Bloomsday History
A look back at every Bloomsday race since the very first, in 1977.
Historical information from Bloomsday / data gathered by Gina Boysun
Color Scheme
A look back at every Bloomsday race since the very first, in 1977.
Historical information from Bloomsday / data gathered by Gina Boysun
Olympic marathoner Don Kardong suggests to a reporter in the fall of 1976 that Spokane should have a downtown running event, and the suggestion finds its way into the newspaper. Spokane Mayor David Rogers voices support, and the Spokane Jaycees adopt the event as a club project. A course of approximately 8 miles is laid out, including a loop around West Central and a finish under the Washington/Stevens couplet in Riverfront Park. Cars are allowed on the course with the runners. The entry fee is $3.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 1,198/1,400 (86%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 59°/70°/78° |
Weather report | Overcast to broken cloud cover prevailed during the morning hours. The maximum temperature was 81. |
The Lilac Bloomsday Association becomes a Washington nonprofit corporation. Over 5,024 finishers cause the finish chutes to become severely clogged. The entry fee is raised to $5, and the race start moves to noon. A nondenominational worship service is held in Riverfront Park. The finisher T-shirt is based on a logo designed by Brian Henderson, who will eventually design seven Bloomsday finisher T-shirts.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 5,024/5,460 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 48°/58°/67° |
Weather report | Sunny with high thin clouds. The maximum temperature was 69. |
A team category is added and a spaghetti feed is held at the YMCA on Saturday. To help relieve congestion, officials use a two-pronged start, with runners starting on both Riverside and Main Avenue. The route near the end is adjusted to cross the Post Street Bridge and finish on Spokane Falls Boulevard by the Carrousel. The pounding of the pavement by the runners causes the light poles on the Maple Street Bridge to sway. Bloomsday becomes the third-largest run in the U.S., behind San Francisco's Bay to Breakers and Atlanta's Peachtree Road Race.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 10,070/10,082 (100%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 42°/52°/54° |
Weather report | Partly Sunny. The maximum temperature was 57. |
As the event's popularity grows, a Bloomsday board game is licensed to inventors Tom and Deanna Richards, and the "Bloomsday Blues" is recorded by a local band. Runners use a revamped course that for about half the field goes from downtown along Riverside to Latah Creek, and for the other half goes along Main and through Peaceful Valley to Latah Creek. For the first time, the course continues up Pettet Drive, which is immediately dubbed Doomsday Hill.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 11,962/13,576 (88%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 55°/67°/78° |
Weather report | Sunny all day. The maximum temperature was 81. |
Spokane celebrates its 100th birthday, and Bloomsday participation continues to grow. Two American hostages recently freed in Iran, William Keough and William Royer, report that they stayed in shape during captivity by running, but attempts to bring them to Bloomsday are unsuccessful. On Monday after the race, over an inch of snow falls in different areas in the Spokane region.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 15,546/17,000 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 41°/52°/54° |
Weather report | Mostly cloudy during the day with a light rain shower at 1 p.m. that lasted 10 minutes. The high temperature was 59. |
The field includes nine Olympians, three past winners and three Boston Marathon champions. Runner's World magazine calls Bloomsday one of the best road races in the U.S. The first Corporate Cup competition is launched, and Bloomsday hires its first paid race director, Doug Kelley. A massive backup in the T-shirt distribution lines leads many entrants to suggest giving the shirts out before the run.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 20,540/22,210 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 51°/61°/62° |
Weather report | Sunny at first, but clouds increased and skies were mostly cloudy by noon. The maximum temperature was 62. |
Sylvia Quinn serves as race director for the first of nine Bloomsdays. The purse bumps up to $40,000, and for the first time prize money ($6,000) is awarded to top wheelchair finishers. Officials consider limiting entries, but decide to leave it open for all comers. Estimates are that the event generates over $675,000 in hotel revenue.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 25,932/28,173 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 47°/57°/64° |
