Wonder Woman Tempe 10k Race Recap

"Disclaimer: I received a complimentary race entry to the DC Wonder Woman Run Series as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and check out BibRave.com to review find and write race reviews!"

The first DC Wonder Woman Run of the year is in the books! The race was just as fun and empowering as I thought it would be!

Race weekend got off to a bit of a rough start with packet pickup.  Note: This is an inaugural event, and all first time events experience bumps along the way, which will only make them stronger next time.

Packet pickup was advertised as 2-6pm on Saturday at Tempe Beach Park, same location as the race itself.  Day of race packet pickup was for VIP pickup at an extra charge.  Tempe Beach Park is not the most convenient spot. Parking can be a nightmare – but they were able to offer free garage parking nearby.    When we arrived, it was over 80 degrees and the sun was beating down on us.  There was a very long line coming from the inside of the park to well outside of the tents. There were no signs visible when you approached the back of the tents, and we weren’t exactly sure what line we were waiting in. After about 10 minutes we realized we were in the bag pickup line and not the bib pickup line. So I held our spot in the bag line while my friend went to pick up our bibs. Volunteers did start to go through the lines shortly thereafter and make some announcements to help clarify.

There was a very popular merchandise tent full of wonder woman swag items, several photo op spots and big stage for a post race band.

Our swag bags included a nice wonder woman tech tee, wristbands and a shopping bag.

Race morning went MUCH more smoothly. Everyone was decked out in WW outfits. It was a sea of red.  The  5k and 10k started together. Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas led the pre-race stretching at the start line. But my favorite part was having Wonder Woman herself, Lynda Carter,  count us down on the big video screen, and then the theme song started playing while we crossed the start line.

Within the first mile we climbed a hill and I ran into my fellow BibRave Pro Tim, who was running with his daughter.  The start time was 9am and it was getting HOT!  All the mile markers were cool Wonder Woman flags. And we had some arches to run though as well.  I was very tempted to make the 5k turn, but I pressed on for the 10k.  I made sure to grab water at every opportunity. 

When we finished, the 10k runners were finishing with the back of the pack 5k walkers.  This was a bit frustrating for the 10k folks, as it got very congested. There should be separate finish chutes for the different distances.  However, all runners got the same medal. There is no date or location on this medal. I would like to see them change that for next time, and maybe swap our the ribbon based on distance.  It would also incentivize people to run more than one race in the series.

All in all, I was ok with my time given the heat of the morning. 1:01 for the 10k. Good enough for 8/50 in my AG. The post race “party” had a live band, some oranges, chips, fruit snacks and sparkling water.  Lines for photo opps were pretty long, but several places available to do it.  I think more people would have stuck around if it wasn’t so hot.

 I think people really enjoyed themselves. There were free race photos and everyone really liked the WW merchandise and camaraderie.  Hopefully they can iron out a few kinks and make an even more successful event in 2020!  There are plenty more races in the series this year. Check out the full list here.