FroYo Run

My 11 year old came in FOURTH overall in this flat, organized and fast race around the Shark Tank… aka HP Pavilion. The course is clear and marked well. The only thing that could improve this organization’s event is
A) more directive folks by the 5k and 10 k split
and B) the pacer signs, they need one more for a 7.00 minute or 6.00 minute and under group given the size of the participants, there were some 6 – 7 minute average mile time runners to justify one more group! Thanks guys-​it was fun! A good race and easy to access for parking as well!

Course description:
There was much to like about the San Jose 2015 Froyo Run, but the course wasn’t one, to me at least. It’s not ugly or unsafe (or otherwise unsuitable), it’s just not that beautiful. Too, the course was a 5K loop around central San Jose. 10K runners saw the same sights twice. The race started and finished at Arena Green East near the HP Pavilion. I am prejudiced, as I much prefer trail races.
Organization & Production:
On to some good stuff … the sign-​up process was quick; packet pick-​up was race day only. Between using a scan-​able ticket (runners had to print it out and bring it with them) and having lots of volunteers scanning and handing out swag bags, this was very quick. Near start time the line was getting long. I timed some one and found that the line was about 5 minutes. Runners who didn’t have family or friends waiting at the finish had to choose between wearing their swag bag in the race or checking it (which was very simple). Bib numbers were given first-​come-​first-​served. Results for every bib number were posted online; if a runner wanted to have their name shown and be eligible for awards, they had to register their bib number online. It worked smoothly, but using a smart phone made it a bit slow. Processes were kept simple and technology was used to speed check-​in (one-​size-​fits-​all hats were probably chosen as quicker than T-​shirts).
Check-​in began at 7AM, pretty typical; start was at 9AM, which is NOT. I usually arrive at races early, and expect some wait, but two hours?! More importantly, the race was held in Mid-​August. Hot weather isn’t a certainty in San Jose, but this year it was! I understand that checking in ~2300 people takes time. I think it would be better and wiser to open check-​in earlier, shorten it 30 minutes, and start at 8:15. For those who chose, there were two warm-​up sessions. There were plenty of porta-​cans; I NEVER saw a line (almost a violation of race tradition!).
The start area was confined and compact, with 5 corral groups — not for the claustrophobic or agoraphobic. Spreading it out another 20 feet would have been nice. The main access into the start area was toward the back, so faster runners had to filter through the slower to get to their corral. I was worried at first about how the packed start area would impact slower folks (like me), but it was a wave start (one corral group at a time, with a couple of minutes between). Good choice!
There were 3 aid stations on-​course, generous for a 5K course. Aid stations gave out only water. In contrast, the volunteer-​organized OktobeRun has water and Gatorade, and the SV Turkey Trot has water and Gatorade, plus GU gel at some aid stations. FroYo was spartan! I’ve read that there were mile markers, but didn’t see them. Larger mile markers, please!
Swag & Goodies:
I like race T-​shirts. I wear them for work-​outs, and in races. But the hat is tech type and very nice, and the sunglasses are protective from UV (but the orange frame …). The hat is olive green, embroidered with the FroYo swirl logo and «FroYo Run». The bibs are color-​coded for the 5K and 10K distances. The finisher’s medal and ribbon are FroYo green and orange: the swirl in green; «FroYo Run 2015» in orange and corporate font; the ribbon is orange with «FroYo Run» and the swirl in white.
The finish line goodies were skimpy. FroYo is the sponsor of the race, and giving out samples in the finish area was much advertised. But the FroYo plus unchilled bottles of water were it. Adding cut up oranges, bananas, and bagels, things common in race finish areas (if by a co-​sponsor, costing FroYo nothing), would be a huge improvement.
My Results & Opinion of the Race:
My expectations coming into this race were moderate and are the context for this review. I’ve done several races in central San Jose, and thus knew the course isn’t beautiful. But the race was close & convenient, the medal looked cool, and it suited a goal toward which I’m working. In that regard, I did what I hoped to and was quite happy. Mission accomplished, onward and upward!
Were the FroYo Run an established SF Bay Area race, I’d rate it 3 stars. But my understanding is that this was its first running in San Jose. For that and improvements looking very doable, I’m giving it 4 stars. I appreciated greatly that the race was intentionally family-​friendly. Pre-​race and post-​race were relaxed. There was a costume and a gummy bear toss contest (with a very chatty announcer). Frozen yogurt is very kid-​friendly. I saw many families doing the race as a family event. The 2015 San Jose FroYo Run was also very friendly for runners who don’t do many organized races. The fundamentals of the race organization were solid — no mess-​ups or bottlenecks. I hope FroYo and its event organizer learn from this year and come back next year with an even better race experience.

