Rant From A Pretty Proud and Pissed Mom

Because of the email below Rob Bogart, the director of Detleft Schremp Foundation and the St. Patrick's Day Dash, is sending Padon a $100 gift card to Toys R Us for all the trouble I had and has sent my email to every coordinator and lead he was working with that day in an attempt to find out what was wrong because he said he had never heard of such a horrible experience in the 7 years he had directed the Dash. Wow!
Sent to the organizers of the Henry Weinhard's 25th St. Patrick's Day Dash:
This past December I entered my son in the Jingle Bell Dash but due to the snow we ended up in Seattle, traveling from Stanwood, an hour late of the race and missed it. I was really disappointed so you can imagine my excitement when my Mom asked me if I wanted to sign my son up for the St. Patrick’s Day Dash, there being a Leprechaun Dash this year that would be perfect for him; he will be 2 in June. I signed him up online, per the link she sent me January 13th. I was pretty excited until I started getting the emails, a month later, about registering (again?!) at stores near me where not only could I register my son but pick up his shirt and his number. When I called about picking up his shirt and his number I was informed I couldn’t because I hadn’t registered in the store and that since I had registered online I needed to drive the 48 miles from my house to Seattle the day before the race to pick up his shirt and number (what?!). So we did. I packed him up early thinking I would give my husband the Saturday off and we came down to the Seattle Center to pick up his shirt. There I had to tell three different people three times that we were there to pick up the Leprechaun run number and shirt. At the shirt table they were totally confused at what shirt to give him when I asked for the smallest size available. Luckily a gal walked up in front of us and informed the volunteers that there was a box of Leprechaun Dash t-shirts and to not give them to those adults that were to get a size small St. Patrick’s Day Dash shirt. After she finished and walked away the volunteer still tried to give us a small St. Patrick’s Day Dash shirt and I had to point to the box she had just pointed at and say, “Can’t we have the Leprechaun Dash shirt?, It’s for him” (feeling exasperated now) and I pointed to my son. He said “oh, yeah” and handed me the shirt.
The next morning we left our home really early to be sure to get into the City on time and due to traffic on Mercer and the snow we missed the Dash by 20 minutes. I was crushed, but I still had hope for the costume contest for I had put a lot of effort in making my almost two year old look like a Leprechaun for the Leprechaun run and the wonderful photo ops it was going to make. I went to Mercer and 3rd and while there was a ton of runners there wasn’t a volunteer to be found. I looked under all the empty tents with blank tables, looked for the person that was being broadcast over the speakers, and asked anyone who looked like a volunteer if they were a volunteer and if they knew where anyone having to do with the race and registration might be located. No one knew anything. I went back to the Olympic room to find Quadrant Homes located there and no sign referencing where to find the volunteers for the St. Patrick’s Day Dash. When I asked them for guidance I was told that they only knew information for those that had registered with them and they recommended going back down to 3rd and Mercer. So I did only to find, again, no one who knew anything about the race other than the color that they were wearing. All the while I could hear the person announcing over the speakers the after party for the racers at Pioneer Square. At this point I was beyond frustrated and fighting back the tears because not only did I miss the race, the prizes for my son in the kid’s dash, and the photo op, but was I missing the costume contest too?!
I called my sister to ask where she was located and she directed me to the south side of the fountain where surprisingly was located the stage where the person was broadcasting and a number of vendors handing out free goodies. Why did no one know about this?! The minute I saw my Mother and Sister and all the vendors and stage I started to cry with the amount of frustration I was feeling with the coordination of the St. Patrick’s Day Dash. My Mom, one of the volunteers, at not knowing when the costume contest was, went and asked someone at the stage and at her asking he announced that it would be at 10:15 in front of the stage. Relieved I took my son in the Center House where it was warmer and where he could stretch his legs after being confined for so long and I watched the clock sure to not miss the time and my last chance to get something out of the event. At 10:00 we were in front of the stage and just in time for the announcer to say that the costume contest was being moved indoors to the beer garden in the Flag Pavilion. I rolled us over to the beer garden to be turned away because minors were not allowed inside (what?!). I told the security checker that we had been told to come to the beer garden and after some prodding he said he would ask. He asked someone over his shoulder and proceeded to tell people who came up in costume that if they didn’t have id they couldn’t come in. I went back to the stage to ask the announcer again about the costume contest and he told me again it had been moved to the beer garden. I told him they were turning people away and he said he would find out what was going on. I was done keeping my son pent up and from there I let him out of the stroller and to play around the grass and in front of the fountain. We were in the rain for the next 40 minutes waiting as the volunteers and vendors were told to close up early, and another announcement was never made.
I know the race was to raise money for the foundation but what the foundation took from me, by not letting me enter my baby in the costume contest after I did all that work on his costume, traveling so far twice, and working so hard to find out where I needed to go, is something that they can't ever give back. I was astonished at the lack of communication all around between the volunteers and the groups assigned to various tasks of the event. How hard would it have been to give everyone the same packet of information? And why could there not have been volunteers posted to be Information Points along the main race point. If the fear was that they might be cold, don’t you think we all were, and my son was while I was trying to find a check point?

I hope this email helps guide you in ideas as you plan a better event next year.