Weather report | Clear and sunny at the start. Remained sunny all day with a few fair weather cumulus by noon. The maximum temperature was 67. |
The Bloomsday entry fee is raised to $6, and 33,312 people sign up, including many who decide to "Register by Computer" at Medical Service Corporation. The course is officially certified at the 12-kilometer distance. A third starting area is added, and a computer seeds the field into six groups. Mike Brady runs 36:29 to record the fastest Bloomsday time ever by a local runner, and Gonzaga point guard John Stockton runs 46:03 for 374th place.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 30,463/33,312 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 34°/36°/42° |
Weather report | Cloudy all day with 1 to 2 inches of snowfall before the race. Light rain or rain and snow mixed continued until 12:30 p.m. The maximum temperature was 47 degrees. |
Bloomsday responds to an increasing inventory of undistributed finisher T-shirts by donating thousands to Catholic Charities. Sculptor David Govedare creates the Bloomsday statues, "The Joy of Running Together," in Riverfront Park. A helicopter crashes at KREM-TV on Bloomsday morning, killing pilot Cliff Richey and photographer Gary Brown. A study by Gonzaga business students shows that Bloomsday has a $1.2 million economic impact on the region.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 37,736/39,662 (95%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 38°/49°/54° |
Weather report | Sky was fair at 8:00 a.m. and became partly cloudy in the late morning and into the afternoon. The maximum temperature was 58. |
Recognizing the growing number of young Bloomies, the Lilac Bloomsday Association launches the Fit For Bloomsday...Fit For Life youth running/walking program. A group called the "Bloomsday Old Timers" is identified, made up of individuals who have completed all previous Bloomsdays (later to be called the Perennials). For the first time, female participation passes the 50 percent mark (50.7).
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 45,541/48,406 (94%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 45°/52°/55° |
Weather report | Cloudy all day with light rain showers in the morning until 7:30 and again in the late afternoon. The maximum temperature was 58. |
For the first time, Bloomsday passes the 50,000 mark. The STA adds shuttles for entrants to get to and from the run, a service that will eventually handle over 10,000 entrants. Gary Novotney becomes the first fatality in the history of the race when he collapses and dies of a heart attack at the finish line. Another runner, also treated for a heart attack, survives.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 50,946/54,261 (94%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 46°/53°/57° |
Weather report | Sunny in the morning and sky was mostly cloudy by the afternoon. The maximum temperature was 62. |
The Bloomsday field grows again to an all-time high. A geographic analysis of entries shows that 60.3 percent are from Spokane County. Light snowfall on race morning ends by 7:40 a.m. Over 250 teams enter the Corporate Cup, and the City of Spokane wins the first of its three titles. The Lilac Bloomsday Association selects Dorothy Kirk as its first Volunteer of the Year.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 53,155/57,298 (93%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 34°/45°/51° |
Weather report | Snow had ended at 7:40 a.m. and skies were partly cloudy by 8 a.m. The skies remained partly sunny in the morning and clouds began to increase again in the afternoon. The maximum temperature was 55. |
The Centennial Tree Planting Committee plants poplar trees on the north side of Doomsday Hill. Bloomsday is advertised as the largest timed road race in the world. First-time Bloomsday wheeler John Bingham loses control of his chair on the downhill to Latah Creek and tumbles down an embankment. Bingham isn't seriously hurt, but the accident delays the start of the race.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 52,457/56,280 (93%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 58°/67°/73° |
Weather report | Trace of rain in the afternoon. Race time skies - partly to mostly cloudy. The maximum temperature was 76. |
