Rock ‘n’ Roll New York 10k

This was my second RnR event in 2013 (fourth RnR event overall), on my way to earning as many Heavy Medals as I can this year.
In comparison to the 2013 San Diego Rock n Roll Half Marathon, this event was *much* better. I’m not referencing distance here. I’m referring more to the organization, the event itself, and the course.
There were a handful of reasons why I was so eager to fly to New York to run this event. First, the run was on my actual birthday. Then, I found out that they counted this run towards the Heavy Medal collection. Plus, it gave me a chance to fly out to New York for a weekend (using both the date and the location of the run as leverage to convince my husband that this would be the best birthday present ever was a task and a half, let me tell you!)
I was able to sign us up for race-​day packet pick-​up, since I knew our flight would not get in before the expo closed for the day. That turned out to be a very good thing, as our connecting flight in to LGA was delayed by over an hour.
Getting from the subway station to the packet pick-​up location was a bit of an adventure. There was a group of six of us, all trying to figure out where to head. It was a bit of a hike — in the pre-​dawn darkness, mind you — from the start line to the finish area, where packet pick-​up was located, but I honestly didn’t mind. It was a nice warm-​up walk, and we got to see some really pretty sights on the way there.
The volunteers at the booth were so great. I love all the volunteers that take time out of their days to come in and volunteer at events like this. I know it couldn’t be done without them, so I’m always thanking them for their time. This time was no different. The volunteers there gave us our bibs and instructions on how to get our bags and t-​shirts after the race. They answered our questions, waited as we fumbled about with our ID’s and tried to fill out the confirmation sheets.
There were a ton of port-​a-​potties scattered all around the park. They had them set up around Finisher’s Village, on the path between the start line and the Village, and then lined up around the starting corrals, as well. I’m so used to waiting in crazy long lines just to empty my bladder before a run that this was like a present. There was no line! There were more than enough potty-​spots! The stench wasn’t too overwhelming when stepping in! It’s unheard of, I tell you.
The course was fast and easy. It never got to be too crowded at any point, which was a huge problem at the San Diego event in June. The corrals were a hot mess, of course, but that’s to be expected. Nobody really seemed to care where they were starting, but they managed to release each wave in quick succession, so it didn’t matter at all.
The secure area at the end was nice and open (again, another *huge* problem at the San Diego event in June), and the volunteers there were amazing. There was a ton of good energy, which is nice to have after a long run.
About the only bad thing I have to say about this event is that they didn’t seem to follow through with their overly-​hyped #RNRStart and #RNRFinish campaign. Or, if they did, I somehow missed all of it. My dear friend woke up super early (in Colorado) in order to send her very first tweet to wish me a happy birthday and say good luck to us at the start line. Yet, we never heard it. They basically welcomed our corral, gave us a countdown, and then the horn blew. She also sent a tweet to be read at the finish, but we definitely did not hear that, either.
Oh, yes. There is one more thing. They said at the start line that there’d be six bands along the course, including the «band» at the start line (really more of a DJ than a band, but at least it was music). But, I only saw three bands on the course. I heard four, but that’s only because the course looped back around to hear and see the first band twice. There were a lot of quiet stretches along the course, where all you heard were pounding feet and heavy breathing. I tried making music out of that, but failed miserably.
Still, missing tweets and bands aside, the event was really well organized, and I enjoyed it much more than the first RnR event I ran this year. The medal is sweet (it has my birthday on it!), the shirts are okay (personally, I think they’re a bit too gaudy, and certainly they don’t match the medals at all), and the course was beautiful. The volunteers helped to make it a great event, as well.
And, a quick shout-​out to the guys that were there running the event early in the morning. They answered our questions, pointed us in the right direction, and then promptly got on my request once they realized I had a valid point. (There were no trash bins in the starting area, but they got on the radios and had people bringing the white trash bins to the start line right away.)

I have sore legs but happy feet. The 2013 Rock n Roll in Brooklyn was really fun. I signed up in 2012 and didn’t run, but year year I finally had the chance to run. The race was organized and it seemed professional.
The run was on Saturday and I picked up my packet in advance in Manhattan on Thursday. The advanced packet pick-​up in Manhattan was well organized. They did not run out of shirts. Participant’s shirt size was listed on your bib. The 2013 swag bag was a bit sparse compared to 2012. This year there were some coupons, a gel packet for sore muscles and a clear plastic bag for gear check. I was a bit disappointed there weren’t any energy gels for the run compared to last year.
Once at Prospect Park, the gear check was about a 5 – 10 minute walk from the starting line. It seemed farther than a typical race. Gear check was in a large field, near packet pick-​up, the after party stage and port-​a-​potties. The area appeared organized and sorted by last name.
The watering stations (at least 3) were well attended to. I’m glad they had 2 Gatorade stations — one strategically placed before a hill. There were lots of cups and water available when I passed later in the race.
They had plenty of bathroom facilities near gear check, but it was far from the start of the race. There were a few bathrooms near the start, but they should add additional bathroom facilities near the start to reduce the lines.
The course was pretty easy as in flat with one big hill at mile 5.
Overall, I recommend this race for in-​, out-​of-​towners and new racers. It was fun and well organized.

Through advertisements and word-​of-​mouth, I’ve heard that the Rock’N’ Roll marathon series are reputable for their fun racing events and awesome medals for the finishers. When I heard that they will be making a tour stop at Brooklyn for a 10K, I was really thrilled. Sometimes it’s more than just the medals, but it’s also about the overall experience from picking up the packages to the finish line. The Rock ‘N’ Roll event disappointed me in many ways, which is kind of shocking since I thought they were good at organizing these events. Organized, they were not, and here’s how and why:
Advanced Packet Pick-​up — this packet included racing bib, d-​tag to track your time, t-​shirts and swag bag. We were allowed to pick up our packets one day in advance at the Super Runner’s Shop near Times Sq. They started distributing at 12pm and I went in around 3pm. I got my bib and dtags but no Small t-​shirts or swag bag as they ran out. They said I can claim them on race day, which was the following day. On race day, I was hoping to get the tshirts and swag bag right before the race but event staff members told us we will get it after the race. Automatically, that raised a red flag for me because either a) I will need to run my arse off as fast as I can so that I can avoid the long lines to get the shirts and swag bag at the finish line or b) chances of my shirt size being depleted again will be pretty high. I went for the latter and just as I predicted, the line was incredibly long (it stretched across the entire grassy field) and they ran out of Small sizes. Luckily, I was able to snatch up the last X-​Small.
Gear Check — They make it sound cooler than it seems but essentially it’s where you drop off your bags before the start of the race. I was shocked that they didn’t enforce a numbering system (i.e. last digit of your bib number) and designate it to a specific area for pick-​up. Instead, they decided to use the last two letters of your last name and loaded them into trucks. It was an ultimate disaster when people tried to claim their bags at the end of the race. They also didn’t have enough volunteers to help out so some runners had to go into the trucks and distribute the bags themselves. Bags were piled high and felt really bad for those who decided to use the event’s swag bag to check in because it was really hard to distinguish.
Water Stations — I don’t know who else to blame when your event lacks volunteers but at one of the water stations, they didn’t have anyone attending it and runners had to pour their own water out of a jug. Seriously?