The largest timed
road race in the world - by road race, I mean a
cross country type experience completely on main roads. Takes place in
Spokane, WA. I've been running it for years - people are often
surprised that someone comes all the way from
Pittsburgh, PA to run twelve wonderful kilometers with
60,000 other
people. Supposedly there is a race in
Barcelona that is larger, but it is not timed.
The Bloomsday begins with eight segments - one start for the
wheerchair racers, one for the
elite runners, and six separate blocks of runners that contain approx.
10,000 people each. The first three blocks begin
simultaneously and merge later in the course - the three blocks behind are on a
five minute delay.
The course is famous for
Doomsday Hill - an incredibly long, steep
slope that offers an incredible view over the hundreds of runners who have to
walk because of the massive amounts of
stamina required to run the entire thing.
Ironically, the
fanatics who carry the
doomsday signs are often on other parts of the course.