Mr. Paul, also know as "The Benefactor", has created something incredible with Zoo Racing. We had…read morea group of 5 people in our racing experience at Thunderhill Raceway this weekend and with Mr. Paul's help it, we quickly formed a high functioning team. It was like we had all been friends for years and worked together to do something incredible - complete a 24 (almost) hour endurance race that would break most ordinary men, their cars, and their spirits. Congratulations to the Zoo Racing Team and Mr. Paul for everything - I will never forget it!

I thought this was a bunch of bozo racers only out for a good time, but boy do they know how to…read morehave fun. slow lap times? no problem. a little wheel rubbing? no problem. 1 hour pit stops? no question. if you're from the land of maple leafs, you have an advantage, eh. but, being an american, the only problem i had was trying to convert KPH to MPH, KM to M and what the hell is a pint when filling the oil? disorganized? no. organized? no. fun? hellz yea. the british guy told me we run a 2 stoke motor, so Dave and I removed the oil pan for "good measure", but that turned into quite a sticky wicket. thank gosh for other people's ignition coils, otherwise we would have figured out the repair 30 minutes earlier with a spare DME. organizer's choice award winners, May 2018. i'll be back for more, but only if the seat passes tech. thanks boys!

This was really not a fun event. The entire experience felt disorganized with poor direction. They…read moreuse one off volunteers to maximize their profits and make our experience worse. The volunteers are friendly and trying to be helpful but lack the knowledge or experience to make things happen with any efficiency. This was coupled with long lines. The wait to check in was 45 minutes. The wait for a locker was 10 the wait for a hose to spray off the mud was 20+. These events are expensive and it is clear that Spartan race means to squeeze every dime out of you. $15-$30 for lockers, $150 for entry, $30 for photos and the list goes on. The obstacles are fine, the only redeeming quality is the other racers who all seem to be there to get through this together. People were happy to help each other and that was cool to see.

AROO! I did the Spartan Race for the first time with a large group of friends and had a blast!…read more The Spartan Race for the Seattle area takes place in Monroe, near the high school at a spacious equestrian field in Snohomish County. It definitely was the perfect landscape for obstacles and trail running. For the most part, the event was well organized and they had plenty of volunteers throughout the entire race, to help navigate and cheer you on! Even as you arrive, you're directed to where to park and there are signs everywhere for checking in, restrooms, food and drinks, etc. The space for the race was ideal since it had everything you need for a spartan race, like trails through the woods, uneven grounds, hills and steep inclines, and yes, they even bulldozed some holes for the muddy pits that's part of the three obstacles where you get dirty. There are three different races that occur during the weekend the race takes place: Beast, a 21k with 30 obstacles, Super, a 10k with 25 courses or the Spring, a 5k with 20 obstacles. It was definitely a fun and exhilarating experience that I'll never forget! It was also cool to see how many people visited the Seattle area, just for this race that takes place every year, all over the world. Everyone was very friendly and loved the encouragement from fellow spartans and the volunteers and staff, cheering you on. I can't believe I'll say this, but yeah, I'd do it again.

Half #7 for me. I…read morepicked up my bib the day of the race. I don't live in WA (was visiting Seattle for Labor Day), Seattle and Redmond are about 30 minutes away from each other... I didn't have an hour or so to spare unfortunately to go to the Expo. BUT - there were so many vendors around the day of the race. I got an awesome free water bottle, bag, chap stick, hand sanitizer. Lol - I was really excited for the water bottle since it showed the ounces on the outside. If you're like me or just too lazy to go to Redmond before race day, be sure to get to the Bib Pick Up tent area early. Very happy I did. About 20 minutes before the race, a HUGE line formed. I think maybe we started a little late due to it. Got a thin material hoodie as a shirt. I like it. I'll definitely wear it one of my colder running days! I don't think there was other swag. Overall course: Pretty much flat. If you're from Atlanta, it'll remind you of the Belt Line, but with more scenery (no buildings, etc). The atmosphere/view of the entire race felt so nice. Literally it was just the trees, small creeks, great weather, etc. Hills were minimal. Beware: there are also non racers on the course as well. The miles were very well marked. Great water stations. Not a ton of crowd support but that's OK - I like chill races. And as always, thank you to all the Officers for helping and making sure no one got hurt!

Don't be intimidated by triathlons. You can easily become a triathlete, regardless of prior…read moreexperience! GOOD NEWS The Danskin race itself is fun. It's all women and great for any skill level, age, ability, or size. It's empowering! It's exciting, especially because of its size! And they give great medals and shirts and other swag! BAD NEWS Danskin fills up quickly, often on the first day of registration, which is in February. If you do get in, there will be about 5500 women racing with you. It's crowded. Last year's expo (my first) was a long mess. Allow lots of time to register on the day before the race. If you don't get in, don't worry. The Trek Tri is the same route and also women-only, run by the women who used to run Danskin; it's better anyway and not as full. It's commercial--you will be innundated with advertising for Danskin everyime you turn around. And they love to promote straight, pink femininity. Sometimes it feels like women's triathlon organizers and those who market to us are trying to compensate for the fact that we're athletic by dressing us in pink flowers. Yuck. TIPS Find a good training program online or in book and follow it. Check out some of the great workshops offered by the Lunachix (all money goes to charity). http://www.seattletrilunachix.com/ Get out and swim in a lake, ride a bike, run outside. And ask other people for tips--you don't have to be an expert or have lots of fancy stuff to do a tri. Most of all, have fun!

