40th Annual Zoo Run Relay

The race was fantastic. It was disappointing however to find out at the end of the race that our team members did not get a medal. The cost of the race in and of itself should cover it. You should also warn people before they sign up that no medal will be issued unless your team is a top finisher (top 3).

Suzanne E. has attended 1 times

2/2 found this review helpful.

I just have to say that I was very pleased with the way you handled the heat !! Extra water stations, EMS on site, Zoo personnel everywhere. All Hands On Deck !! We appreciate your staff going above & beyond to make sure this run was successful. Thank you so much 💓

Anna C. has attended 3 times

1/1 found this review helpful.

The location is a winner, everyone was having a great time BUT the announcer's speakers were not audible for anyone near the starting area so some vital info was not "relayed" to many of us. During the countdown the announcer even said "Come on, you guys need to cheer along with me!" but hardly anyone could hear him say this because the speakers were either not working or aimed towards another area away from the runners. At the end of the race the exit route walked through the still live course and so that presented a challenge for the photographers, finishers and people wanting to simply leave the event. Overall the route was great, shaded comfortably even in the 90 degree temps and it was great for anyone from the first timer (like me : ) to the experienced competitive runner. I even think they had pace bikes for the super fast runners. From the moment I arrived I had to mostly guess what direction to go to get to the starting line as nobody greeted the crowds walking into the already closed (but still wide open) zoo. I followed everyone and thankfully made it to where I was supposed to be, the route was marked clearly enough (though there were some slight differences for relay vs individual runners) and at the end, there seemed to be several heavily attended drink lines. I bypassed the drink options (should've given tickets to someone else) and looked for the "swag" booths. I found my finishing medal at the appropriate table but there were no "drawstring bags" anywhere at all to be found despite being listed as part of the purchase/sign up agreement. All in all I got answers from solerssports.com's contact about the swag bag and also about whether or not I could "compete and complete" this race given my "never done this before" status and I was properly motivated to give this a try. The shirt is amazing, the finishing medal is great AND the one zoo ticket received are all absolutely worth the entry fee alone. I don't need anything else like a drawstring bag, but it should be acknowledged and or substituted for if it is not truly available after having been listed as an included item. Oh, the only other thing is the files and map routes are not exactly accurate since it is generalized from 3 years ago or so and not divided into two downloadable routes (1 for a 4 mile runner and 1 for the relay runners) BUT not everyone uses tech. This might sound like a complaint but really this was a superb & majorly fun run. I look forward to the next one!

Great event

Maria M. has attended 2 times

Results are not posted from the race

Water and cold towels should be at finish line and right at baton exchange. When runners finish at 90+ degree weather we want water. The exchange should not be so far from finish line and the announcers. It was very hard to hear anything and to see the next runner. The water stations at the course should be more visible or better labeled. The volunteers should make it more obvious by offering water in cups to the runners. When I’m running at 6-7 min/mi pace it is hard to see them. The water at the course was very warm also. We need ice cold water! The awards station was not obvious. Everyone was confused where to go. And the photographer was not in the right place either. For the price we were charged to sign up, i think we should have at least vegan options for food and more stations to get our “free” drinks. The line was ridiculously long. Others complained that for the price we paid we should have at least gotten finishers medal. I personally don’t care for that. There weren’t even gatorade!!! Those are things that us runners expect in races that are provided by other companies. I will not sign up for another race again.

Shay T. has attended 1 times

3/11 found this review helpful.

Awesome event, My son Jeff Tyler's 5th yr running in honor & memory of his son Roc who loved the Zoo. This year we had 6 of us Tyler's (Jeff, Kaycie, Dustin, Madison, Hannah & myself, & a cousin Brenda from CO, friend Crystal ) running in his honor! Our granddaughter Hannah was 11 yrs Old running on my team l. Very blessed

Karen T. has attended 0 times

32/187 found this review helpful.