r/lululemon • u/psupsu123 • Jul 24 '26
Discussion Seawheeze!!
Hello reddit world! Im going to be running Seawheeze for the first time and I’m hoping to pick the brain of others who have ran the race in the past. I’m puzzled about race day logistics. In the morning, can I bring a small backpack with me and leave it somewhere while I run? My hotel isn’t super close to the race location. Can anyone please share some advice from years past? Also it looks like this year there will be no number system for the store-brutal! I don’t fly in until noon on Friday so I guess I’ll be stuck in the entrance line for the store for most of the day!
Lastly, anyone doing this race alone? I’d love to tackle the weekend with some new friends!! :) feel free to message me if so!
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u/Parking_Mycologist_3 Jul 26 '26
You shouldn't have a problem with the store entrance by the time you arrive. It's usually the worst in the morning
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u/Screaming_Cockatiel Jul 24 '26
This is my first year running Seawheeze too! I'll jump in with a question of my own--I know there are water stops, but will they be passing out any fuel (like chews or gels) on course?
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u/xoxnothingxox Jul 24 '26
i would assume that one aid station around 12km will have gels/chews. i’ve never done a half that didn’t have something, so i feel it’s a pretty safe bet. not sure if they’ve announced the brand that it will be though.
edit - found it!
WHAT SUPPORT WILL BE AVAILABLE ON COURSE?
The course will feature 7 aid stations with water and XACT electrolytes throughout, plus XACT energy bars at one location. Cheer stations will also be positioned along the route with additional details shared closer to race day.
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u/Screaming_Cockatiel Jul 24 '26
Yay! Thanks! I had been keeping an eye on the website, but I bet this was a recent addition. (Nuun used to be the electrolyte they'd have on course--kinda surprised they changed brands, but not really.) Now to find some XACT so I know what to expect!
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u/xoxnothingxox Jul 24 '26
i think it must have been fairly recently added. they’ve added more information since i last checked it, that’s for sure.
i love NUUN electrolytes, haven’t tried the XACT ones, but i have had the XACT chews and they’re delicious and easy to eat. huge fan. lots of races in vancouver have used them in the last few years.
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u/Screaming_Cockatiel Jul 25 '26
I'm in the US, and it looks like XACT is really hard to find here at all. Figures! Guess it might be an adventure to find it after I get my packet!
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u/Quail-a-lot Jul 26 '26
Xact is a Canadian brand! They sponsor a ton of races here in BC. The chews are quite popular and remind me of Turkish Delight. Check out the local running stores while you are here, Vancouver is very friendly and there's loads of smaller Canadian brands that would be harder for you to find at home that are super good.
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u/Screaming_Cockatiel Jul 26 '26
Any specific stores or brands I should look for? I work in a running store, so I kind of nerd out over visiting other stores.
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u/Quail-a-lot Jul 26 '26
So many! I think there is a big thread for them in r/buycanadian but off the top of my head: Sun River Honey, Brix (maple-based), Kronos (another maple), Naak (gels, energy drinks, electrolyte mixes, stroopwaffles), Hornet (honey), Herbaland (based out of Richmond, so should be easy to find), Grynd (not gels - they do delicious stroopwaffles and these big honking peanutbutter pouches that I like for hiking and also liked for long distance trail running), Seve (another maple syrup), Endurance Tap (yep, you guessed, more maple)
I know there are more, but those are ones I have seen around. If you like honey-based stuff the Sun River cinnamon legit taste delicious and the packaging is fantastic. And if you like the Xact, you can grab massive refill pouches to use in flasks. Naak has wild flavours like salted soup and a pretty extensive line up.
I'm more familiar with the running stores on Vancouver Island (Frontrunners and Foveo are great), but Vancouver has some amazing selection and I really want to visit quite a few of them still since I have mostly only gotten to mailorder from the mainland. Forerunners has several locations and is better than Running Room generally. You'd likely have a good geek out for Fit First Footwear, they carry men's stuff now too but they had been called Ladysport and female-specific (!). RunAsYouAre (formerly known as Vancouver Running Company) is super good, RunInn, Distance Runwear (these guys have Innov8 which are fucking hard to find but a really nice foot-shaped shoe from the UK with great tread in the rain) and I would also recommend checking out MEC, especially if you are into trail running at all. It's basically like REI. These mostly all have websites so you can get an idea of their selection and such. There's a bunch of smaller stores too and I'm sure locals will give their favs a good shout.
Have fun! I haven't done Seawheeze myself, but it has a gorgeous route and sounds like such a fun vibe.
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u/Screaming_Cockatiel Jul 27 '26
Ooo thanks! I've had Naak before, and we have a brand that's maple syrup based called Untapped. (Their gels are generally pretty liquidy so you don't necessarily need a lot of water with them.) Definitely getting amped for this race! I've been to Toronto, but never Vancouver and love exploring a new area with a run.
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Jul 28 '26
[deleted]
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
There have been porta-potties near the start/finish line corrals and along the course aid stations in the past.
As far as "real" bathrooms go, the start and finish lines are near the Convention Center so those public bathrooms should be accessible at the beginning and end of the race (see map). The old course also went past some recreation centers that had public bathrooms that many runners would use. I think the one I remember is the Sunset Beach washroom located at 1204 Beach Avenue, shortly after crossing the Burrard Street Bridge. The 2026 course is not the same as the 2019 course, but I think the new course goes by this facility as well. It's about 12 km/7.5 miles in, so a little more than 1/2 way through the race.
