Atlantic City April Fools Race: The Race that Fooled us all!

On Saturday my mom and I ran the Atlantic City April Fools Race. I am calling this the race that fooled us all because our experience this year was so different from last year and not all for the better.



A few weeks ago I bragged about how cool this race was and how I felt you really got your monies worth from the registration, well that was definitely last year. I can not say this about the race this year for these reasons.

1. Many of you know that I signed up for the 11K ( back in December of 2013) but recently have been having IT band/hip pain so I wanted to drop down to the 7K.  I didn't think this was going to be a huge deal because last year when we were at the start line, the MC told us that if anyone who was running the 11K felt that they wouldn't be able to continue that they could just turn around at the 7K mark and that it would be okay. Just let them know when you cross.  This did not effect me because I was only running the 7K last year anyway. But still I thought it was kind of odd and thought it would mess up the age group rankings, but I guess they would figure it out.

So when I picked up my 11K bib, I told the girl that I wanted to bump down to the 7K instead.  She sent me over to the guy from the timing company. I explained to him what I wanted to do and he said it wouldn't be a problem and that there would be no charge because I was going from the 11K to the 7K not vice versa but he said that he couldn't make the switch, so he handed me off to another lady who must officially work for the AC race. She was very unpleasant right from the beginning. She started writing my information down from my old bib and was going to give me a new bib ( for the 7k). She then told me I had to pay $20. What? I told her the timing guy said there would be no charge. She about flipped out after that. Another lady who worked for the AC race came over and started spatting off that those are the official rules and what not. Ok, I said and just asked her to give me my old bib back. She looked at me for a moment like she wasn't going to give it back.  I told the lady about what the guy said last year before the race about if you couldn't make the whole 11K that you could just turn around at the 7K mark. She told me that the guy who said that was a radio announcer and that he was just kidding. Well I clearly remember him saying that and it certainly did not sound like he was kidding. He sounded pretty sincere to me. O well. I took my 11K bib back and fully intended just running as much as I could. Really what were they going to do to me if I turned around at the 7K mark? There would be so many people running that the volunteers wouldn't even know.


2. Race morning arrived and I really wasn't feeling up to it. I honestly just wanted to go back to bed. It's funny that I felt like this because out of all the races that we have run, this one starts the latest! There are no early Disney starts here! I actually got to sleep till 7:15!   It was quite windy on Friday afternoon/evening when we were on the boardwalk, so I decided to wear my blue Disney zip up over my race shirt. This would also help me conceal my 11K bib as I made the turn at the 7K mark I thought.  The race started at the Revel Resort which is all the way at the North end of the Boardwalk and we were staying at the Tropicana which is pretty far down the other end of the boardwalk so we decided to just drive our car to the Revel and park there. Last year we did the same thing, but last year we were given Free Parking Voucher's in our goody bag. Not this year.  Even when we found out at packet pick up that we would have to pay to park, we still decided that we would be driving, so it was our own doing but still just one more thing that would have been a nice touch on race day.
The April fools race started and ended on the Boardwalk

It was pleasantly warm when we lined up on the boardwalk for the start.  The 11k runners and 7K runners all started at the same time. Unfortunately my Garmin had not found a signal before the gun went off, so I was playing around with that for about the first half mile or so. Since my mom was running the 11k, I told her to just go and run ahead. I didn't know how I would be feeling.  I completed the first mile and I actually felt good. I saw my mom up ahead so I picked up some speed to catch up to her. I let her know that I was feeling okay and that I was going to go ahead and run the full 11K.  To be honest I was kind of worried about turning around at the 7K mark.  I don't think that I would have been fast enough that I would have been able to take an age group award ( in the 7K division which I would obviously never accept) but it still worried me. Even though I was running this race for me and I didn't care about my time, I didn't want to be considered a "cheater".
I wasn't feeling great, but I was running smart and stopping to walk when I had to. After we turned around at the 11K half way point, I was starting to feel some pain in my legs, but not to the point where it was a pinching pain like at Disney.
You can tell it was just a tad bit windy out.

 I ended up finishing the 11k with a time of 1:12 which I was actually pleased with.

3. I think these medals are super cute and I love the pink and purple colors. However, They are SO much smaller than last year's medal.

