Results, Photos, Reports » Runner Feedback 2010

Runner Feedback 2010

Fantastic run! I loved having the food at the finish line. Everything went smoothly. Volunteers at all the water stations and traffic points were outstanding. Great job!

— Andrea Stinson, Gibsons


Fantastic job on organizing the run!! I look forward to running the race next year!

— Michelle Crandlemire


...organized race — nice to see families out in front of their homes, cheering for all the runners.

— Margaret Kerr, Delta


Thanks Teresa and Larry — A great first experience!

— Michelle Morton, Sechelt


Once again you put on a darn fine race. Very well marshaled and great volunteers. Nice to have people out in their front yard cheering you on. The post race awards were done quickly and well (although someone, who shall be nameless, was blabbing at me while my name was called for an age group award).

One suggestion, perhaps a reminder announcement to the crowd 5 to 10 minutes before the first buses leave for the early ferry.

The buses waiting at the ferry terminal were brilliant and well planned. Everyone I talked to who ran the race really enjoyed it and wants to do it again next year to try for a better time on the challenging course.

Thanks and three cheers to Teresa & Larry Nightingale and all of the great volunteers for a great event!

Cheers,
Jo Astoria

PS — I am not sure how, but you even managed to get the weather to cooperate!


Great race! 2nd time running it, volunteers and organization was excellent!

— Dickson Choy, Vancouver


outstanding, superb, peerless, marvellous, schon, unico, poco comun, premiere classe, and just bloody marvellous.

— Frank McKenna, Sechelt


well organized
very friendly
nice medals
challenging course
I had a great time

— Michael Pilon, Port Moody


I found the race on line. I met my wife in Vancouver after she completed a fibre art course in Maple Ridge. The race and web site were outstanding — excellent planning and organization. The organizers and volunteers should be very proud of their efforts. One suggestion for improvement — put safety pins in the race packet envelopes.

— Scott Jenkinson, Athens, OH (not Greece)

[ Organizer's note: We thought we did put safety pins in each envelope. Might have missed one or two... sorry! ]


A wonderfully organized event - thank you Teresa and Larry.
It was my first 1/2 marathon - thank you for all of your encourgement.

— David Dick, Gibsons


Have come last six years for the race.
Seemed like a bit of a shortage of water stations. It took quite a while to get to the first station. Luckily I carried my own fluids.
Good to see finally the shirt xl actually fit.
It seems like every other year the xl shirt was fitted on a smaller person. All the other races xl fits fine. Seemed like the problem is corrected.
How come there was two different medals and mine had no date on it at all. Some people had a rectangular medal with more detail of the race on it. Mine was round and just said the race name and no date.

— Gary Rollins, Surrey

[ Organizer's note: There were the same number of water stations as the last several years (4), and in the same locations.
Regarding the medals, we had so many more late entries than usual, we ran out of 2010 medals at the very end and had to use a couple of dozen 'classic' round medals we had left from past years. Sorry about that, there was no predicting the huge jump in late entries! ]


Great race again! The weather seems to enjoy the race almost as much as the participants - yet another beautiful day to run on.
The volunteers were awesome as well, great food at the end, and it was lovely to have the chiropractic tent at the end to get worked on after the race... it made walking on Monday a little easier!

Thanks again for a wonderful race!

— Kimberley Doerksen, Gibsons


First time running this grueling hilly course. Could not believe am five minutes slower than the Scotiahalf Marathon (UBC to Stanley Park), thought this so called downhill course would be my PB and it turned out to be a disappointment. Once is enough!

— no name given, Vancouver


I had a great time! The weather was perfect, the course was awesome.

— Teri Hubbs, Aldergrove


Always a great race and the nice weather. Very well organized. Thank-you for a great event and see you next year.