i was looking forward to this event all summer long since it was heavily advertised as the «sweetest» run where you’d be rewarded with a cup of froyo upon crossing the finish line. it would be the first ever frozen yogurt run in san jose, and the bay area for that matter, and my friends and i were super excited to participate in this inaugural event.
on what would be one of the hottest days this summer with a forecast of 97 F in san jose, my friends and i, along with 2000 or so other participants, trekked downtown to the arena green, hoping that we would all finish the race before it got too warm. a tall order for a race that had a start time of 9am. normally, i’d be rejoicing for a race that started later = extra sleep time! but today, i was secretly wishing that the race started at 7 or 8, when it was cooler outside.
what i liked about the race:
+reasonable RACE REGISTRATION FEES as i paid $ 40.45 for the 10k race, early-​bird group rate for groups of 4 or more. the 5k was a few dollars less.
+the ORGANIZERS were very prompt in responding to all of the emails that i sent before race day
+very FAMILY FRIENDLY as i saw many families, children, and strollers at this event
+VOLUNTEERS were very efficient in checking folks in on race morning, handing us our goody bags and bibs, directing us on all turns during the race (there were a lot), manning the aid stations, handing out medals and bottled water at the finish
+complimentary BAG/​GEAR CHECK at the start/​finish area
+lots of PORTA-​POTTIES at the start/​finish area; thankfully, i never had to wait for one, which is rare at a large event
+STAGGERED START TIMES for each wave of runners, based on estimated pace (a group was released every couple of minutes to avoid congestion on course)
+CLEAR SIGNAGE to distinguish the 10k and 5k routes when the 5k participants split off towards the finish chute
+free cup of FROZEN YOGURT WITH TOPPINGS at the finish area, perfect for such a hot day!
+unique SCHWAG including a medal in the form of a swirl, a dri-​fit hat with race logo, a green drawstring bag, and coupon for free frozen yogurt at yogurtland
+in addition to the usual overall and age group AWARDS, they also had awards for best costume, fastest stroller, and fastest frozen yogurt eater!
what i did not like about this race:
–REGISTRATION PROCESS was a bit unorthodox. since i signed up my group of 5 as one transaction, all of the tickets were put under my name and i had to email each of my friends with the individual tickets/​bar codes.
–since everything was under my name and email, i was the only one RECEIVING UPDATES re the race, so each time an update was sent out, i had to forward them on to my friends… the week of the race, they had multiple updates, which made for a busy week for me.
–there was no PRE-​RACE BIB AND PACKET PICKUP so we had to arrive at the race early, line up, and pick up our goody bag and bibs.
–BIB NUMBERS were not assigned in advance, so after picking up bibs on race morning, we had to use our smart phones to register our bibs with our name, age, and gender in order to be eligible for age group awards… i have never had to do this for another race!
–while there was dedicated PARKING at the SAP center parking lot a block away, we had to pay $ 5 per car. good thing i carpooled with a friend!
–no race T-​SHIRT for this event… something that almost every race offers in this day and age
–UNINTERESTING COURSE which took us around downtown san jose where we only saw buildings
–MISSING MILE SIGNAGE along the course… i only saw the mile markers for mile 2 and 3
–10k COURSE was two loops of the 5k course, so in addition to seeing the same boring buildings twice, i also saw mile markers 2 and 3 twice
–INCORRECT COURSE MEASUREMENTS as the 10k was about 5.74 miles long, about ½ mile shy of the official 6.2 miles for a 10k. i believe the 5k was about 2.88 miles, which also falls short of the official 3.1 miles for a 5k. while this led to all of my friends crossing the finish line with great times, we knew that these times did not reflect the true 10k distance which was a bit of a letdown.
–the BOTTLED WATER at the end of the race was warm, which is not ideal esp for such a warm day…~75/80 degrees at the time
–the POST-​RACE FROYO was great, but the pre-​packaged cup of froyo was a bit hard and the texture was closer to ice cream vs froyo and the small cup wasn’t filled to capacity… i’d say it was approximately 4 ounces of froyo per cup/​per participant. they also ran out of one flavour well before everyone had finished running/​walking.
–aside from froyo, there was NO OTHER FOOD offered at the end, no bagels, no bananas, nothing.
–RESULTS were not physically posted anywhere onsite and you had to keep checking online for them to be posted, which was several hours after the conclusion of the event.
although i really like the concept of a froyo run, some details definitely need to be ironed out before they hold a second running of this event.