Last year's huge spinner medal was part of the reason I said this race was one that gave you the biggest bang for your buck!  Last year all runners ( 7K, 11K, and half marathon) all received the same medals.  I can suspect that maybe the half marathon runners were a little unhappy that a 7K runner was earning the same exact medal as them. Maybe that is why the 7K and 11K runner's got small medals and the half runner's got much bigger medals ( that were different). I can understand this.    I do think all the shirts were the same and I like them very much. I hadn't had a purple race shirt until now!

4. Although I was happy to be given Gatorade and a banana, there was no food after the race like there was last year.

5. No free massages after the race like there was last year either.  We were really looking forward to this.  However, after we went back to our resort and cleaned up from the race, we did go back to the boardwalk and paid for massages.  I told my guy that I wanted 20 minutes and I didn't want my back and shoulders done, I wanted all 20 minutes on my legs and hips. I told him this twice. He must not have spoken English because he spent half the time on my shoulders, arms, and head!  I also had to tell him that he could use a little more pressure on me. He was being SO gentle. He never increased his pressure so that is another reason I didn't think he spoke English ( that and I couldn't understand him during the few words that he actually spoke to me).

My legs were VERY sore  for the rest of the afternoon ( I'm not blaming this on the massage). I actually had a hard time walking around town and up and down the boardwalk but I thought it was a good idea to keep moving.  I'm glad I did because I was actually quite surprised that I could get out of bed the next day. I thought my legs would be so stiff that I couldn't move them but they weren't. Still very tight, but not stiff.

Overall we had a good weekend at Atlantic City and I am so glad that the weather was warm.  We felt that the race was skimping on things that they provided last year ( free parking, free massages, post race food, huge medals) but it certainly was not a bad race and things we probably wouldn't have picked up on had we not raced it last year. We really love running on the boardwalk and I didn't smell any strange smells this year ( although I did only pass one person who was smoking this year). Since we've done the 7K once and the 11K once, I don't think that we will put this on our list of races to do again anytime soon. 

                                  ~M
(P.S Thanks for all your encouraging words last week. I didn't finish last, but I wouldn't have even cared if I did!)

Has there ever been a race that you loved to run and when you ran it again for the second or third time things were a bit different?


Don't forget to link up a food post tomorrow for Tasty Tuesday!

54 comments:

  1. Congrats on finishing the race with a great time! Running on the beach can be so windy, but I love to be able to see the water during a run. How fun that you both got to race!

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  2. At least you did the 11k! But all those changes absolutely suck. I feel like they should have communicated them before registration. Like a "Hey, if you ran this last year, it'll be a little different," type of thing.

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    1. I guess the changes weren't that big of a deal but it was just one little thing after another. Sometimes it's just the little touches that make a race good. Those little touches were missed this year!

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  3. That's a bummer! Lacey told me about this race and it sounded like y'all were really looking forward to it! Glad you had a good race and were mostly pain free - that's really positive! -C

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  4. Thanks Christine! It's just that I bragged about how great it was last year and although it was still a good race, some of the touches were missing this year.

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  5. Congrats on finishing. Organizers need to communicate otherwise they shouldn't get angry.

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    1. The guy from the timing company was really nice about it, but geeze, those ladies were just down right rude.

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  6. Congrats on finishing the 11k! I'm sorry the experience wasn't as good as last year :( It always feels bad when events offer less without lowering the cost. And that experience trying to switch to the 7k just sounds like it could put a negative spin on the whole weekend.

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    1. It really wasn't a bad time, but we definitely felt like we got less for our money this year! Lesson learned I guess!

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  7. Sorry to hear that the race wasn't up to par with the prior year! Great job on finishing the 11k though!

    Lauren

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    1. Thanks, going into it I was pretty certain that I wasn't going to be able to do the 11k. But I guess that's what determination is all about!

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  8. Congrats on finishing the 11K! I would have missed those amenities too (especially the massages). Glad that your pain is getting better :)

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    1. Thank you! Yes, we did miss the free massages. It was really nice last year being able to get a massage while looking out over the ocean.

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  9. Great job on the finish!! Sorry to hear that the race was not up to par!

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    1. Had we not known how the race was ran last year, we probably wouldn't have noticed everything that was missing!

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  10. Congrats!
    Wow - you had a completely different experience this time around. I am actually shocked about how rude the people were at the packet pick-up. Who would have thought that running would cause such moodiness? I would personally be writing a letter to the director explaining both races. Maybe they will fix them next year? You had such a great experience the first time, that you signed up AGAIN. That is awesome....I would totally let them know that!