Race entry fee increases to $7. The Fit For Bloomsday youth running program poster is designed by fourth-grader Jenna Brown of Ridgeview Elementary. The official Bloomsday finish line is dedicated at the intersection of Spokane Falls Boulevard and Post. A five-year ban is announced for any racers caught entering the course after the starting line.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 51,122/54,869 (93%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 46°/50°/54° |
Weather report | Trace amounts of rain fell in the afternoon. It was very windy with a peak gust of 46 mph at 6:27 p.m. Southwest winds gusted to 30 mph throughout the race. The high temperature was 60. |
The Bloomsday Association has an open contest for finisher T-shirt designs, and the winner is Martin Sweet, whose purple shirt shows a stream of runners heading downhill into Peaceful Valley. Dr. Ed Rockwell is selected as the first inductee in the Bloomsday Hall of Fame. "Desert Bloom" races are held at eight Gulf War outposts. Barcodes are added to finisher tags. 103-year-old Mercieta Betts of Walla Walla is Bloomsday's oldest finisher.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 55,794/60,104 (93%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 48°/57°/52° |
Weather report | Light rain fell during the afternoon. The maximum temperature was 57. |
Former Lilac Bloomsday Association Board member Karen Heaps is hired as Bloomsday Race Coordinator for the first of thirteen successive years. Local artist Ken Spiering develops a Bloomsday poster, which depicts a multi-colored confetti throng climbing Doomsday Hill. The Athletics Congress, governing body for track and field and road racing in the United States, reports that Bloomsday is the largest timed road race in the world.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 53,303/57,651 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 49°/65°/75° |
Weather report | Sunny skies. The maximum temperature was 78. |
April 16 is announced as the first annual Bloomsday All-City T-Shirt Day. Past participants are encouraged to wear their favorite shirts in the days preceding Bloomsday. Many inquiries reach organizers about how many people have done every Bloomsday. No formal count is done this year, but estimates place the number at between 100 and 300.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 53,206/57,680 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 44°/51°/57° |
Weather report | Wind gusts to 26 mph in the afternoon. Race time skies - partly cloudy. The maximum temperature was 57. |
The Bloomsday Association moves to an office overlooking Peaceful Valley. Renovation of the T.J. Meenach Bridge is completed in time for it to be used by Bloomies. A 19-year-old male runner is attacked by a goose before the race in Riverfront Park. The runner was treated and released. Coverage of Bloomsday '94 is aired nationally on ESPN. Ken Spiering's poster is selected by Runner's World magazine as the best poster of 1994.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 55,195/60,037 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 41°/53°/59° |
Weather report | Clear at the start of the race. High thin clouds by afternoon. The maximum temperature was 59. |
The Fit For Bloomsday youth running program reports that over 6,000 children and 60 schools are now participating. Bloomsday entry fee rises to $8, the first increase since 1990. For the first time, Bloomsday officials use cellular phones on race weekend to stay in touch and coordinate activities.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 54,154/59,100 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 52°/58°/61° |
Weather report | Light rain at the start of the race. Stopped by 10 a.m. Cloudy for the remainder of the morning and early afternoon. The maximum temperature was 66. |
In its 20th year, Bloomsday enjoys its largest field in history. A bomb at City Hall a week before the run puts officials on alert, but the run goes off without a hitch. Cecelia Kelly, 105, of Cheney, becomes the oldest finisher in race history. The finisher T-shirt is one of the most popular in history, featuring artwork by Ken Spiering in which crushed cups and spilled water spell out "Bloomsday 96" and the numeral 20.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 56,156/61,298 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 40°/52°/56° |
Weather report | It was sunny throughout the race. The high temperature for the day was 58 degrees. |
Bloomsday adds online registration as an option for entrants, becoming one of the first races in the nation to do so. The aftermath of Ice Storm '96 is reflected in Ken Spiering's poster, which shows a sculptor carving runners out of fallen trees. Patrick Tabak proposes to his girlfriend by holding a sign on the hillside above Doomsday Hill saying, "I love you, Becky McKimmey. Will you marry me?"
