CHECK-IN, MUSIC, ROAD CLOSURES
Friday, May 5, 2017
SPOKANE, WA—Check-In for this Sunday’s 41st annual Lilac Bloomsday Run has begun at the Spokane Convention Center, and volunteers are busy handing out packets and signing up late registrants. Check-in and late registration are available on Friday, May 5th, from 11:30 a.m. until 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, May 6th, from 9:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. Race entry is not available on Sunday, May 7th, although out-of-town runners who have already entered can pick up their packets between 6:30 and 9:00 a.m. that day.
“The most common question we get is, ‘Can someone else pick up my packet for me?’” said Bloomsday Race Director Don Kardong. “The answer is yes, as long as the person picking up knows the exact name used to register, age and date of birth.”
Along with Check-In, the Agua Bloomsday Trade Show is in full swing, with a variety of sports, fitness, and general interest exhibitors on site. For the first time, Bloomsday welcomes a title sponsor for the show. Those entering the Agua Bloomsday Trade Show should get their photos taken at the Agua booth to receive a free bottle of Agua as they exit the show.
Bloomies entering the show will also be greeted by three interactive “walls.” Washington Trust Bank will have giant TV screens to aggregate social media posts from people guessing the color of the finisher shirt. Another wall next to new sponsor Dick’s Sporting Goods will be available for participants to write their reasons for running or participating in Bloomsday. And back again for the second year will be the Bloomsday Selfie Station, where participants will scan their bib number and a personalized race message will appear on the back-drop wall for the perfect pre-race selfie opportunity. The Agua Bloomsday Trade Show is open during the same hours as Check-In.
Security for this year’s Bloomsday includes restricted access to the starting area for registered runners only, as well as a restriction on backpacks. Certain types of small fanny packs are acceptable, and full details are listed in the Race Information section of the Bloomsday website. Anyone riding the STA shuttle should leave backpacks and gear bags with their vehicles at the shuttle lots (except Corporate Cup participants, who have special instructions for gear bags).
On Sunday morning Mead High School student Colon Fletcher will sing the US national anthem, and Anneke Knauss of the Victoria School of the Arts in Edmonton will sing the Canadian anthem. In addition, a full slate of entertainment is scheduled along the Bloomsday course, as over 30 performers (including radio stations) are scheduled for race day. This year’s on-course entertainment includes music to please a variety of tastes, including rock, pop, punk, blues, bluegrass, oldies, accordion, Jewish and Christian.
Helping the crowd get started on Sunday will be celebrity starter Jim Ryun, the first high school student to break the four-minute barrier. Ryun set the world record in the mile 50 years ago, and his record of 3:51.1 stood for nearly eight years. Ryun was also Bloomsday’s special guest in 1980.
When the run is over on Sunday, Bloomsday entrants will be able to vote for their favorite performers again this year by logging on to www.bloomsdayrun.org, and prizes of $500, $300, and $150 will be awarded to the winning entertainers. A full listing of this year’s performers is on Bloomsday’s website by clicking Race Information, then On-Course Entertainment on the drop-down menu.
Streets in downtown Spokane will begin to close around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday. Additional details about road closures are on the Bloomsday website by clicking the Race Information button and choosing Road Closures on the drop-down menu.
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