2010 RnR Los Angeles Half Marathon Expo and Area Review.

I will be breaking the 2010 Inaugural RnR Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon Expo and area review and Race review into 2 posts.

Today's post will be on the Expo and area review.  I learned at this Expo and around the area how hard it is to buy food when there are huge conventions in the area.

Expo.
Busy area around the Los Angeles Convention Center in downtown Los Angeles.  In addition to the Expo, there was a huge event for Herbal Life also taking place in the same building.  And, in the West Hall, there was a convention for Adobe.

Los Angeles Convention Center sign.

The pre-race info from the RnR Los Angeles 1/2 Marathon website was excellent.  I had no problems finding a parking space in the South Hall.

I made it!  They even rolled out the red carpet.

Something New.
This was the first RnR event with the new national sponsor, Dodge.  At a section of the Expo, it felt like I went to an auto show instead.

I don't think the gas mileage is that good on this one.

Then, there was this green machine.  Literally, green...not environmentally-friendly green.

Something Missing.
It was definitely bigger than the RnR San Jose Expo; the San Jose one didn't have any seminar speakers and didn't even have a stage, while the RnR LA had both.  But, the RnR LA Expo was definitely smaller than the RnR Chicago Expo.

Anyhow, I felt the Expo was missing something.  It was a PF Chang's booth.  From the many RnR events I had been at, there would be a PF Chang's booth with the free fortune cookies, the discount cards and the wristbands.  They were not here.  I miss the fortune cookies.  (sniff, sniff)

I wonder if the missing PF Chang's booth is signaling the end of their sponsorship of RnR events.

Packet Pickup.
The packet, bib, T and goodie bag pickups were smooth.

You, Again.
You know you have been too many RnR events when some of the event reps start recognizing you.

I did a vitamin bottle swap at the Nutrilite booth and was going thru their large big rig of a display.  Their rep said to me, "Didn't I see you somewhere recently before?"

Nutrilite Vitamin Bottle Swap.  Give them an empty daily multivitamin bottle and go home with a new bottle of Nutrilite daily multivitamin.

Sure enough, I saw him several weeks ago at the RnR San Jose 1/2 Marathon Expo.

Other Half Marathon Crazies.
I love half marathons and ran into some folks who were also crazy about them.

From left to right:  Dave, Me, Sherry and Ethan.

Foraging for Food.
I snacked on some nachos at a concession stand before leaving to find more significant fare.  I was fortunate I went for the nachos as the restaurants were far away.  The restaurants were mostly near the other end on the west side, which was somewhat of a hike from the South Hall.  And, when I got there, the lines were like a mile long and out the door, because many of the Herbal Life convention goers were also foraging for food.  So, I came up empty.

Outside Staples Center.
Instead, I just checked out the outside of the Staples Center.

The Staples Center.

There was all these statues of athletic greatness outside the Staples Center.

There was a statue of basketball great, Magic Johnson.

Boxer, Oscar De La Hoya.

Hockey great, Wayne Gretzky, aka "The Great One."

There was also a statue of the late sports announcer, Francis Doyle "Chick" Hearn.  He was a long time announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers.

Chick Hearn.

Expo:  Round 2.
To pass the time, I went back into the Expo before making my way upstairs to a concession stand.

I was surprised when I passed by the seminar area.  Deena Kastor was not listed on the Group Seminar list, but there she was.

From left to right:  Frank Shorter, Deena Kastor, Greg Meyer and the Penguin, who is standing.

Blurbs on Those at the Group Seminar.

1. Frank Shorter won the Gold medal in the marathon in the 1972 Summer Olympics.  He is credited with starting a running boom.  He is also listed as a co-founder of the PF Chang's RnR Arizona Marathon and Half Marathon events held in Arizona each year in January.
2. Deena Kastor holds the American records in the marathon and half marathon.  She won the Bronze medal in the women's marathon in the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.
3. Greg Meyer is the last American man to win the Boston Marathon.  He won in 1983.
4. John Bingham, the Penguin, is a columnist and writer.  He currently writes a column for the Competitor Group.  His column appears in Competitor magazine.

I later caught up with Deena Kastor at the RnR booth.

Deena Kastor.

I read that Deena would be pacing actress, Jennifer Love Hewitt, during the Half Marathon.

It was a fun Expo, and I finally came across Deena Kastor.  And, BTW, I finally did make it upstairs to a concessions stand for food.


I'll try to post my Race review tomorrow.