2026 means the return of Lululemon’s unimaginable Seawheeze half marathon. Which implies we needed to dig out our images and suggestions that can assist you have one of the best weekend ever.
Seawheeze is a coveted lottery and holy smokes it took me like 4 years to get within the first time round, so I really feel like with the rise in participation will probably be tremendous exhausting now. I had an concept that this was a special expertise, however not a lot that I bothered to do a lot investigation or pre-planning on what to anticipate.
At the same time as a veteran journey racer, I want I’d recognized these items to easy the best way. Think about this your SeaWheeze plan for the very best expertise of the whole lot that’s going to occur!
First up in the event you’re completely new to the Lululemon world of racing, listed below are my recaps and critiques of the Seawheeze Half Marathon and Lululemon 10k.
#1 Vancouver Journey Planning
Lots of people truly e book lodge rooms or AirBNB’s earlier than figuring out in the event that they received in to the race. So don’t freak out while you get in and go to look to seek out little or no to nothing obtainable, some will open again up.
Making Accommodations Reasonably priced
Accommodations in Vancouver close to the race should not low cost. BUT at good resorts like Westin, you may ask to have a cot (a full-size good mattress) added to the room for $30. So relying on if in case you have a king or two queens, you will get extra of you within the room to separate value!
Not a Lot of Trip Leases
AirBnb’s should not plentiful and are additionally nonetheless dearer than I usually see within the US, so once more discover buddies and break up it. I genuinely love AirBNB’s for a race although since you usually have a kitchen to handle your pre and submit race vitamin.
Plan Public Transport
Uber will not be a factor in Vancouver, so you have to to seize a taxi from the airport or you may make the most of the practice. I’ve heard the practice is tremendous straightforward, I simply went even simpler by strolling to the taxi stand. Ha! However significantly, I like a practice and in the event you plan forward whole doable to know the place you’re going and what to do.
Downtown Race Space
As soon as within the downtown space you may largely stroll to the whole lot across the race, eating places and retailers (together with the most important Lululemon retailer). For among the main vacationer sights like Grouse or the suspension bridge, there are free shuttles that run from Canada Place subsequent to the Conference Middle, which I’ll word under.
In case you’re on the hunt for wholesome meals, excellent news, there’s loads of choices:
- Tacofino has a tofu possibility and even my hen taco was contemporary, full of veggies and wholesome
- Equinox Gymnasium has a store to make smoothies, seize contemporary juices or protein donuts
- Seafood is contemporary and top quality right here providing you with a number of meal choices
- Plant primarily based meals are additionally pretty straightforward to seek out at most eating places
#2 Seawheeze Race Weekend Suggestions
First up, is a earlier than you’ve ever left dwelling tip!! These are assuming they do many issues the identical as earlier years.
Preserve your eyes peeled in your Seawheeze bracelet to look within the mail after which put it someplace seen so that you don’t lose it!
- Set a reminder in your telephone for the date it may be activated
- Activate it instantly to start reserving the companies they’ve obtainable
- Critically e book time slots for something you need to do ASAP. The strains are lengthy, issues replenish very quick.
- These issues aren’t listed on the web site so that you gained’t know till you activate all of it that you would be lacking out on (like hair braiding, fingernail designs and imaginative and prescient boarding)
- Register for absolutely the EARLIEST attainable time slot on the Lululemon Pop Up store if you wish to go in to the shop. It’s the one technique to keep away from loopy lengthy waits or them possible being out of your measurement.
- Put together for the store to be a mad home. It’s solely open to race individuals, however this can be a bit like solely opening a Rundisney retailer to RunDisney followers the place there’s merchandise not obtainable different locations.
- Don’t put the bracelet on or tighten it in the event you don’t need it off, the one possibility is to chop it off.
Plan for a Enjoyable Race Weekend over a PR
Past the bracelet just a few different suggestions across the race expertise:
- There may be a lot obtainable to you the day earlier than the race, reap the benefits of the expertise as a substitute of making an attempt to plan different issues round Vancouver. Ought to preserve you from overdoing it, as properly.
- Bag examine is usually a line, so if you wish to depart one simply give your self that point to attend after which make it as much as the beginning (a couple of block)
- There aren’t any corrals, so if you wish to be 1:50 or sooner, you need to work your manner very near the entrance of the racers
- I wouldn’t suggest going for time, however as a substitute actually having fun with the course, the cheering stations and the views
#3 Seawheeze Sundown Pageant
That is one other space the place they don’t submit an excessive amount of info on the web site, so I feel quite a lot of us had been questioning what’s happening and what’s mandatory.
- Your race registration will get you entry to the competition.
- Family and friends should purchase tickets to affix you. It’s child pleasant with among the issues happening.
- They supply free shuttles from the conference heart or it’s roughly 1.3 miles to stroll alongside the water over there, which was tremendous fairly and chill.
