Thousands Are Already Running Late Last-Minute Sign-Ups Are Expected To Push Bloomsday Totals Well Past Record Set In 1994

Claudia Miner has heard them all.

The mail gets lost. People can’t find a registration form. They don’t know their spouse’s age.

But don’t try to pull a fast one on Miner. Late Bloomsday registrants who try to finagle their way out of paying the $25 late fee won’t get past her.

“You can spot the phonies,” said Miner, a volunteer who heads the Trouble Desk. “We get so many stories, we’re going to write a book.”

Miner was one of hundreds of volunteers who answered questions, collected money, directed traffic and endured endless excuses Friday at the annual Bloomsday Trade Show.

Thousands of excited Bloomies marched down to the Ag Trade Center to pick up their race tags and packets. Bloomsday staff expect 3,000-5,000 people to register late, pushing the total registration well past the Bloomsday record of 60,037 in 1994.

Despite the race’s reputation for being one of the most organized in the country, computer glitches in the new database system caused more problems this year, according to Miner. The most common complaint brought to the Trouble Desk were wrong ages and sexes.

The most commonly asked questions at the information booth were:

“Where’s the STA booth?”

“Can my kid and I run together even though we’re in separate seedings?”

And “Where is late registration?”

Another concern for many people is the weather. But the weather should hold up OK for Bloomsday.

“It’s going to be a chilly one, but a dry one,” said Ron Miller, National Weather Service meteorologist.

Spokane could see scattered rain and snow showers with lows in the lower 30s Saturday night, Miller said. By Sunday morning, runners can expect a low of 33 with mostly cloudy skies. There may also be patchy morning fog, particularly along the stretch of the course that winds along the river.

Don Soltero was one of hundreds who registered late Friday.

He wasn’t planning on running, but happened to be driving by the Convention Center and decided to pop in and join the masses.

“Now, I just need to find a decent juice bar to get a good power drink before the race,” Soltero said.

As of Friday night, 59,435 people had registered for Bloomsday.

As usual, traffic was a mess along Spokane Falls Boulevard. Out-of-towners even had problems on Interstate 90.

“This is more than just the Friday afternoon rush,” said Lynette Destefano.

Last week’s City Hall bombing didn’t seem to discourage anyone from milling around the trade show or running the race.

“It’s a shame that that would happen, particularly at Bloomsday,” said Marilyn Stinson of Coeur d’Alene. “But Spokane’s on top of things. I don’t think there will be any problems.”

The Bloomsday staff have other concerns, like people toting plastic bags to the races to protect themselves from rain.

“We’d rather people wear old clothing and toss them during the race,” said Karen Heaps, race coordinator.

Heaps said plastic bags tossed into the street create a hazard for runners who trip and slide on them.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Map of course