— Robert Durrant, Langley


This was my second year (in succession) racing the Fool's Run and it was another memorable experience. While, if money were no object, I'd probably stay in town on Saturday night, it's also exciting to be part of a healthy crowd taking the ferry over on race morning — and great to have that option. From the moment we then dropped anchor in Langdale, everything was organized with military precision; buses to the community centre/start, registration/chip handout and gear check. The hour or two pre-race can be a stressful time, but on Sunday it was smooth sailing — just like the ferry ride. And that was all down to excellent organization and the perfect choice of venue for a race base (the new Gibsons Community/Rec. Centre). The volunteers were friendly, attentive and extremely supportive from start-to-finish, which made it an easy race to run. Well, I say easy... those hills are challenging — and I don't just mean going up 'em! But you don't very often get the chance to experience the thrills & spills of a rollercoaster during a half-marathon; so this race is a must-do for that reason alone. One minor improvement I'd suggest would be having a '400m to go' sign approaching the finish, so I can make full use of my lethal finishing kick! At the finish, the post-race refreshments were varied and plentiful — and the awards ceremony slick and expertly done (though I'm basing the latter assessment on the 2009 version, as my golf — US Masters final round — addiction forced me to miss this year's awards presentation). All-in-all, it's been a pleasure to once again be part of such an accomplished and popular event... which this year hit the 600 entries mark for the first time. Great job Teresa, Larry and all the team — and see you next year!

— John Atkinson, Vancouver


I love this course and the community feel of the event! I've run it many times and keep coming back. This is the first time I've run it as a relay. I have two requests based on this and previous years' experience.

1) Please, please create a longer space between the actual finish and the chip removal area. An extended narrow roped off area beyond the finish line would allow runners to walk a short distance, and heart rates to come down before stopping suddenly to take the chip off. Would be great if the water station were at the end of the narrow roped off area and accessible from both the outside (everybody area) and the 'slow down' post finish runner area. This might also help spread out the bunching that happens at the finish with chips and medals and spectators.

2) I'd love to be a part of figuring out how we could reduce the garbage that is produced at the finish line. Compostable cups? compost buckets for the banana peels? recycling bins for the yogurt containers? Let me know if you'd like some help with this for next year.

— Julie Clark, Gibsons


You and your team did an awesome job, of organizing everything. Thanks for including the link to "the little shop of horrors" - we went on Friday night, it was good entertainment. it is hard to pick which neighbourhood was the most supportive, there was cheering and support everywhere.

Thanks for a well run, fun event!!

— Ruby Ferguson, Coquitlam


Very well done.
Great organization. This was my first road race for 3 years.... it's been a long road back and I was happy to start again on the Sunshine Coast. I'm glad I came over and will see you all again next year.
Super organization, great volunteers, well done all of you.

— Paul Cripps, North Vancouver


My friends and I enjoyed the run this past weekend. The people were friendly, especially the race volunteers.
My only small complaints would be that we all would have enjoyed a starting mat, and that the race was closer to 21.1 km. Four of us who were wearing Garmins measured 21.54 km!
We'll probably all be back next year...though any chance you could eliminate that last killer hill at km 17??!!

— Kim Froh, Richmond

[ Organizer's note: We choose not to use a starting mat, as it would make the start line very narrow, and then it would take everyone much longer to get across. Using the full road width allows everyone to get across the line in less than 20 seconds (we timed it!). ]


Thanks very much again for organizing such a great event! 6 of us came out again from St. Albert, Alberta to run this for the 5th time. We hope to be back again next year!

Thanks again,
Barry Ryziuk, St. Albert, AB


Great Job Teresa and Larry. I think all from Vfac appreciated how good your race is.
I hope to be back next year.

Cheers,
Kevin O'Connor, Vancouver


Our group from St. Albert/Spruce Grove Alberta has returned for the 5th time in six years. We love this race, the communities, the volunteers, the scenery, the route (even the hills). Thank you so much once again for making this race another memorable 4 day weekend....we travel all over to run but your race weekend is the only one we have continued to come back to year after year....our hats off to you for such a small organized and friendly run.....

— Donna Chadwick, St. Albert, AB


This was my first April Fools run, and I am hooked. Had a great time.

— Lisa Stiver, Gibsons


This was a great race: loved the locals and volunteers honking and cheering from cars as they passed, the weather was perfect, water and Gatorade stations were placed well and often, it was superbly organized from registration right through to this survey (unlike some others, ahem), the route was completely clear at all times, volunteers were delightful and supportive and complimentary even when I'm sure I looked like an exhausted old shoe! I have nothing negative to say at all.

This was a fun, fabulous day, and I would recommend this race all over the place!

