Getting around on Bloomsday

Bloomsday weekend is in full swing. Here’s some news you can use to navigate Spokane’s big race.

The schedule

The trade show runs from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. today at the Convention Center, 334 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. Vendors at the free event include Nordstrom, Runner’s Soul and Snyder’s Bakery, among dozens of others. This is the last chance for locals to pick up their runner numbers.

Anyone still planning to sign up for the race must do that at the trade show as well. Registration costs $25. Registration is not allowed Sunday.

Bernard Lagat, the 2004 Olympic 1,500-meter silver medalist, will talk at 1 p.m. today at the Ag Trade Center about his strategy during that race. Lagat is a former Washington State University runner from Kenya and will be running Bloomsday.

Sunday begins with a 7:30 a.m. worship service on the floating stage in Riverfront Park.

Out-of-towners who can’t make it to the trade show must pick up their numbers between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Sunday at the Ag Trade Center. Locals won’t be allowed to do so Sunday.

The start

Competitive wheelchair racers begin at 8:40 a.m. on Riverside Avenue, at the front of the yellow starting group. Elite female runners, with race numbers lower than 100, begin there at 8:45 a.m.

Any elite runners with numbers above 100, which includes the male elite athletes and some elite females, start at 9 a.m. at the front of the yellow group.

Corporate cup, second-seed runners and perennials start on Sprague Avenue at 9 a.m.

Runners in the yellow and green groups start on Riverside at 9 a.m. You must arrive at least 20 minutes early for these groups.

Orange and blue groups start on Main Avenue at 9:15 a.m.

Lilac and red groups start on Sprague Avenue at 9:30 a.m.

The red group is made up of those with strollers, baby joggers and assisted wheelchairs. This group must walk the entire course.

The finish

The top elite and wheelchair racers will be honored at the Riverfront Park Lilac Bowl at noon.

The course closes at 1 p.m., but the post-race party in Riverfront Park goes until 4 p.m.

Getting around

The Spokane Transit Authority will operate a Bloomsday Express service from 6:30 to 7:45 a.m. Sunday. Riders can park for free at the Spokane Valley Mall (near Red Robin), NorthTown Mall (Lidgerwood, just north of Wellesley), Ferris High School, and in Cheney at the Eastern Washington University Red Barn parking lot.

Express buses will pick up riders at Browne Street and Main Avenue for the return trip, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Want to stay downtown later? Those park-and-ride lots will be served by regular routes until 7:20 p.m. You can catch rides at the STA Plaza at Riverside and Wall. To get to the Valley, take the No. 90 bus. To go north, take the No. 25. To head south, take the No. 45 or No. 43. And to get back to Cheney, take the No. 65.

The STA will sell $1 round-trip express service passes at the Bloomsday Trade Show, The Bus Shop at the STA Plaza, and The Bus Shop, Too, 1229 W. Boone. Forget to buy a pass and the ride will cost $1 each way. Monthly passes and transfers will not be accepted on the Bloomsday Express.

Additionally, regular inbound Sunday bus service will begin one hour earlier than normal, except on the No. 65 Cheney/EWU route.

Want to avoid vehicles altogether? The Spokane Bicycle Club will operate a free bike corral Sunday. Bloomsday participants can leave their bikes, helmets and warm-up clothes in a fenced area just south of the YMCA in Riverfront Park, which club members will guard. The corral is open from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Bikers are encouraged to bring a lock.

Weather watch

Sunday’s forecast looks just about perfect for a 12-kilometer run.

The National Weather Service expects downtown to be in the low- to mid-40s in the morning, creeping up to about 65 later in the day.

Best news of all: No rain is expected.

Many runners wear sweats suitable for donating, strip them off and discard them after warming up. A crew picks up the clothing after the race and puts it in good hands.

Some people wear garbage bags to keep warm instead of extra clothes. Problems occur, though, when runners rip off the bags and throw them on the course. The bags are slippery and other runners can trip.

Etiquette advice

Double-tie your shoelaces. You’ll be less likely to have to stop and re-tie with thousands of people on your heels.

If you do have to stop for some reason, move to one side of the course.

Grab water from the water station closest to you. There always will be two set up on both sides of the street.

Put empty water cups in the cardboard trash receptacles, not on the ground, even if it means holding your cup until the next water station.