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 49,467/55,270 (90%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 44°/50°/58° |
Weather report | Before the race, it was cloudy overnight with light rain. At start time the clouds were breaking up and skies were partly cloudy throughout the remainder of the day. The high temperature for the day was 60 degrees. |
In February, one of Riverfront Park's running statues is stolen. It is recovered and reinstalled by artist Dave Govedare. Connie Bischoff is elected president of the Lilac Bloomsday Association, becoming the first woman to hold that position. Due to construction of River Park Square, the Bloomsday finish is moved to the Courthouse on Broadway. Travel through Peaceful Valley and the "merge" near Latah Creek are eliminated.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 48,453/53,389 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 57°/66°/71° |
Weather report | Skies were partly cloudy at the start of the race and became mostly sunny by midday. The high temperature for the day was 74 degrees. |
The Lilac Bloomsday Association and the Bloomsday Road Runners Club host the annual Road Runners Club of America national convention for the second time (the first was in 1980). Cool temperatures result in more no-shows than normal on race morning. Bloomies run in the rain for the first time.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 47,215/53,898 (88%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 39°/41°/43° |
Weather report | Skies were cloudy with rain falling on and off throughout the race. There were some brief sun breaks at midday and clearing skies in the late afternoon. 0.07 inches of rain fell between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.. The high temperature for the day was 47 degrees with 0.13 inches of rain measured. |
The entry fee is raised to $10. The U.S. Postal Service issues a commemorative stamp. Two heart-transplant recipients, Randy Twiggs and John Bottjer, finish together in 3:45. David McKay, 40, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, completes his fourth Bloomsday. His 7-year-old daughter Tashina, wheelchair-bound after suffering burns on over 60 percent of her body in an accident, finishes with him.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 45,538/50,401 (90%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 40°/51°/56° |
Weather report | Skies were sunny at the start of the race, with only a few clouds developing by midday. The high temperature for the day was 59 degrees. |
Bloomsday celebrates its 25th year by hosting three guest speakers on race weekend: John "The Penguin" Bingham, seven-time Bloomsday champion Anne Audain, and Spokane running legend Gerry Lindgren. Entrants are reported from 16 different countries, and there are 132 "Silver Stars" — runners who haven't missed a race. Four generations of race founder Don Kardong's family participate in the race.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 45,346/49,532 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 38°/50°/55° |
Weather report | Sunny skies. The high temperature for the day was 57 degrees |
Security concerns are heightened after the Sept. 11 attacks, but no problems are experienced. Officials focus on the fact that 2002 will see Bloomsday's 1 millionth finisher. "It could be you," say the radio ads. Dana Gaber, 33, of the Spokane Valley is identified as the millionth, and receives a trophy modeled after the runner statues in Riverfront Park and free Bloomsday entry for life.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 45,775/51,282 (89%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 41°/46°/43° |
Weather report | Skies were mostly cloudy at the beginning of the race. Light rain began at about 10 a.m. mixed with small hail at 10:30 a.m. and 1-1:30 p.m. A thunderstorm with small hail at 2 p.m. dropped the temperature back into the low 40s. The high temperature for the day was 51 degrees with a total of 0.28 inches precipitation and 0.4 inches of snow/graupel. |
Bloomsday Overseas takes place for the first time since the 1991 Desert Storm operation, and 20 members of the Fairchild Air Force Base crew in Diego Garcia, India, run the required 7.46 miles and earn a special finisher's shirt.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 40,027/44,641 (90%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 43°/48°/49° |
Weather report | Skies were mostly cloudy as the participants lined up to start. The clouds lowered and intermittent light rain began at about 8:30 a.m. and continued throughout the day. The high temperature for the day was 52 degrees with a total of 0.02 inches of precipitation. |
Failure of a sales-tax increase on the ballot jeopardizes STA's Bloomsday shuttle service, but STA is able to continue, shuttling 20 percent of the entrants to and from the race. 1984 Olympic gold medalist Joan Benoit Samuelson runs Bloomsday for the first time. In the first-ever voting for best Bloomsday performer, the Red Hot Mamas win by a landslide. Karen Heaps, race coordinator for 13 years, announces that she is retiring.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 39,695/43,514 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 57°/67°/74° |
Weather report | Breezy winds overnight kept the temperatures mild. The 57 degrees at 8 a.m. was only 2 degrees shy of the warmest race morning, set on the first Bloomsday in 1977. Clouds gave way to some sunshine as the race progressed. The high temperature was 76 degrees. |
Bloomsday is officially designated a Tobacco Free Event. Bloomsday founder Don Kardong is hired as the new race director. Brian Kenna, an Army reservist stationed in Iraq, plans his leave so he can keep his streak alive of having completed every Bloomsday. Sean Spicer, 39, celebrates his loss of 470 pounds by finishing Bloomsday in just over 2 hours.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 40,012/43,842 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 46°/58°/65° |
