Beef up for Bloomsday run
Nothing like zinc-, iron- and protein-loading before Bloomsday.
The Washington State Beef Commission is making it convenient to do just that by giving out beef appetizer samples at the Bloomsday Trade Show. And the people standing in line for the tasty treat are speedier than the elite runners who will lead the pack at Sunday’s Lilac Bloomsday Run.
“(The treats) get eaten as fast as we can put them out,” Rob Noel, director of promotions for the beef commission, said Friday afternoon. “I’ve seen the tray empty in 10 seconds.”
The beef display is one of many that are set up at the Ag Trade Center for Bloomsday on Friday and today. Sporting shoes and apparel booths make up the majority of the annual show, but the free food samples would give Costco a run for the handout title.
Noel estimates that about 1,300 pounds of beef, amounting to 23,000 samples, will be gobbled up before the show ends at 6:30 p.m. today.
“We like to call beef nature’s best-tasting multivitamin,” he added.
As for dessert, there’s always Snyder’s, which has had a presence at the Trade Show for years.
Snyder’s bakery – which is part of the Franz Family Bakeries family – will dish out about 1,400 boxes of doughnuts, 20,000 cookies and enough bread to feed the duck population in Spokane County.
“It’s all carbs,” Snyder’s Scott Atkins said. “We give you carbs for the run.”
Chip talk
Representatives from The Winning Time Chip also are at the trade show answering questions about the device that will be used at Bloomsday for the first time.
Denika Voget, who is licensed with The Winning Time Chip, is confident there won’t be any manufacturer’s errors as Spokane races into the advanced technology era. The company has installed three backup systems.
However, here are some pointers to use to avoid human error.
“Racers should wear the device on their right ankle. It is best that everyone has it on the same ankle to avoid any “signals getting crossed.” Racers should not wear the device on their wrist.
“Racers need to step on the mats at the start and the finish of the race. Sounds like a no-brainer, but the chip folks said they’ve seen it all.
“I’ve had people crawl over the fence,” said Voget, who is based in Seattle.
Added Dave Breeden of Big State Timing in New Hampshire: “I saw a guy jump about five meters over four mats at the end of a race because he was so happy he finished. He jumped too high for his time to record.”
Luckily for the jubilant runner, Breeden wrote down his bib number and the runner got his results.
Off-track activities
“The Kiwanis Club of Country Homes is selling Bloomsday 30-year Christmas ornaments at the trade show. The sale is being used as a fundraiser to support the club’s programs.
“Randy Beers, the artist who designed this year’s souvenir poster, will sign posters at the Bloomsday poster booth at the trade show from noon-2 p.m. today.
“For the fifth straight year, Bloomsday participants will hear vocalist John Keston of McMinnville, Ore. Keston will sing “O Canada” and “The Star-Spangled Banner” for runners as they wait for the race to begin. The 81-year-old is not only an outstanding singer but also a noted actor and world-class age-group runner. Keston set an age 80 record last year with his 56-minute, 33-second Bloomsday performance, but recent surgery will prevent him from running this year.
“More than 20 bands are set to perform along the Bloomsday course, playing everything from rock to bluegrass to punk to accordion.
As in the past two years, Bloomsday runners will be able to vote for their favorite band online at www.bloomsdayrun.org after Sunday’s run.
Weather forecast
The National Weather Service forecast for Sunday is: “Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain showers in the morning … then a slight chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs around 60. Southwest wind 15 to 25 mph with local higher gusts. Chance of precipitation 40 percent mainly in the morning.”
45,000 expected
Bloomsday officials are estimating the final count for this year’s run may top 45,000 as late registrants continue their steady flow at the Ag-Trade Center.
The number is up about 3 percent, making it the second straight year the number has increased.