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    1. Yes, the ladies I had to talk to about the change were very rude ( I am assuming they were actually employees of the company). However, the people at registration and t-shirt pick up were very pleasant! I am assuming they were probably volunteers!

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  11. Congrats on finishing! I've ran a race for a second year and it wasn't nearly as great as the first time I ran it. It's such a bummer when that happens. I would have really missed the massages too!

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    1. Yea, It's disappointing when a race goes all out one year and then really cuts back the next!

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  12. Great job on completing the 11k Meranda. Sorry this race went downhill so much. It seems like races usually try to improve, not the reverse. I guess you won't be excited to run this one again.

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    1. Thank you! I was pretty excited to have completed the 11K in my condition! I did have a lovely time in AC with my mom and it was a pleasant run along the boardwalk so not all it loss. I just know that I won't be bragging about this race like I did last year!

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  13. Sorry to hear that this year didn't measure up to last year's event. I loved this race and had a blast on Sunday but was also disappointed not to see any massages offered (as I had heard all about them previously) and no parking ticket (lovely perk that was!) I also found it odd that they put out items meant for the runners among the post-race food buffet rather than in our bags. Non-runners kept taking those items (caramel popcorn included) which meant some of the later finishers didn't get a whole lot of the items meant for them.

    But I'd go back. It was fun and I loved running on the boards! And congrats on making it through the 11k! way to push it!

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    1. Thank you! So glad that you had a great time at the half on Sunday! I really like the course and the atmosphere this race provides. If I did another AC race, I may try one of the ones in October!

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    2. It was a lot of fun! Here's my recap from the run http://scootadoot.com/2014/04/08/2014-atlantic-city-april-fools-half/

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  14. I'm sorry you didn't have a great experience with this race, but it sounds like despite everything you still did awesome!! I also don't like when longer races don't have food at the end, I'm always starving and need something more than a banana.

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    1. Thanks Courtney! I'm glad that I was smart enough to pack some snacks for back at the room!

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  15. Oh man :( Congratulations on finishing! I'm sorry that they were so snotty to you!

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    1. Thanks Rachel! Yea, there was no reason that they had to be rude, but I wasn't going to let them ruin my weekend. ( Although, if they weren't that rude, I may not have pushed myself to complete the 11K, so maybe it was a good thing....haha)

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  16. It stinks when a race changes so drastically from one year to the next. Kudos to you for finishing the 11K, though!

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    1. I wouldn't say the changes were drastic, but definitely all the little things were noticed!

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  17. Too bad. 2013 sounded awesome. I ran a local Thanksgiving race and the next year, it wasn't timed. I was disappointed.

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    1. I could definitely see where that would be disappointing. Especially if they didn't let people know that before they signed up for it.

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  18. Awesome job on finishing and with a great time, but I would have been really bummed at the way you were treated, there is no reason for that at all. You are a paying customer and they should be a customer oriented business, I am really sorry. Also, I totally agree with you about the medals, they are cute, but look so tiny in comparison to last years!

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    1. If that lady wouldn't have been so rude, I probably would not have pushed myself to run the 11K! ( I didn't want to get in trouble...haha)

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  19. That seems crazy to me that so much would change! I'm glad you did the 11k though! Way to push through!!

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    1. Thanks Meg! I'm glad I did the 11K too. now I can add that to my list of race distances!

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  20. I hate when you have high hopes & its a sharp drop down...
    I did one of my favorite races for the 3rd year last October & it had gone down the pooper BIG TIME!
    So many people complained about the medals that they issues a statement that they would sent out new ones when they came in... about 2 months later, we all got new medals in the mail - haha!

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    1. O wow! I would be curious to know which race this was. I'd love to see the change in the medals. Do you have it up on your blog?

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  21. Awesome job on completing the 11K, and your time is awesome! Never would have known you had any leg pain at all!

    That really does stink though that the changes they made were for the worse. Sounds like they need nicer people running the race/packet pick-up, too. Nothing worse than dealing with rude people!

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    1. Thanks Lauren! I have to say that I am actually pretty pleased with my time considering the condition I was in and that I didn't train. I seriously was planning on doing the 7K and walking most of it!

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  22. Awww, I'm bummed to read that it wasn't a great experience for you and there's never an excuse for rudeness. I enjoyed that half on Sunday and had a great time but I was bummed by the lack of race "village" at the end of the race. I found that it was less than previous years and I guess when I've done the race each year, I sort of come to expect things!

