Welcome

Since we get so many great emails about the race we wanted our Amazing teams to be able to talk to each other and the committee about the race. In our first two years we have gotten a lot of great feedback that has added to the event.  A "blog" seemed like the right move to keep things growing.

Comments

[J.S.]

This was our 2nd year and love how well staffed and organized this event is. The logistics involved to run such a big event is a huge undertaking and one that is much appreciated by those of us who participate. Our overall feeling once we completed this year's race was that last year we had a lot more fun. We liked how many of the businesses around Loveland were used last year like the dog kennel, the karate chop, the castle, and the nail salon to name a few. This year was a little less creative and didn't seem to include as much of Loveland as in the past due to the shorter bike portion. Our favorite ones this year were the Kroger one, the canoe(love it if that would have been a bit longer), and always love the firehose as that totally cools us off! Keep up the good work and thanks for taking the feedback- see you next year!

[Doug]

Where are the pics? Jeez...

[Jane C]

I have participated all 4 years and once again this is my Favorite Race of the year! This is a very organized and well run event and I am looking forward to next year already!

You all come up with some great and quirky events and this is what makes it fun. This year the bike/run trade off with only one bike was fun and a new twist. It also helped us in getting 1 bike organized instead of the usual 2.

It would have been fun to have 2 loops on the bike though may be an organization nightmare for you all.

Love the dri-fit shirts though would prefer them in a tank, we cut ours every year. Also maybe not so loud of a color, though we were sure to be seen this year.

Favorite Events:
- anything with water, canoe, fire hose, crossing the river. The water events are great. Missed the slip and slide, though understand that gets messy late in the day.
- Cindy's Mug slide was a fun addition.
- mazes, blindfolded and the golfball in the PCV tube
- kroger grocery challenge was fun
- past challenges: rock wall, obstacle courses at the end, grocery cart obstacle course, bowling alley, castle, dog challenge last year, karate, Find a hero challenge....

Once again great job to all the race coordinators and volunteers!

Thanks

[LouAnn]

This was my first year on the race and really had no idea what to expect. My partner and I had a great time! I was not at all prepared for the amount of running, but that being said still had fun. Our motto coming into to the race was to finish, which we did. I like others, would have preferred more mental challenges and less running/biking. The best part of the race for me were the actual challenges and the team work. Overall, I had a great time and have signed up for next year with my son. The organizers did a great job planning the event and I'm sure next year will be just as amazing!

[Jane P]

My friend and I have done this for all four years now. I thought this year's was great because it gave us a chance to really compete. I don't agree that we need more biking - I liked the alternating running and biking. It really showed what we could do as a team. The biking from year's past (all the way to the school) was hard and I think too far, especially the first year when people were sick in the woods trying to make it up the hill.

I really liked the Kroger challenge. We missed the slip -n- slide but did NOT miss the toenail painting (that was horrible!). I would personally like more mental or teamwork challenges, if possible, but I am certainly being picky because this is the best and most organized event. You all do a super job!!

[Mal Goldenberg]

After a week to judge the Race, it was FANTASTIC. We have already registered our kids from Rhode Island and Massachusetts. One correction to Barb Morgan's blog..they are not the oldest, we are with 46 years of marriage. Keep us guessing with the events but keep the Loveland Amazing Race FUN. The more mud the better and would like to see events that the teams "really" have to work together. Kudos to the organizers. We understand how much work goes into putting on an event like this and sincerely appreciate your efforts.

Mal & Avis Goldenberg

[barb morgan]

This was our 2nd time in the LAR and we loved it. Last year we were partneres with our teenage granddaughters. This year we paired up as a team and got the rest of the family involved along with some long time friends. All of them loved it and are already signed up for next year along with us. I feel we could have been the oldest team competing and after 43 years of marriage we hung in there with kids and finished only miuntes behind them. I love it all, keep us guessing, it is part of the fun.
barb

[Greg M]

Like everyone else, I agree that the volunteers could not be nicer, happier or more pleasant to race with! I agre that this years shirt was the worst! I dont know where i would actually wear this again. The red I've worn to sand volleyball, to the gym, etc. I don't typically go out looking like a crossing guard though. The challenges from years past that shoudl come back are: anything with the firehoses! nothing ever feels so good on a hot day, the joust!, slip n slide!, anything with mud, the hippety hop?, the tire flip, the tough mental challenges, the rock wall, bowling. If you ever want help, I've been here from the beginning and still loving it!