Weather report | Clear skies and moderate winds overnight allowed temperatures to fall to near normal. The clear skies gave way to a few clouds by race time and mostly cloudy skies by late in the day. The high temperature was 67 degrees. |
Bloomsday renovates its start, finish, and timing system. Participants are issued a chip that attaches to the ankle. Officials move starting groups to Riverside and start in waves of about 5,000, which allows a mostly uncluttered course. The finish is moved to the newly refurbished Monroe Street Bridge. An online vote determines that Ken Spiering's 1996 T-shirt is the all-time favorite. The 2005 T-shirt "wins" the tally as least favorite.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 40,809/44,756 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 47°/48°/48° |
Weather report | Skies were overcast, and light rain showers fell off and on during the race, but were generally so light that the pavement remained dry. The high temperature for the day was only 53 degrees. |
The Fit For Bloomsday youth fitness program enjoys a surge in numbers, with 85 schools and nearly 6,000 children participating. The Check-In and Trade Show are moved to the new Convention Center. Whimsical metal sculptures by artist "Blowtorch Annie" are on display, and later positioned along the course. The sculptures are sold to sponsors, with proceeds benefiting the Vanessa Behan Crisis Nursery.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 40,362/44,180 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 43°/54°/59° |
Weather report | Intermittent high clouds moved over the area from day break through start time and into the afternoon. The sky cover ranged from mostly clear to mostly cloudy, although most of the clouds were thin, allowing the sun to shine through. The high temperature for the day was 66 degrees. |
In spite of coming on the heels of the second snowiest winter in Spokane history, Bloomsday numbers post the first significant increase in five years. That includes approximately 100 runners at Camp Echo in southern Iraq, participants in the "Bloomsday Away" program for service men and women. Bib numbers and color groups are emailed to online entrants a week before the run. U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell acts as celebrity starter.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 43,640/47,528 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 43°/58°/65° |
Weather report | A few thin high clouds moved over the region from daybreak and into the afternoon. Winds were light through the day and the high temperature was 69 degrees. |
Residents recovering from a second straight winter of massive snowfalls seem eager to get back outdoors, as entries surge for the second straight year. Fear of a possible swine flu outbreak, coupled with the threat of rain, hold finisher numbers down. Promotion includes a Facebook page, which by race day includes over 2,000 members. Over a ton of water cups collected along the route are composted.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 45,477/51,259 (89%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 44°/48°/52° |
Weather report | Overcast to mostly cloudy conditions prevailed. Southwest winds at the airport ranged up to 16 mph by mid-afternoon. The high temperature for the day was a cool 55 degrees. |
After four years of computer chip timing, Bloomsday adopts the Chronotrack D-tag — a strip of plastic with radio-frequency ID embedded in it. The new system proves extremely accurate. Female participation reaches an all-time high of 60 percent. Official 2010 charity SNAP encourages the community to purchase "SNAPetizers" at participating restaurants on Bloomsday weekend to help raise funds for the organization.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 50,721/55,090 (92%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 39°/50°/54° |
Weather report | By late morning some clouds had moved in and thin overcast conditions remained the rest of the day. Winds gusted into the mid 30s. The high temperature for the day was once again a cool 55 degrees. |
The economy and a worldwide shortage of cotton made securing sufficient T-shirts a challenge, but in the end all finishers were accommodated. In celebration of the 35th running, 35 bands were on the course, 35-year medals were offered for sale, and iPads awarded to the 35th, 350th, 3,500th and 35,000th finishers. For the first time, individual video clips were posted along with photos after the race.
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 51,303/56,652 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 37°/49°/55° |
Weather report | Cool and moist days in late April and clear skies early on Bloomsday made for some lowland fog before start time. It cleared by 9 a.m. and clear skies and light winds prevailed through midday. The high temperature was 58 degrees. |
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 48,229/53,296 (90%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 41°/52°/57° |
Weather report | Mostly clear skies and light winds prevailed over the course through midday. Some fair weather clouds developed after noon and skies became mostly cloudy. The high temperature for the day was 60 degrees. |
Race details | |
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Runners finished/registered | 47,298/51,613 (91%) |
Temperature start/middle/finish | 55°/67°/73° |
Weather report | Temperatures suited the walkers and joggers in Bloomsday 2013. Slight northeast winds prevailed in the morning that increased to gusts of 24 mph in the afternoon. The high temperature for the day was 78 degrees. |