Slip-Up Causes Stumble At Registration

A glitch in the Bloomsday computer system caused hundreds of runners and walkers to cool their heels in lines that snaked across the Spokane Ag Trade Center on Friday.

A new software system, designed to handle more than 50,000 entry forms for the Lilac Bloomsday Run, temporarily lost some entries and seized up while finding others.

Some 300 people had filed through the complaint line by Friday evening, about double the normal count.

Bloomsday board member Al Odenthal said some registrations filed through the Bloomsday Web site were missing because of a problem with transferring data.

Others were missing crucial information - such as dates of birth, necessary to determine winners of age brackets, or ZIP codes - and were flagged for trouble-shooting.

Odenthal said the problems would be fixed, and all who registered would be issued race numbers.

“If they’re not in the system, we’ll get them in,” he said.

Despite the hassle, grumbling was limited.

Amina Giles paid for entry fees for herself, her daughter and her husband with a single check. Friday, she clutched race numbers for her daughter and herself.

But her husband remained missing.

“He might be blacklisted,” Giles said, laughing. “It’s probably because he’s too fast. They said, `Oh man, he’s gonna beat everybody.”’

It’s not the first glitch. Online registration was extended six days when the Bloomsday Web site crashed on the day of the first deadline, freezing out thousands.

As the complaint line grew, registration lines moved quickly, thanks to hundreds of volunteers.

“It’s amazing for how big it is, how well it’s run,” said Harriet Van Wyck, a volunteer sitting at a check-in booth.

Odenthal brought in three additional computers to ease the complaint lines. Some in line said they were waiting for up to 30 minutes. An unexpectedly large crowd on Friday, the first day of race-weekend registration, contributed to the lines.

Odenthal hoped to have most of the problems fixed in time for today’s rush.

“Be patient,” he said. “We’ll be working through the night.”

Elsewhere at Friday’s trade show, there was little anxiety. Crowds moved between racks of running shorts and sunglasses to sample everything from donuts to Power Bars to chocolate milk.

One unusual exhibit caught many eyes. A Swedish company, Kangoo Jumps, was selling a contraption that looked like an inline skate boot with a spring attached to the bottom.

Strap on a pair of $189 boots (on sale this weekend for $99), and mortals bounded with Superman strides.

Sales rep Bill Vaubel, who plans to run Bloomsday in a pair, said they had sex appeal. “If you’re single, it’s a great way to meet people.”

Bloomsday term limits?

We don’t know if he’s running for re-election, but we do know Rep. George Nethercutt plans to run in Bloomsday. He’s one of a handful of politicians who regularly run the race.

Sen. Slade Gorton, a fellow Republican, will be there, too. The senator, who runs distance events around the country in the masters class, regularly outpaces the congressman. Last year, Gorton finished in 1:11:41, at No. 5,786; Nethercutt clocked 1:14:01, for No. 6,681.

Other running pols last year included state Rep. Brad Benson, at 1:14:48, and City Councilman Jeff Colliton at 1:08:09. County Commissioner John Roskelley, who probably likes hitting the Bloomsday course better than the campaign trail, turned in an impressive 50:00, for No. 416.

Kids helping kids

Junior Bloomsday raised $10,400 for the YWCA Transition School for homeless children, and race officials hope to raise more at the Bloomsday trade show.

Dan Petek, organizer of Junior Bloomsday, hopes to raise an additional $2,000 to $3,000 from the sale of donated Nike caps and water bottles at the trade show, which ends today.

Junior Bloomsday contributes $1 from every entry fee to the school.

It raised money for the school in hopes of keeping it open. But Spokane School District officials say the 35 students who attend the school will likely be sent to neighborhood schools.

Laurie Dolan, director of student services, said the school will likely be transformed into a “homeless center,” staffed by teachers and counselors.

The district will finalize plans within two months, she said.

A suspenseful moment

So many runners crowded onto one of the suspension bridges in Riverfront Park after the race last year that officials worried it might collapse.

“Last year, people scared the hell out of us on that bridge,” said Howard Walker, a Bloomsday board member, at a recent planning meeting.

Organizers hope to avoid the crush this year by directing runners over the Post and Monroe Street bridges.

Moving the T-shirt booths away from Broadway and Post should help, Walker said. T-shirts can be picked up at Broadway and Lincoln or on Monroe between College and Ide.

Runners who want a T-shirt must remember to differentiate between the two tags on their race bibs, Walker warned.

Runners should pull the bottom tag when they enter the finish-line chutes and give it to a race official. The top tag is turned in for a T-shirt.

Can’t take the pressure

Overheated Bloomsday runners usually beg for a good soaking, but they stop short of asking to be drowned.

Last year, Bloomsday organizers bought several hundred feet of blue plastic hose to hook to fire hydrants to supply runners with water.

The hose - used by contractors to pump out basements and wash down building sites - was supposed to handle 150 pounds of pressure.

“The blue hose exploded,” said Rick Manum of the Spokane Fire Department. “We had leaks everywhere.”

This year, Bloomsday bought the same hose used by the Fire Department. While more expensive, it’ll still be pumping water in 25 years, Manum said.

Finding the lost and found Bloomsday’s main lost-and-found station will move from Riverfront Park to the Public Safety Building, 1100 W. College.

This sidebar appeared with the story: LATE REGISTRATIONS SHOULD PUSH TOTAL PAST 50,000 The race: The 23rd annual Lilac Bloomsday Run begins Sunday at 8:40 a.m. with wheelchair races, followed at 8:45 by elite women, and at 9 a.m. by elite men. The numbers: 49,579 people registered on time, and 900 registered on Friday. Registration: Race packets can be picked up at the Spokane Convention and Ag Trade Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd., today from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Late registration is available until 8 p.m. today. Only out-of-town registrants can pick up packets Sunday morning. Weather: The National Weather Service forecast calls for overcast and a morning temperature of about 42 degrees. Shuttle buses: STA Bloomsday shuttle buses will leave from designated lots countywide beginning at 6:30 a.m. Sunday. Call 328-RIDE for information. Worship: A Christian worship service is planned for 7:30 a.m. in the Riverfront Park Lilac Bowl. Race results: The Spokesman-Review will publish the name and time of each Bloomsday finisher in a special section, available at newsstands by about noon Monday. The section also will be included in Tuesday’s home delivery and newsstand editions. Race results will be available at The Spokesman-Review’s Web site, www.spokane.net, on Monday. To get a section mailed home for $2 ($4 outside the U.S. and Canada), call (800) 338-8801, ext. 7000 or (509) 747-4422, or stop by the newspaper office, 999 W. Riverside in downtown Spokane.

Staff writers Kristina Johnson and Jim Camden contributed to this report.