— Tara Caffelle, New Westminster


Thanks for organizing a great run. This was our second year as a relay team (Team Warrior) and we had a great time. We'll be back next year. Thanks for arranging the amazing weather!

— Trish Holloway, New Westminster


Hospitality was amazing!!

Bus drivers went out of their way to drive a large group of us to a pub after.
Volunteers were helpful. Bag check was awesome!
We felt like rockstars at the finish line! Thank you so much for all the time and energy that went into such a well organized event. You guys took great care of us. I will definitely be back!

— Virginia Lindsay, Squamish


Great event, great new route, I love not having to go up Davis Bay Hill. I will definitely be returning to the Sunshine Coast with my family!

— Melanie Basso, Vancouver


Would loved to have had the option for a quick snack, gel pack, etc. forgot mine and found myself really struggling on energy the last 2/3 of the race. my fault i realize, just would have been a great saving grace.

Otherwise, great race. i love that i can run over to the start line from my house and my family can see me off as well as cheer me at the finish line. nice size, great challenge and change from the GVRD's generally flat courses...and again, it's LOCAL! yeah!

— Melissa Smith, Gibsons


The people are friendly and it's a great run
Teresa guarantees that there will be sun
The course is flat as a pancake all the way
It's the April Fools Half what more can I say!

— Bernie Steininger, Vancouver


You know, your race is the best run event in the lower mainland that i have ever been to. Everything was thought of and done quickly too. Just awesome. i am so impressed that you keep the price down and still give out prize money too. i will always promote and support April Fool's Run.

— Tracy-kim Campbell


The route was beautiful. My husband and I participated in the relay and we can only hope that more organizers see how much fun a relay event is. The start line was convenient to the hotel, and the finish line can't be beat - who doesn't love a beach???!!! Oh, and before I forget, the shirts are the best we've seen. Thanks to you and the other organizers and volunteers for making our weekend away fun and exciting!

— Cheryl Ennis, Maple Ridge


I liked the route on the side roads away from the main highway the best, and Davis Bay was a fabulous place to end the Race. Everthing seemed very well organized and it was a GREAT RACE! Thanks Teresa and Larry.

— Shaunna Asselstine, Gibsons


Hello, Great run once again I was proud to be a local runner, thank you for everything. I could not find the prize list on the web page and was wondering if you could point me in the right direction.

— Kelly Smit, Gibsons


Good fun and will be back.

— Tim Baillie, Surrey


It was a well organized race. I did not like the chip band as it cut into the skin.

— Sarah Charlesworth, Vancouver


This was a well organized race and I will likely do this again. It's a tough course, and my legs are really feeling it today.

I know that this has been mentioned before but I need to comment. I ran the Las Vegas 1/2 Marathon in Dec./09 and my GPS distance was 13.18 miles. Other races have been very close to the 13.1 or just over the distance like the Las Vegas one. However, this one was 13.43 miles. I'm 62 and have run countless races since high school so I know about using the tangents, etc. This course, regardless of what the people who measured it have stated, is tooooooo long. There is no way that I ran 1/3 of a mile farther than the person who measured the course. It would be nice if this was corrected. Personally, I was trying for 1st in my age group, which I achieved, so the time and distance do not matter so much, but still would have liked to see the finish line where it was supposed to be.

Thanks again for all of your time and effort put into this race. I have been in races with over 10,000 runners that were not as organized as this one.

— Ed Ansems, Terrace


The run is well organized, the route is scenic and I love the shirt. Starting at the rec centre with all the facilities is a bonus and the finish line at Davis Bay is beautiful. We had about 10 runners from our run club and we all had a great time. Coffee at the Finish Line is nice, too.

— Edie Kernighan, Coquitlam


A very scenic route, albeit with considerable changes in terrain, and exceptional organization. Your kilometre markers are the most visible that I have ever seen.

Thanks for putting it all together!

— Lorne Morrow, Powell River


What an AWESOME DAY!! Beautiful scenery.. terrific weather! *BONUS* I was able to achieve another Personal Best!
A HUGE thank you to EVERYONE from the Organizers.. Volunteers... and the people that came out to support all the runners.
April Fool's 2010 Half Marathon ROCKED!!
Thank you again...and see you next year!