[Dan]

Thanks to all the volunteers.
This was my 2nd LAR, keep up the good work, keep us guessing. I prefer not knowing what to expect, 5 miles running or 5 miles biking, surprise me that day, that is part of the fun!

[Mal Goldenberg]

We were the oldest team and came from Rhode Island and on Sunday registered for next year. The race was a lot of fun and well organized. My wife and I would like to see more bike riding, less running and more challenging"team" stations that could test our 46 year marriage and the more mud and dirt the better. Those that want more running don't understand the purpose of this event-FUN-not a marathon or triathelon. Can't wait till next year.
Mal Goldenberg-Narragansett, RI

[Erica]

3rd year doing this, and it was another great race. The Loveland Amazing Race has become one of the events that I most look forward to in summer.

This year's Amazing Race was definitely the hardest (physically) of the past 3 years, but still tons of fun. My partner and I are pretty competitive and in pretty good shape, so the running was fine for us- I think being able to run the course definitely helped us finish better.

The race is so well run and organized. The volunteers are amazing- they are by far the best out of any race I have ever run.

I really like the physical challenges, but most of all, I like the "act like a kid again" type of challenges...

Here are all the things I really liked from this year's race:

- Canoeing
- Operation: I thought it would be easy b/c I play all the time with my son- it's much harder when you are trying to rush and you're sweaty and shaking!
- Firehoses
- shooting the target
- kicking the football
- crossing the river: we got a little anxious during the 12 minute wait but I kind of view it as just part of the race... obviously those with the early start times had an advantage b/c they would not have had to wait, but it is what it is... I still liked that challenge, and surprisingly, walking across that river, after an hour of running was much harder than it initially seemed!
- the spiderweb at the end was cool- hilarious too!
- and the finish going through the doggy door was really cool too.

Some of my favorite challenges from past races:
- the slip-n-slide... oh we really missed the slip-n-slide this year!
- the castle (I especially liked the year we had to collect the clues from the knights, and then shoot the bow & arrows)
- hippity hops
- the blindfold maze
- mud pits
- the inflatable, bouncy obstacle course

Some ideas:
- Every year we run past that roller-rink and I think about how cool it would be to do a rollerskate challenge. Logistically, I don't know how you'd do it, but it would be cool.
- maybe some kind of mini bike obstacle course?
- And for a special "Anniversary" race- maybe do a "Best of" for the challenges, and reuse all the favorite or most popular challenges from the previous years.

Again, another awesome job on the race, and already looking forward to next year!

[Chris]

This was my fourth year, but by far, my least favorite. Like other posters, I was no fan of the amount of running that was involved. And I also feel that the challenges from years past were much more interesting and more mental. Having more challenges in the past along Loveland-Madeira Rd. broke up the long run up to the church and made it a little more bearable.

Four years and four blistering hot Saturdays. Ouch!! I would also suggest more stations along the shaded bike trail. The longer bike rides of year two come to mind.

Overall, I had a very fun time and will do it again next year. I'll just have to plan a little better.

[Arlene Wise]

The Amazing Race Volunteers (this includes the water kids on up to the co-ordinators), once again, did an amazing job. Not only in the visioning of this wonderful experience & keeping us safe (hence...orange shirts that look lovely with our complexions), but also for the collecting of the donated items (this includes the ice cream), rounding up the volunteers, and keeping costs reasonable (sadly, why we have no medals) so that the most money possible can go to the charities that benefit. I am in no way a person physically ready for a marathon but do realize that the Amazing Race is a "Race" and while I am not in-it-to-win-it...I do prepare myself with walking or jogging because part of the thrill is not knowing what will be thrown at me at any time! I'm just glad that the purpose of my bike was to ride it at all and not to take the chain off for a challenge...oops - I shouldn't give the organizers any ideas. Great job Ladies and Gentlemen...no suggestions for improvement here just appreciation.

