Hood to Coast vs So Cal Ragnar

I added an entry to my personal blog about my experience running Hood to Coast this last weekend with Danielle.  You can read it here.


Participants. My overall observation of the HTC is that there are far too many participants.  They had 20,000 participants this year.  The start times began at 3:30am--that's kinda crazy.  The scenery was spectacular, but having a 4:45am start time resulted in two of my runs occurring when it was dark, so we couldn't fully appreciate all of the Northern Oregon beauty.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Exchanges. Some exchanges were simply too small for the number of participants and the last major exchange was so small it probably could only handle a max of 200 - 300 teams.  We waited approximately 40 minutes for Van #2 to get to the last major exchange.  It's very disheartening to run your heart out only to find that the next runner just isn't there when you are done.  Waiting for 40 minutes afterward is just plain unacceptable.  There were about 30 other teams waiting for their vans too.  The logistics of this race is a nightmare at certain exchanges and the last major exchange was the worst one for us.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Walkers. Get rid of the walkers.  Hood to Coast also had a Portland to Coast Walk event.  It follows the exact same course as HTC starting at leg #13.  Instead of three legs per participant, they simply walk the last two legs.  The addition of the walkers was annoying. While it's great for road kill stats, our experience with the walkers was that they were mostly grumpy or non-responsive.  You could typically talk or give a shout out to a runner and they nearly always respond with enthusiasm right back, but not the walkers.  Rarely could you get any response from a walker.  The walk should be another day.  It would not only reduce the amount of congestion for the last two-thirds of the race, it would also remove their grumpiness or apparent lack of enthusiasm and fun for a relay race atmosphere.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


High School.  They have a third event too.  It is the same format as the Portland to Coast Walk, but it is called the Portland to Coast High School Challenge.  It is a running relay for high school aged kids.  That's a fun idea, but it only adds to the congestion.  Tie.  I think this is a great idea, if the congestion can still be managed.


Website. The HTC website stinks.  It was always difficult to ever find any really useful information.  Maybe I am more used to Ragnar's format, but it seems like Ragnar's website is better organized and actually has most of the information you need.  Most of the useful information is in a forum type format, which is just plain odd.  So Cal Ragnar Wins.


Race Bible.  The HTC race bible isn't as good as Ragnar's, but it does have some cool features that I like better than Ragnar.  It actually provide a brief description of the run itself.  It also had a color map on each leg.  Not a big deal, but it looked nice and typically had a few areas of note on each map too.  HTC wins.


Headphones. No headphones are allowed on HTC.  I know Ragnar is really trying hard to implement this same rule, but so far they haven't.  I am not a fan of headphones.  I personally don't run with music, but 99% of runners do.  I am sure they do this for safety reasons.  I know this is a huge turn off for most runners.   An alternative would be what many runners had and that is mini-speakers attached to their shirts. So Cal Ragnar wins, but it is still a big safety issue.


Cell Phone Reception/Communication.  No cell phone reception on almost half of the race.  It was really annoying and downright frustrating when we had no way to get a hold the other van during the last exchange, because there was no cell phone reception for several exchanges before and after that exchange.  While there isn't typically a lot of interaction between vans, it was almost nonexistent at HTC, because of the poor cell reception.  With as much money as HTC makes, they should spring for a few extra cell towers along the course.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Starting line.  I missed the Ragnar starting line this year, because I was in Van #2, but the HTC starting line was HUGE and a lot of fun and better than the So Cal Ragnar from two years ago.  HTC wins.


Finish line.  The finish line was more organized at HTC.  They give a chip timer to van #2 so as the last runner crosses the finish line it clocks the time.  Once that happens, the runner is put in a queue while the rest of the team is assembled so the team can cross a larger more impressive finish line together.  Once the team crosses the finish line together, the medals are immediately handed out and then the team is funneled into one of four different photo areas where a professional team picture is taken.  Much more organized than Ragnar.  I know Ragnar takes finish line photos, but after two years of Ragnar, I have yet to have an official team picture taken, because we can never find where it is.  HTC wins.


After Party. The after party at HTC was HUGE.  It was literally a party.  While we usually don't stay very long for these, we would more more likely to stick around for this one.  It's bigger and cooler.  HTC wins.


Port-a-Johns a plenty.  Rarely did we have to wait more than a few minutes for a port-a-john.  More often than not, there was no wait.  It was very nice.  We also saw the port-a-johns being cleaned first thing Saturday morning.  Not only is it nice to not wait, but to be able to use a clean one was glorious.  They were plentiful and for the most part, well placed.  HTC wins.


Slap bracelet.  The slap bracelet was sort of a cloth-like material and didn't really slap on very easily.  I know Amy would have issues with this slap bracelet, since she is so anti-other people's sweat.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Medals.  The HTC medal was pretty small compared to Ragnar medals.  I like Ragnar medals better.  They just look cooler and they are more impressive.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Volunteers. Volunteers were plentiful at HTC.  I think it would be impossible to get lost on the HTC course.  Both Ragnar relays I participated in had a lot of turns along each leg and getting lost isn't always that hard.  I think HTC course is better.  HTC wins.


Difficulty.  The level of difficulty for HTC is much higher.  It was nice to be challenged.  I really enjoyed that part of HTC.  HTC wins.


Weather: So Cal weather is much more mild and just a tad more predictable.  So Cal Ragnar wins.


Timing: At HTC you are required to keep track of your time on a specific piece of paper. It requires the total race time and the net leg time at each transition point. Something we never really had to worry about with Ragnar. At Ragnar you simply start when you are supposed to and then they note your finish time when you cross the finish line. I think HTC tries to use all of the data they collect to better predict future races. If you are significantly faster or slower than your predicted time, you are at risk of not being allowed to compete in future races.  HTC wins.


Showers.  HTC was great in that there were convenient places to shower.  So Cal Ragnar didn't have that and that wasn't a big deal, because we always have managed to find homes to take showers and relax, but for the vast number of So Cal Ragnar participants, I don't think they were as lucky as we were.  HTC wins.


Course.  I loved HTC for the minimal turns.  It was great, just to be able to run and not worry about what turns I might have to make and worry about having a stop light abruptly stop me mid run.  There were some stop lights, but not near as many as So Cal Ragnar.  HTC wins.


Conclusion.  Both races are great and have their pros and cons.  I like So Cal for the exchanges, weather and I guess the familiarity.  HTC is on top for their starting line, finish line, course, after party, port-a-johns, and volunteers.  It's hard to say which is better overall.  I like them both for different reasons.