When my BFF told me she was signing up for the Danskin Triathlon, I was confused. A triathlon?…read moreAren't you a smoker? And don't you need to be in awesome shape to participate in a triathlon? Answers: yup, yup, and nope. The Danskin Triathlon is open to all women, regardless of age, weight, and disability. Throughout the training process and actual triathlon, coaches are always on-site to encourage, support and cheer the participants. My BFF quit smoking and wore a patch through most of the training. Today, as I got up at 5:45 so I could make it to her start time of 7:52, I watched a triathlete swim, bike and run with nary a nicotine patch. The energy present at the triathlon was incredible. Woman after woman crossed the finish line to the sounds of cheers and excited friends and family members. Greeting her at the finish line and giving her a big congratulatory hug almost brought me to tears.

Why settle for black and white when you can live colorfully? The Color Run has always been a…read morefavorite of my friends and I - who doesn't like getting messy on purpose? ;) 2017 marked my third year participating in this popular 5K. The course has been the same each year, taking runners down Fourth Ave and then back to the Seattle Center. A family friendly fun run, The Color Run attracts participants of all ages - my favorite is actually seeing all the families out and about on the course. :) The premise of the run is simple. As participants are going through the course, they'll pass through different color stations where they are covered with either paint powder or foam/liquid. Be sure to bring a pair of sunglasses or you WILL get powder in your eyes! While we've generally had a positive time at the Color Run, my friends and I have noticed that quality has slowly started slipping. :( There weren't any (or maybe fewer?) event photographers, booths, etc. this year. The clincher was the "Self-Apply" paint station this year - I mean, really, Color Run? Fun, festive and silly, I would say that the Color Run is a great 5K though if you're just starting out or looking for a low-pressure event. Feel like you didn't get enough paint along the course? Definitely stick around for the after-run party where they pass around packets of colored powder. Happy running! :)

This event is definitely not worth the money. The quality has gone way downhill over the years…read more There were only two coloring stations for the entire run and the delay was 50 minutes inside the corral. The post run party was also a disappointment. I would definitely not run again next year.

"The Run That Cares For the Runner" really does…read more And wouldn't ya know, YELP was represented too. SHOUT IT OUT for Yelper Kris R of Quilcene, WA and Santa Cruz, CA as he constructed the offical Rhody-Run website. The folks who organize this event are amazing. They even care for sixty-five year old walkers who complete the course in just over two hours. I ought to know. That would be my category. Sunday, May 11th was a beautiful Port Townsend day. Not terribly hot, not terribly cold. And absolutely no rain. Well...maybe just a sprinkle or two. We gathered on the parade grounds of Fort Worden for this annual 7.46 mile event. Almost three thousand eager beavers of all shapes, sizes and ages headed toward the starting line as the race began. Some of us (and that would include me) started in the middle group, knowing that the world-class runners would *not* like to trip over our corpulent little bodies as they streaked out over the timing pads placed across the track. Others jogged along with strollers, a few wore casts, bandaids or splints. A couple of folks had canes. Volunteers, ambulances, park rangers and the Port Townsend police were all available to ease our journey toward the finish line. Residents along the route held out cups of water, lemonade and water hoses to sprinkle over heated runners. All were cheering. Along Cook Avenue, the crowd grew thinner and more spread out. The first runners had already finished. Young runners jogged back along the route wearing their newly acquired "winners" t-shirts. Great whoops and hollers from the crowd greeted these folk as they rejoined slower members of their familes to complete the run for a second time. One neighbor poured champagne for those enough old enough to drink, but determined enough to reach the finish line. Kinectic Kops circled up and down the lanes to urge the runners onward. For some, the goal was the t-shirt. For others, the goal was the free beer poured at the finish line by the Port Townsend Brewery. By the time I crossed the line, most everyone had already begun to party on the Fort Worden Green. But that's not the point. The point is: I finished. Next year, I'm going to beat my personal record. Should be able to do it in less than two hours. See you there.

This company ran the race timing for a Turkey trot I ran this year. It was sloppy... I signed up…read morethe day of the race and paid extra for the fee. Either the volunteer wrote down the wrong bib number or it was typed in wrong. Either way, my name was not associated with my time. While all that can happen, what is inexcusable is that I used their online correction form that evening to address...which was ignored. It is now over a month later. Pretty sloppy stuff for a company that does this for a living.

We have used Tortoise and Hare Timing for 3 years for our local runs and we have been so pleased…read more They are organized, consistent, dependable and very fun to work with! We have been so pleased with them and we have them booked already for our upcoming events. Their professionalism and dedication is to be applauded.