— Debra Nicol, Coquitlam


Had a great race this year (my time was not good but I felt good and had a good time) thank you so much to all the volunteers. It gets better every year :)

— Kathy Elson, Gibsons


I just wanted to say a huge thanks for the amazing job you did as Race Director. The April Fools run is my favourite race (I even sadly like the hills :) ). It is so extremely well organised from the buses, registration, superb course marking and a great route. The awards make it just that little bit extra special as having a picture from a local artist, a beautiful vase, etc as age group prizes is so appreciated.

So thanks to you, all of the organisers, volunteers and sponsors. I look forward to running it again next year. Of course I will expect the usual sunny weather I've been lucky to have both years I have ran!

— Janette Purdham, Vancouver


Great race. Loved the cheering and all of the upbeat water stations. The finish was easy to see and nice to have it right around the bend so not too far to go once you got around the corner! Everything was really well organized. Nice to have the km markers so big. Thanks to all that helped out.

— Lisa Morrow, Powell River


Another great event, an absolutely perfect day and my first time ever to come in last - was the best!
Thanks so much, I'll be back.

— Kristie Congram, Vancouver


Excellent race. Excellent organization. Beautiful day. Great volunteers.
Thanks for making my FIRST half marathon memorable and oh so enjoyable!
Will be back next year for sure!

The people at the end cheering really gave me the last cheers I really needed to help me finish! There was an older lady with a huge amount of energy and support, wearing a Fools' Jacket, and she was the absolute BEST cheerleader, really helping to bring people in!

— Shonna Morgan, Surrey


This was my fourth April Fool's Half Marathon, and an event I will always come back to. The race web site is one of the best for an event of this size. Organization, volunteers, and venue are top notch.

— Dominic Gerelle, North Vancouver


The event was very well run and organized except the bus back to the Ferry Terminal was late leaving quite a few participates tired and cold and almost missing the boat back to Vancouver. There also needs to be more garbage containers and seating at the finish line.

Your very friendly community and event spirit will bring me back next year. Please ask vehicles to slow down though.

— Tannis Leah Giesinger, Vancouver


Great event. Well organized. Great course.
Done it before, will return.

— Jean-Jacques Schmidt, Richmond


Very well organized race. thank you for a great event.

— Pamela Keck, North Vancouver


What a day it was yesterday! You couldn't have asked for a nicer Sunday in April to have your race on!!

Thank you very much for having me — i had a blast and ran my new pb 1:42.

I hope the magazines all got picked up. How were registration numbers in the end?

Cheers,
Richard Seymour
Vancouver Sales Manager
IMPACT MAGAZINE
www.impactmagazine.ca


I think it would be beneficial for the person that gives the instructions at the start line to have a loudspeaker or microphone.

I think you need to change the sizing of your shirts....I am usually a large and an xl 'just' fits. Alot of people complained about this. If it's a problem, do something generic like a hat or sox or gloves, etc.

It's a hard course, I certainly appreciate all of the time everyone put into the day! Many thanks!

— Yvonne French, North Vancouver

[ Organizer's note: Sorry I forgot the megaphone on race morning! Regarding the shirts, we posted a size chart on the website with all the measurements for each size, so everyone should have been able to order the correct size, even if it was not your 'usual' size. They are designed to fit close. ]


Just wanted to say thx for the entry and for putting on a great race. It worked out well b/c my friend was doing the relay and has never done a race in her life, so I ran with her the first 1/2 and just had fun for the rest so it was nice!

— Tanya Camposano, Roberts Creek


Fourth time. Thanks. Very well organized and excellent web page.
Only negative was that I missed the awards. I finished before 11am and stood about cheering others in up to noon but the 11:30 to 12:30 awards I missed somehow.
Purely selfish on my part but I had no sense of the relays which in '08 my last run were fun to watch as I ran... with coloured bibs and very obvious changeover points.
Thanks to all the volunteers and you too.
See you next year.

— Frank Colbourne, Keats Island


Hi Teresa, great race again this year! My best AFR to date!

— Jenny Rasmussen, Sechelt


I would like to thank you so much for your wonderful hospitality and organization of the Fools Run yesterday. Also, I would like to apologise for our girls not being able to stay for the presentations. We would have loved to stay but with our schedule it was not going to work.