[Jill]

I love LAR! I have competed every year and it's my favorite event hands down. I have four suggestions for the committee to consider.

1. I agree with previous comments about more biking, less running. I don't think most people participate because they want to win, most do it for fun, exercise, fellowship, etc. By having so much more running than usual, I think it made it more difficult for the fun seekers and was
geared toward the "real" racers who probably do 5K's frequently. The beauty of LAR is that anybody can do it and the most athletic and least athletic competitors can have equal amounts of fun!

2. Different color shirts. I have 3 orange and 1 red now. I like the shirts and wear them often. People always ask about the race, but I think 3 orange is enough. :)

3. Previously my start time has been fairly early, but this year I had one of the later starts. It seemed like some of the volunteers were packing up and leaving their stations after the last racers came through. The problem was that when we came back through those areas on our way to other challenges, there were no volunteers in place to direct us. It got a little confusing on more than one occasion.

4. Late start time = late finish and by the time we finished there wasn't much food left. Plenty of burgers, dogs, buns, slaw, and ketchup. No fruit, chips, or mustard at all and only a very small amount of potato salad.

Over all - great as usual. These are only suggestions based on 4 years of great fun!

[Tom]

I reveal the following disclaimers:
1) OK, I admit I’m very competitive. I’m an avid marathon and duathlon participant.
2) But…I do the LAR each year with my completely non-athletic daughter
3) Our philosophy in participating in the LAR is reflected in our team name – “Just Havin’ Fun”
So, from that perspective, I have the following comments:
1) An Amazing Thanks to the organizers and volunteers. What a fantastic effort you do! From the months of preparatory work to standing in the hot sun for 4+ hours on race day, you are truly Amazing.
2) You do a terrific job of moving lots of teams through challenges with usually no wait for the teams– this is a key to your success, note the frustration of those waiting for life vests this year.
3) You’ve done an astonishing job taking advantage of the natural resources of Loveland – the bike trail, the river, the Castle, the high school, Kiwanis and Miami Riverview Parks, the Nature Preserve. Keep this up.
4) I have to agree that there was not enough biking this year. One of the nicest things about last year’s race was that nice long shady bike ride along the river from the karate challenge back into Loveland.
5) The best challenges over the years are the ones that allow the teams to do something that they might not necessarily do otherwise:
a. Karate chop is the best example
b. Any canoeing event - this years canoe was probably your best!
c. Any firehose event but the tricycle push in 2007 or the bucket brigade in 2006 were the best
d. Rock climb of 2006
e. Castle Challenge – particularly in 2007
f. Bowling in 2006
g. Field goal kicking this year
h. Running through Krogers – what a great idea, almost like the old TV game show – Supermarket Sweep.
6) Mental challenges are also really nice
a. Sudoku of last year
b. Brain teasers in previous years
7) Artistic challenges are also good:
a. Pictionary in 2007
b. Play-doh last year
c. Dollar bill challenge of 2007
8) We’ve missed the finishing medals the past two years but if the choice is a “tech-type” shirt vs a finishing medal, we chose the former. If you ever do decide to go back to finishing medals, it would be great to try to make them somewhat unique.
Keep up the very good work. You do a great job.

[Kyle]

How awesome is this event?!? I love to be challenged, I love expecting the unexpected and having fun, and I love to be part of a shared experience with so many others. The closest I could come to a "complaint" would be how much I missed some of my favorites from the past races, especially the castle. But I have some new favorites from this year, and can't wait for my 5th race in 2010! Thanks and congrats all around to the amazing organizers and volunteers.

[avis goldenberg]

I loved the race. I noticed that other particpants want more biking and running. I think that once you add more running and biking, it just becomes another road race.

There should be a run and bike but the fun is the other events.

Thank you all for your hard work. Everyone was soooo...nice and helpful
see you next year!!!
Avis G.