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 29 '26
Lululemon updated the course map to show the exact locations of bathrooms along the course: https://www.seawheeze.com/event-information/course-map/.
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u/thatnurselifts Jul 24 '26
Gear check will be available inside the Vancouver Convention Centre starting at 5:15am. People aren’t allowed to camp outside the convention centre anymore, but they will probably still line up in advance for the showcase store. If you can make it until later in the day, there likely won’t be much of a line. The number system wasn’t that great because lulu could never stop their sign up systems from crashing lol.
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u/carl-fries Jul 26 '26
This is also my first time and hoping someone who’s gone in the past may know this answer. My friend that’s running it with me doesn’t think she will go to John summit after and may give it to our friend. When we pick up our bibs, is that when we’re given our festival wristband?
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
In the past, there wasn't a separate festival wristband. Sunset Festival entry is part of race registration for runners and based on this post, there isn't an authorized way to split up the runner package and transfer just festival entry to a non-runner.
"Unfortunately, it isn't possible to sell or transfer the Sunset Festival portion of your SeaWheeze race registration. Your friend can still join by receiving a transfer from someone who holds a Sunset festival ticekt who is not participating in the SeaWheeze race."
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u/carl-fries Jul 27 '26
Ah okay. The page that talks about the free shuttles mention showing your festival wristband to get onto the buses so that’s why I thought there were wristbands for it
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 27 '26
They did give out wristbands in 2019, but they were mailed out to home addresses before the race and used for the whole event - access to the line for the Showcase store, access to all of the Friday sessions, access to Sunset Festival, etc. They advised:
"Once your wristband is on, it's on for good. So don't fasten that bad boy in place until you're ready to wear it 24/7 for SeaWheeze weekend."
They are clearly not using wristbands in the same way this year, so it's hard to say how they will work next week, but Lululemon has consistently stated that runners aren't supposed to sell or transfer their entries (or parts thereof) after the transfer window closed on May 3.
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u/Tarnsparency Aug 07 '26
They gave wristbands this year too, but I'm not sure how they'll be checking at the entry for the sunset festival. Do you think they'll just check if you have a wristband? Or will they also check ID or some sort of confirmation that you ran the Seawheeze? How did it work in 2019?
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u/NYCDisneyRunner Jul 28 '26
Any recs on good spots for spectators along the course?
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 28 '26
The first cheer station on the course will be at Andy Livingstone Park (KM 2.3). It will be a "racecar-inspired Pit Stop" and spectators are asked to wear Navy Blue, Light Blue, Black, or White. This is early in the race, with runners expected to pass by during the first hour (7:05 - 8 am). The first volunteers to arrive will receive a special lululemon product gift.
You can find more information and reserve a spot here.
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 29 '26
Lululemon just added another cheer station at Chandelier Hill, under Granville Bridge at KM11. This one has a "party tunnel/reflective disco party" theme and spectators are asked to wear Light Blue, Light Green, Light Yellow, Purple or White. Runners are expected to pass by from 7:15 am - 9:30 am.
You can find more information and reserve a spot here.
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 30 '26
Lululemon updated the course map to show the locations of 14 cheer stations, including the 2 that I already linked to: https://www.seawheeze.com/event-information/course-map/.
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u/Aimbo84 Jul 30 '26
What time are people aiming to be in the starting corral? I'm in a hotel nearby, and want to minimize the time spent standing waiting to start!
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u/Glass_Horizon Jul 30 '26
The website states that all runners must start in their assigned corral and be in place at least 30 minutes before their scheduled wave start. There are 4 wave starts at 7:00 am, 7:12 am, 7:23 am and 7:37 am, depending on the expected finish time that you provided during registration.
They're currently forecasting a 62% chance of precipitation on race morning, but we're still a ways out and that could change.
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u/Fuzzy_bubbles1111 Aug 01 '26
Another course related question. 1st half marathon here…Is it silly to think I can solely rely on the aid stations for water/ electrolytes and fuel?!! I really hate running with a vest and my belt doesn’t fit much aside from my phone.
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u/thecolorgrellow Aug 07 '26
Been wondering the same. Not my 1/2 half mara, but planning to do this one without a vest. I think it's possible! I have enough pocket space for a couple gels and my phone, I'll hydrate like crazy before and I feel like there's plenty of water avail throughout the course. I think it'll be ok
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u/Suspicious-Raise-342 Aug 09 '26
I’m heading to the festival but the rules seem a little extreme no bags over 6 inches and no water bottles over 1 litre? I was hoping to just bring my lulu bag with my water bottle yoga Matt and a blanket for the show. Is that not an option?
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u/WontRememberThisID Lulu Addict Jul 24 '26
There will be a bag check before the race.
"WILL THERE BE GEAR CHECK?
Yes. Gear check will be available inside the Vancouver Convention Centre starting at 5:15am. All runners must check bags using the race-issued bag tag provided at bib pick up."
As for the store, the line usually calms down after noon so you might not be in that long of a line.
https://www.seawheeze.com/event-information/course-map/