- Yoga is carried out within the grass, which is why they suggest you carry a yoga mat. However there are additionally some giant tarps which might be anchored to the bottom (I sat there and stretched throughout yoga).
- There may be NO FREE meals, however there are meals distributors with the whole lot from Poutine to Past Burgers and seafood. Sure certainly there’s beer and wine as properly.
- There may be one other Lulu pop up store, however not with the reflective gear and loopy objects from the opposite retailer. This has principally 1 or 2 Seawheeze shirt designs in a pair colours. However once more folks mob it in the beginning, so go whereas everyone seems to be doing yoga.
- There’s a small little space of native distributors with issues like bracelets, important oils, and such.
- After yoga they’ll transfer on to some bands and a DJ so that you can dance exhausting and let unfastened.
#4 Vancouver to suggestions
In case you’re in Vancouver then you definitely would possibly as properly see among the sights, proper?! That’s all the time my mindset round a journey race, in any other case I may race at dwelling.
Grouse Grind is the well-known hike within the space and I’d say that is much less of a hike and extra of a stair stepper exercise! It’s 2830 steps over 2.7km, which is to say it’s up and up and up and up.
You’ll largely be targeted in your ft, however the timber are beautiful and individuals are stopped all alongside the best way, so you’ve probabilities to pause and preserve your coronary heart from leaping out of your chest. I might NOT do that the day earlier than the race…so in fact we did it the day after, ha!!
That is one that you simply do for the journey actually. It was loopy foggy on the high, so not a lot to see, however I don’t get the impression it will have been enormous vistas anyhow.
Grouse Grind Hike Suggestions
As all the time with tremendous touristy areas, I are inclined to suggest going early. However we didn’t make it on the market til about 10 and whereas it was busy, you would go you personal tempo.
- Seize the free shuttle from Canada Place (a couple of 25-30 minute experience)
- Carry water for the hike
- Anticipate you’ll sweat like a beast
- On the high you’ll discover loos and a restaurant, additionally choices to pay for different issues like a Zipline tour
- Free WiFi on the high so you may submit about your success
- Pay $15 CDN to take the super-fast gondola again to the underside
- On the backside seize the shuttle again OR do as we did and look forward to the free connector shuttle to the Capalano Suspension Bridge
Capalano Suspension Bridge
Purchase your tickets out of your lodge concierge or on-line upfront and also you’ll skip any strains from buses while you arrive. In fact, in the event you don’t go early, you’ll nonetheless end up surrounded by a BOATLOAD of individuals if you find yourself making an attempt to have your zen second of crossing the wobbly bridge.
Tickets are $59 CDN and you’ll simply spend a pair hours right here exploring:
- Stroll throughout the suspension bridge
- Stroll by means of the tree high bridges that are way more secure and have attention-grabbing details like not one of the platforms have nails within the tree!
- Stroll the character boardwalk to see chook handlers, the gorgeous timber and actually take pleasure in nature.
- Head again throughout the bridge for the Cliffside stroll, which once more gives lovely views and quite a lot of cool details like timber can soak up 40% of the water they want from fog!
- There’s additionally an space filled with totem poles providing you with a historical past of the names and the way this space was created
- As all the time, you’ll discover one other restaurant and store
As soon as once more, you then have the choice to seize a free shuttle again downtown! Doing these two websites collectively was an excellent day post-race to maintain us transferring, however I gained’t lie the legs weren’t 100% thrilled with my selections the next morning.
Gardens and Planes and Ferries
You probably have one other full day or need one thing to do the day earlier than the race that gained’t trash your legs, then it’s time to soak up among the fantastic thing about the world.
Granville Farmer’s Market is a enjoyable space to discover and also you get there through a small boat for $5CDN spherical journey! A second on the water adopted by just a few hours strolling by means of a mixture of small native distributors and sniffing out tons of scrumptious native eating places within the Market halls.
We had been all torn between the meals choices, however ultimately I settled on my requisite pre-race slice of pizza, whereas others discovered shrimp spring rolls, kale salads, poutine and maple glazed donuts.
- That is going to nonetheless be an honest quantity of strolling and never a number of locations to sit down, so account for that.
- Benefit from the water views, lookout for the seagulls who’re able to steal your meals.
- Be ready for crowds.
Jack Poole Plaza is full of sea planes and for a reasonably low value, you may hop aboard to have a tour over the town and expertise a water take off and touchdown.
Bucharest Gardens was on my record of locations to go to, however we simply weren’t capable of make it occur. My buddies thought I used to be nuts, however each backyard I’ve visited has all the time left me feeling so good due to that bounty of coloration and life. I’ve heard nothing however fantastic issues about this one as properly, nevertheless I didn’t see any sort of free shuttle to it, so that you’d must go the taxi route.
Have you ever completed Seawheeze, do you’ve any further suggestions for first timers?
What to learn subsequent?
