAIL HUNT!
Regardless of what distance you cover, we’ve got some colored woodallions scattered along the trails that you can redeem for prizes at the finish line! For more details around how this works, CLICK HERE!
POST RACE!
We’ll have chilled Cleophus Quealy BEER, Hint Water, Crunch Culture Yogurt, Perfect Bars, Mamma Chia, oranges, bananas, peanut butter pretzels, and peanut M&M’s for all participants to consume after the race.
If the aforementioned does not meet your nutrition and hydration needs, we strongly encourage you to bring some food and beverages of your own.
We’ll also have massage therapists from PSOAS Massage/Bodywork on site if you need help working out a few kinks after the race!
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! Pay attention to what the forecast indicates in the days leading up to the race and plan accordingly. Just a reminder that we will run rain or shine!
-Take advantage of the aid stations. There are ‘3’ aid stations in total. Clyde Woolridge is 4 miles in and is JUST for half marathoners. Honker/Columbine Aid Station is 8 miles in for half marathoners and 3 miles in for 10K ramblers. Cameron Loop Aid Station is 10 miles in and is JUST for half marathoners.
All aid stations will include water, electrolyte drink, and a few snacks for refueling. You can refill your water bottles at the aforementioned aid stations id needed. 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 marshalls 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