Livestrong Challenges - 2010
For those that like to fill out their calendars early :)
Seattle - 20 June
San Jose - 11 July
Philly - 21 and 22 August
Austin - 23 and 24 October
For the first time for Philly, they will have the same format as the Austin challenge - the 5K will be on Saturday and the bike ride on Sunday. This impacts my team since half of them do the 5K while the rest of us bike. Not sure how they will feel about this. I will walk the 5K with them though, provided they don't decide to just cheer us all on at the Sunday event.
packet pickup in Philadelphia
I emailed them to ask how they plan to accommodate out-of-towners for the bike ride if the packet pickup closes at 2 pm on Saturday. This is what I got back. Frankly, it is not a sufficient answer. I already get up at 4 am to do this ride; I'm not getting up earlier just so I can stand in a long line waiting for my number. And then you have to pin it on your jersey while you're wearing it, which is a pain. And then you get stuck in the crowds trying to get back to your car because you have to drop off all the other crap that they give you. And then you get stuck in the crowds again working your way back to the start. Stupid plan. Inefficient waste of time.
I want to have everything in advance so I can get everything ready the night before. Getting it in the morning just makes it more likely that something will go wrong. And I guarantee this will mean the ride starts even later than it has in previous years, because there will still be people on line waiting for their numbers after the official ride start time has come and gone.
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Thanks for your note and for your continued support of the LIVESTRONG Challenge Philly. I hope you’re doing well today.
And thank you for taking the time to express your concerns below as they are valid and we understand that many of our riders come from out of town and make significant sacrifices to participate in our event. We sincerely appreciate your enthusiasm and effort. To help accommodate for the needs of participants like yourself, we will have a designated area at the Montgomery County Community College set up on Sunday morning from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. where you will also be able to claim your packet. Please arrive as early as possible. In addition, you can have someone come collect your packet for you so long as you understand that once we give your packet to that person we are no longer responsible for the contents therein. Were something to be lost, particularly the bib number, there is a chance that we may not be able to reassign you a bib number or replace the lost item.
I hope that helps to answer your questions, but if you have others feel free to get in touch with me at anytime. Thanks again for your support and dedication over the years. I look forward to seeing you in Philly.
Best,
Dylan
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Dylan Trakas
Cancer Kicker, Team LIVESTRONG
Lance Armstrong Foundation
p 512.279.8366
f 512.347.1582
http://www.livestrong.org
From:
Sent: Wednesday, March 10, 2010 5:15 PM
To: Dylan Trakas
Subject: Question about the schedule
Hello,
I am registered for the 70-mile bike ride in Philadelphia. This will be my fifth year participating in the event.
However I am concerned about the schedule changes being made this year. I live in Virginia and will be driving up to the Philadelphia area on Saturday, August 21. Based on the schedule you currently have posted, the Livestrong Village will close at 2 pm on Saturday, and there's no way I would make it there for packet pickup before it closes.
What are the out-of-town riders supposed to do? As it is, I have to take a day off from work on Monday in order to drive back home after the event. I can't afford to take off Friday as well and pay for an additional night in a hotel just to pick up my rider number and other information on Saturday before 2 pm.