Seawheeze 2019 is just around the corner, how did that come round so fast! It doesn’t even feel like a year ago that I raced….and then got terribly injured! I was reminiscing about the race the other night while I was on a client consultation call, and it inspired me to write up a blog with all my tips and highlights from the expo and race. Now it’s likely that the race format will be slightly different from my 2018 experience, but it might give you a taste of what’s to come!

In 2018, you had to register online to attend the yoga, the Mindfulosophy session, and to book your spot in the queue to get into the Seawheeze exclusive Lululemon store. My advice to you is to sign up to these sessions the second you are able to.  Securing your spot on the dates/times that work around your schedule is totally worth the craziness around refreshing the registration page. I managed to bag the sessions at the times I wanted so I was super happy.

The Expo

My wrist band hadn’t arrived by time I left for Vancouver (it was of course there waiting for me when I got home post-race!!!), I was stressing about not having it for the expo/ race, but it was really easy to get a replacement. There was a separate booth in the expo lobby where you could get a new one. There wasn’t a big queue, so it only took around 20 minutes.

I went to collect my swag bag and chip timer on the Thursday afternoon, and it was super quiet! I’ve never seen such a quiet pick-up before, but I guess it was also because, unlike other expos, there weren’t vendor stands etc. The swag bag was INCREDIBLE! My favourite pieces were the Lululemon black string bag and the Saje Epsom salts.

The first session I had signed up to was on the Friday, the Mindfulosophy session. OH MY! This session was EVERYTHING! So inspiring and motivational. A year on, I still look back at the booklet from that session. I would highly recommend going to this if you can.

I was not impressed however with the Seawheeze exclusive Lululemon store. Even though you had to book a time slot to visit, the queue was ridiculously long. I waited for maybe 45 minutes just to get in the doors! Once in, there really weren’t many options. I expected it to look like a Lululemon store, but instead they had a couple of Seawheeze designs and all the gear was in these designs. AND the queue to purchase was insane, so I was pretty annoyed with myself that I had wasted 90 minutes for this when I could have been hanging out with my husband doing something way funner. Now if you love Lululemon and plan on buying some Seawheeze exclusive swag, then it’s defo worth it, but if, like me, you are just planning on going for a look, then I would say pass on that.

I sadly didn’t do any of the yoga session, I wanted to but a) didn’t have space in my luggage to bring my mat and b) I didn’t want to risk pulling a muscle or anything given I hadn’t done any yoga in the few months leading up to the race. But the sessions did look amazing, and even though it was raining they had a contingency for indoors.

The race

The starting line seemed a bit chaotic; there weren’t clear corrals, and although the pace bunnies were out and energetic, it was difficult to figure out where to stand.

It was lashing down with rain for the majority of the race so the crowds were really light, and at times it made the run a little blaa for me. There were parts of the course that had a ton of spectators, in particular at the Lululemon headquarters across the Burrard Street Bridge, but for a lot of the course there weren’t any cheer squads – I didn’t blame them, I wouldn’t have been out either.

The route itself was great; a couple of inclines but the majority didn’t feel too difficult. The path around Stanley Park was a bit crushed in with the runners, I found it difficult at that point to make any headway – not that I was doing much running by that point as my injury was pretty bad.

The medal was A-MAZING, as are all the Lululemon race medals!

Now, if I thought the expo swag bag was good, the post-race treats were incredible! There was a wet flannel to wipe the sweat off your face, foil blanket, nuun, water, Seawheeze exclusively designed sunglasses, Lululemon black trucker hat, and the food boxes were insane! Not only was the box filled with healthy and nutrient dense foods (unlike a lot of crap that races give runners post-race), but they also had boxes for those with dietary requirements. I don’t know all of the dietary requirements they catered for; all I know is I got a gluten free box, and dang, the food was incredible! There was a banana loaf, oatmeal yogurt parfait, dark chocolate and grapes; included was also a card that told you how these foods would aid your recovery.

If you’ve been following me on Instagram, or have read any of my race recap blogs, then you will know I got really injured during this race. It’s only been recently that I was able to look past the disappointment of my performance and see how wonderful this race actually was. I’m really sad I’m not going to be there this year, but I think I’ll put my name in the lottery in 2020 and give the race another shot.

If you are running next month, I’m sure you will have an absolutely amazing experience. Enjoy it and good luck!

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