Cashmere well represented at 35th Bloomsday Run
By Steve Godfrey
May 02, 2011
Photo by Steve Godfrey
The finish line is always a welcomed sight to worn out Bloomies.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
One of 35 bands that lined the course and provided entertainment.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
This vulture is a regular and greets participants as they top the dreaded Doomsday Hill.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
It's a tradition for Bloomies to shed their outerwear before beginning the race. The trees, fences, and light poles become adorned with literally thousands of jackets, shirts, and sweatshirts, all of which are collected and donated to charity.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
The participants are staged on Riverside Avenue in colored groups based loosely on projected finishing times. It takes over 7 city blocks to hold over 50,000 participants.
Photo by Steve Godfrey
The excitement builds as our color group nears the starting line.
The first day of May in Spokane dawned with clear skies and bright sunshine - the complete opposite conditions from the previous day’s dark ominous clouds that at times belched cold winds and an unwelcoming combination of ice and snow pellets.
Fortunately, that storm system moved through the area overnight, and the weather for the 35th annual Lilac Bloomsday Run couldn’t have been better.
The challenge of the 12 kilometer (7.46 mile) course was answered by 50,611 people, including 19 from Cashmere.
Check out who participated from Cashmere here.
Although it’s called the Bloomsday “Run”, you don’t have to be a runner to participate in this event. In fact, well over half of the people who sign up choose to walk the course. There’s also a contingent of wheelchair participants.
This event has had international appeal for many years and it offers a decent purse to the top runners. Out of the top ten 2011 male finishers, six hail from Kenya, three from Ethiopia, and one has a more local address (from Minneapolis).
The top finisher was Simon Ndirangu from Kenya and he pocketed $7,000 for the win. It must have been an exciting finish as he edged out fellow countryman Allan Kiprono by merely one second. You can check out the top finishers here.
A surprisingly similar result occurred on the women's side as top finisher Misiker Mekonnin from Ethiopia edged out her fellow countrywoman Wude Ayalew Yimer also by one second. Mekonnin also took home $7,000 for her win.
If you enjoy running or walking and you’ve never participated in the Bloomsday event, you owe it to yourself to give it a try. There’s nothing quite like running/walking/rolling with 50,000+ people on one route. With over 30 live bands, great support from local authorities, and lots of people cheering you all along the route, this well managed event is really just one big annual fitness party.
And where else can you toe the starting line (well, sort of) with world-class runners?
