Walkathon Maven

Hello, my name is Lana and I am an event junkie.

(All together now……”hi lanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa”)

I enjoy attending large events, as long as they are outside.  I am not a fan of crowded, indoor places.  Especially when the crowded indoor places are exceeding the posted capacity limit and become a fire hazard. Perhaps it is my “Inner Diva” that does not like to be part of a large mass of people if the focus is not on me.

Speaking of Diva, I participated in the Shape Diva Dash last weekend and it was a blast!

The Diva Dash was promoted as “Boston” but the event was held 30 miles south in Marshfield.

I went with a posse of ladies from Green Grass Fitness and we dressed the part with our GGF shirts and green grass skirts.

So why is a Walkathon Maven writing about a race? Because I am a logistics-luva and I wanted to see how they put this event together! Luckily, we were not in a heat that was timed, so we could run, walk or crawl our way around the 5K route. We got there early, thankfully, because the parking filled up quickly.  Note for next year – request an early heat. Once we arrived and paid the $10 to park, we had to figure out where to go since there was no signage pointing us to the entrance. The event was held on the same site that the Marshfield Fair was held a couple weeks earlier so we kinda knew where to go. I saw a Fried Dough sign and my body took over for the approach into the event oval.

We found the registration tent to pick up our numbers and the bag check to leave our bags for the event.  There was also a place to pick up the free t-shirt *included in the $70 registration fee and plenty of merchants to buy Diva shrapnel.  I liked how the signs were secured in the ground with a spike and pole holder.

Many of the food vendors that were present for the Marshfield Fair were open operating for those that wanted to eat or drink delicious and nutritious (see Fried Dough comment above) concessions.  There was also Luna Bars, frozen yogurt and other free giveaways for us to enjoy.

I liked that the event had many inflatables as markers for the start, finish and brand promotion.  My fave was the large stage where teams could have a photo opp in front of their brand wall.  I was surprised to see that there was not a set of stairs next to it since the stage height was over 24 inches off the ground.

Before getting in line for our heat, we went to take care of our nervous piddles and came upon the most beautiful potties of all.  PINK!

There was a DJ and sound system next to the start and the vibe was loud and fun for those lining up to begin the Dash.  Once our heat began, the course took us on a run to one of a dozen obstacles.  Cargo-net climbing, balancing, wall-climbing, dirt-mound-navigation, monkey-bars and pole-sliding were just a few.  I ran most (a little) of the course and did all (a few) of the obstacles. It is great to be a Diva and choose what I do, and do not want to attempt.

Besides, it was 96% humidity and I already smelled funky.  Many of the other participants were walking with me and verbalized similar displeasure when we came upon the next obstacle.  All in good fun!

Once we finished, we were given a Shape string bag full of free stuff like bars, coupons and a magazine.  A coupon for a free wine was attached to our bibs and we promptly went over to enjoy a beverage.  Beer was for sale, too.  We went back to the bag drop to retrieve our backpacks and found this shitshow:

I was surprised that we had to go into the tent and find our own bag.  The tent had sides on it and volunteers at the front checked bags tags to make sure you were the owner.  If I wanted to, I could go around to the back of the 20 x 60 tent, lift up a side and help myself. Just sayin.

Overall, we had a fun time with our posse and met lots of other fun ladies who also dressed-up for the event.  We helped each other take photos and complimented one another on knee-socks, tu-tus, wigs, crowns and custom shirts.  Our team has already talked about upping our costume game for next year!  So ya know – teams and costumes are not necessary.

I arrived home wearing my gear, and my son shook his head at me.  The nerve!  My daughter asked if it was a charity event and where the money went.  I love that she is thinking like that!  I went onto the Diva Dash website to see if there was any beneficiaries of the event.   They listed two local non profits but not if they were supported monetarily.  Perhaps they were given some visibility at the event with a table to promote their cause.  I did not see it, but then again I was looking for the wine and fried dough vendors.

We are ready to rock it next year.  Join us!