    I, too, was surprised at the lack of parking pass but since parking was only $5, we just sucked it up. Little things that repeat runners are used to are definitely noticed!

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    1. Yea, although we would have preferred to have free parking like last year, we were glad to see that parking was only $5. Most resorts were no less than $10. Since we were staying at one of the other resorts for the weekend, we also had to pay to park at that resort for the time we were there. It just would have been nice to have one of the parking fees waived. Overall it wasn't a bad experience, but like you said, when you are a repeat runner you definitely notice things that were missing from previous years! Glad you had a good time at the half!

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  23. I think the Hot Chocolate Run was from the same timing company. I loved the actual race, but I thought the finisher's mug was very cheesy. I was expecting a ceramic mug that could actually be used for something like soup, and instead, it was a cheap plastic mug with small partitions that they put a few tiny snack packages in and some messy chocolate syrup for dipping. I would have preferred a medal of any size to a plastic bowl I can't use.

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    1. Yea, I'm not a fan of races that give little trinkets instead of medals. I can understand your disappointment!

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  24. Way to go Meranda! Finishing a race when you're not at 100% isn't the easiest thing to do. I'm sorry to hear it was such a negative experience though, especially after you had such a great experience last year. Regardless of the changes, you didn't deserve to be talked to the way you did. As for the changes from last year to this year, were they advertised on the website, or were they sudden surprises when you showed up at the race? Its definitely hard to go into a repeat race after having such a positive experience in a prior year to find yourself disappointed when running it again.

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  25. First of all, Congrats on your run! I can't believe though that the race people were so cranky: Doesn't running make you happy? ;) I've dealt with cranky race timing people before too...not fun.

    It's always disappointing when a race isn't as great as it was in a previous year, especially when you've bragged it up to others! I've done this before. :)

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  26. Sorry to hear it wasn't as great as last year. But great job finishing the 11k! I only have one local race I have done twice and it was pretty comparable both years. Well I guess this year the food wasn't as great as last and no chocolate milk. But it wouldn't make me not do it again.

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  27. That would have pissed me off so bad- one person saying one thing and someone else saying another. You shouldn't have to pay extra to DECREASE your distance!

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  28. Great job getting it done even when you weren't feeling it! I'm glad your leg held up ok too. I would have been very disappointed if they'd changed all of those things from one year to the next. One or two pull backs on the swag is ok, all at once is kind of disappointing. Congratulations on a great finish though!

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  29. Congrats on the finish!!
    That is messed up, they should have just honored what the guy said, I mean he was working for them. These races make so much money off runners, you'd think they could have a little relaxed policies on the big exchange. Well I am glad you were able to do it, and your injury let you. Hopefully it didn't make it any worse and you can continue on with your recovery!
    Even though the medals are smaller, they are still pretty cute!

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  30. I feel like dropping down officially is more trouble than it's worth. If you just do it out on the course, what's the big deal? People get sick, they're hurt...I'd bet a lot of races have people cutting distances short unofficially for all kinds of reasons. I get changing it if there's a different medal or if you're going to a longer distance, but dropping down shouldn't be a huge deal, and if they want to make it a huge deal, they need to have everyone on the same page about how to do it.
    Congratulations on finishing even if you weren't into it!

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  31. Congratulations on powering through and finishing the 11k with a great time! I hope your injuries are still recovering, and that being unable to switch to the 7k didn't hinder the process. I'm sorry to hear you had a less than stellar race/experience this year (compared to last year). It's such a bummer when you have high hopes for a race (from past experience), and it doesn't live up to them. How frustrating to receive different responses from people regarding the same question/issue - not sure why people can't be on the same page. Even though the medal is smaller than last year, at least it's a unique one to add to your collection :)

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  32. Congrats on powering through and finishing the 11K, and I'm sorry they gave you such a hard time! You did an awesome job! I was really disappointed with this race experience overall, to be honest with you. I had heard so many great things about this race, and I guess they did away with a lot of the extras this year. Thanks for the medal comparison -- holy crap, what a huge difference! I was definitely a little disappointed with it...I was struggling through those last few miles and saw runners walking around with the medals around their necks and I was like...THAT'S what I'm in agony for right now? Haha. Sorry the race didn't meet your expectations, either, but you should still be so proud for killing it in the 11K! Hope to catch you guys at a race really soon! :)

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