[Greg M]

I've been every year and I have to agree that last year had the most fun challenges. I would rather add lots more biking or just drop it if it's only going to be 1 mile. More canoeing would be great! I'd also rather pay a few dollars more for better food.

[christine]

this was our first year, we have been hearing about it from friends for 3 yrs and decided to give it a try. like most repeat participants our friends were very surprised with the amount of running and felt terrible that we were not prepared. after reading the notes above i see they were not the only ones surprised. please, less running, or notice of how much to expect. also, by the time we finished you had run out of some food and you offered NO vegetarian options. so after 2 hours of running my only options were potatoe salad and cole slaw. ew.

[D.J.]

This was our 3rd year doing LAR. We have placed 3rd, 5th and now 13th. Subtract 13 minutes for the dreaded "life jacket wait" ... from our 1:24 time and we would have placed 2nd overall.
I also think that this delay should have been foreseen. If they were expecting 400 teams ... that means you need 800 life jackets, or a way to 'recycle' them. Most of the other challenges either finish the way they started (such as the cups/stacking, canoes, walking on the wood planks) or they are easy to reset. This delay was unfortunate for many of us.
If you think about it ... 3 teams are sent off every minute so to avoid a wait teams need to be able to complete challenges in under 20 seconds. Overall the race committee does a fantastic job keeping us moving.
I would like to see more variety. Given the current setup, serious or competitive runners have a HUGE advantage in this race. To give rest of us a fighting chance (against people who can run a 5-minute mile), I'd like to see more "thinking" challenges. The memory challenge was a good idea, last year there was a Sudoku, etc.
Overall this is a super-fun event. We've signed up again for next year!
Thanks to all the volunteers ... especially the teenage boy who lugged 20-30 wet, heavy life jackets across the river and up the hill to us!!

[Aaron]

This was our first LAR and we enjoyed the experience of it which was our goal.

A few comments:

- The volunteers were very helpful and their efforts are definitely appreciated

- You need better communication on the website or emails that there would be 5.5 miles of running / walking between challenges so people can train accordingly.

- More assembly, mental, and skill type challenges

The trick is to make challenges moderately difficult while keeping 900 participants moving through the race. We only hit a few bottlenecks in terms of traffic or waiting on a turn or for a life jacket.

I think the event is well run but just needs a little polishing in terms of post race amenities. I think I would have paid $20 for a banana or orange rather than a free cup of ice cream.

Finally, maybe you should have users submit challenge ideas.

[Kimberly]

Are you kidding me... less running and more biking? No way - it was perfect. The RACE was AWESOME. This was my fourth year and am already registered for next year. I loved the river crossing even though I slipped on a rock and thought I was going to be fish food. Also, loved Super Market Sweep - what a great way to get some food for the Pantry. The memory challenge was a fantastic idea.... You can't please everyone - but you did a FANTASTIC job. Can't wait until next year. Also - a special THANKS to the volunteers - without them, there would be no RACE.

[beth]

Last year's challenges were more interesting. More physical events would be more appropriate such as wall climbing, mud sliding, pie throwing, etc. Thanks for another great year.

[Kathy Ray]

Thank you to all who participated, volunteered, sponsored, donated, promoted, planned, advised, created, improved, set up, constructed, improvised, watched, laughed, cheered, cleaned up, and in any other way supported this AMAZING EVENT! On behalf of the race committee, I want to extend my sincere appreciation for all who said "Yes" when we asked you to be involved in the race. It takes the dedication of hundreds of people to orchestrate so much fun! A HUGE thank you to ALL! And, please, send your comments, we can't wait to hear your new ideas!

[Liz]

This was my third year racing and I'm already signed up for next year. Despite some minor quibbles about the amount of running or the challenges, I think all the volunteers and the organizing committee should be commended for putting on one of the best organized and funnest events of the year! Keep up the great work and remember that you are never going to make all 900 contestants happy in every way. If the vast majority of people had a good time and everyone got through the race safely, which I think they did, you've done your jobs well.