Our girls had a great time at the run and really enjoyed the challenge and the great atmosphere and friendly interest that everyone showed toward them. I was extremely proud of the way they conducted themselves and all of their runs. It was certainly different terrain and scenery than what they have back home. It was unfortunate for 4 of our girls who could not run due to injury especially our 2 best runners who are 40 min and sub 40 min 10km runners. They walked some of the course and cheered a lot.

Again, thank you and I really appreciate the time you have spent in all communication for our girls.

regards and best wishes,
Norbert Fandry
Penrhos College, Perth, Western Australia


We really enjoyed the race. It was nice to enter as a relay as it provided opportunity for those who have justed started runnning to participate as a team.

— Nuala Rochfort, New Westminster


Awesome race! Best I've done yet!

— Tanya Smith, Gibsons


People at the end of drive ways - little kids and families waving and cheering - good feeling. Might be an effect of being there when the going was hardest and support most needed.... ;)

— Johan Stroman, Gibsons


Congratulations to you and your amazing team for organizing another fantastic run. Sunshine Coast now world famous destination for the April Fools Run - Australia and Copenhagen attended!

— Amerval du Planty, Roberts Creek


I had an awesome time. One thing I should mention is that I am pretty sure the start was a little back from where it was supposed to be. The first km was long by about 200m and the overall race was 21.30. My garmin which is extremely accurate and conditions were optimal had the first km at 1.2 and the overall race 400 meters over - but I think the other 200 meters was me not running perfect tangents. Anyways just thought you should know it was a teeny bit long. (I wouldn't have cared if I didn't miss my goal by 5 seconds after running ahead of pace at every km! ;) Not a complaint - just an FYI I had an awesome day...

— Greg Hockley, Port Coquitlam


The Sunshine Coast was beautiful! I would definitely come back to explore it some more!
THANK YOU to all the race organizers and to all the VOLUNTEERS!!!! They were so incredible and very much appreciated!

— Scott Jones, North Vancouver


Fantastic race, well organised and great price.
Course was a challenge but wouldn't change it at all, so scenic.
Volunteers were brilliant and supportive.
Will be back, firm place in my racing calendar.

— David Parker, Vancouver


Great job on the race today — well organized, well marked course, great volunteers and you even were able to arrange good weather. Take a well deserved rest now!

— Rick Horne, Vancouver


It would be great to have more portapotties along the Lower Road. That's the hardest part for me and about the time I start looking. Overall the food was great. Maybe something a bit skinnier than creamo for coffee but your post-race coffee is some of the most delicious I have ever had and something I look forward to. I appreciated the Soyogurt. Very thoughtful. Whoever organized the weather gets a medal. If the race t-shirts had been the crew's green, I would have bought one. The buses seemed to leave early so I hitch hiked (haven't done that for decades). The local Good Samaritan was a lovely 80 year old fellow from France 54 years ago who doesn't want to stop working and his big truck was heavenly comfortable. Loved the showers after. Thanks for a great day!

Coming up to the top of Marlene Road hill, there were so many 'yeah you can do it just a little further' cheers that it felt like a finish line and I thot of it as such in terms of hills. They inspired me to run faster. Thanks to all the folks along the way who cheered.

— Elinor Warkentin, Vancouver


I never got a chance to speak with you after the run today, but I did want to thank you, for once again putting on a great run, and I'll see you again next year for my 10th straight.

— Charles Andrew Mackey, Vancouver


Had a few too many hills for a competitive time, but it was very enjoyable overall. This was my first visit to the sunshine coast, and I would love to come back for a camping trip another time.

— Byron Vallis, Coquitlam


I love this race, not just for the beautiful scenery but it also has a good mixture of hills and flats in it. Can't wait for next year!!

— Alyson Davies, Gibsons


T'was another Great April Fools Day Event.

The natural talent of Dave, Steve, Duane (and others) were a pleasure to see and keep the Coast informed and participants and volunteers photographed.

Hope your day was wonderful and I really look forward to be part of next year.

Keep up the good work Teresa and Larry, you are shining Stars.

Only a few incidences and a fantastic crew of volunteers.

— Kellei Baker, BC First Aid, Sechelt (on course medical support for the race)

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