Race Name: The Haunted Half
Distances offered: Half Marathon, 5K, Kids Run
Distance I ran: 5K
Timed? Yes, chipped.
Location: Orem, UT
Traveled? Sort of - about an hour away
Recommended? Yes!
In a previous race report (The Haunted Half - SLC) I noted that my family and I are crazy into Halloween. We love us some costumed shenanigans! So, when faced with the decision to run the Haunted Half's 5K in either Salt Lake City or Provo, we chose....both. The races were run a week apart, and while both were good, there were some noticeable differences.There were also many, many similarities, so where my observations are the same, I'll let you know.
A few highlights of this race: All of the Haunted Half races are started by the Headless Horseman himself! Obviously, costumes are encouraged - and people have tons of fun with them! Similarly to the SLC race, I actually only saw a handful of people NOT in costume. We went as characters from the original Disney Alice in Wonderland.
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| Queen of Hearts, the Mad Hatter, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum! |
Pre-race communication: 4/5
*This is the same as for the SLC race*
All pre-race communication from the race organizers went smoothly and was very clear. I received only two emails: one to confirm my registration, and one a few days before the race conveying all the details of packet pickup and race day info. I also followed the race on Facebook, which I feel added a lot to the overall communication - they gave previews of the race shirt and medals, as well as course updates and general teasers to keep us excited. The only reason I'm not giving it the full 5/5 is because I never had any problems that required contacting the organizers, so I can't speak to how quickly or how well they responded.
Packet pickup: 4/5
Packet pickup was at the University Mall in Orem and took place from 10am to 8pm the day before the race. Our biggest complaint on this one, was that being from out of the area, we weren't sure where we were going. The University Mall is a really big place with lots of entrances, and there were no signs outside of the mall to tell us where to go. Then once we got in the right door (by sheer luck), there was a small sandwich board sign that pointed us to the right, but that was it. We actually walked around a little after picking up our packets, and there were no other signs that we saw. If we had come in any other door, we would have been totally lost. Once we found the packet pickup area though, everything was handled quickly and efficiently.
The schwag: 4/5
*This is the same as the SLC race, except that this makes 3 races in a row!*
The race shirt is a loose-fitting, long-sleeve, pullover tech shirt. Noticeably absent? Ads! Again! That's the second one in a row! The shirts were the same for each distance.
In the bag: race bib and safety pins, race shirt, plastic vampire teeth, plastic spiders, ads for local running stores and the race charity, and a race window cling.
Race parking and getting the race started: 3.5/5
Parking at the race was at and around the University Mall. There is tons of parking at the mall, and I'm relatively sure that parking never even completely filled up. The Half Marathon start was way up a nearby canyon, so runners were bussed up. The 5K started in the shopping center surrounding University Mall. There were plenty of port-a-potties at the start/finish line area. The finish line area was set up and playing music, and so, naturally everyone gravitated there. Once the race start time was getting close, the announcer asked everyone to head over toward Costco (a ways away across a large parking lot). Everyone started heading that way, but as we got near to the Costco, there was nothing there. No race organizers, no clear starting line. After a minute, it got our attention that they had brought two of the big flags to create a starting line back toward where we had started. In the end everyone got there and we mostly all joked around that we had just gone on a large group warm-up walk! Just like last time, the Headless Horseman smashed his pumpkin to the ground to start the race!
The course: 4/5
The course ran through Orem through mostly residential neighborhoods. It was actually kind of fun because lots of people came out and sat in their yard to watch all of us costumed crazy people run by! It felt like we were in a parade! The route was mostly flat, but did have one pretty serious uphill in the last half mile - it only lasted for about 2 or 3 blocks, but being right at the end, there was no way that was happening, and we just walked. Also, since we were running in/on residential streets the intersections were monitored by Safety Officers, and on the bigger roads, they were directing traffic, which was both good and not. Definitely good for safety, but there were a couple half-marathoners that were vocally annoyed when we were stopped to let traffic pass.
The atmosphere: 5/5
*This is the same as for the SLC race, except for the photos*
The overall feel of this race was pretty much a family oriented Halloween party, where people just happened to be running. There wasn't the sense of nervous energy, or martyred determination that is often present at races. It was all fun, relaxed, and overall a great time!
The aid stations: 3/5
As opposed to the Salt Lake race, there was only one aid station on the course. I'm a total wimp when it comes to water. You know that dry spot that you get in the back of your throat, and no amount of swallowing can fix it? Drives me absolutely nuts! So, even on short runs, I usually bring water. However, on race day, if I'm reasonably confident that there will be water frequently, I don't bring anything, which was the case here.That dry spot nearly drove me insane! The on-course aid station was, however, well staffed and provided water and PowerAde in reasonable sized cups - no tiny Dixie cups!
The bling: 5/5
I personally loved this one way more than the spider-web one! And the face on the horseman's pumpkin glows in the dark!
The finish line: 5/5
*This part is the same as the SLC race*
I would give the finish line party more than 5 stars if I could! The food alone included the standard water, fruit and PowerAde, but also pizza and donuts! There was face painting, bobbing for apples, dancing, and bounce houses for the kids. It was a blast!
One difference for this race, was more photo ops, and also free massages!
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| Best post-race perk EVER! |
Overall Fatty appeal: 5/5
Donuts, pizza, chocolate milk - it was awesome. I would have liked a second aid station, but that was super minor.
Final thoughts:
Despite the minor hiccups, it was still a great race, and I absolutely recommend it - all of the issues were minor things that were overshadowed completely by the awesomeness of the rest of the race. We had an excellent time, and would absolutely do it again! Running in costumes is a whole different beast, and lessons were learned. But all-in-all, a race featuring a headless horseman, haunted woods, and Halloween party at the end was pretty much awesome (again)!
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