New Balance Fashion Fitness Expo

After a visit to the expo, flat Ashley and flat Deborah are ready for 13.1 fun-filled miles tomorrow!

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I enjoyed some sunshine and humidity during a quick, easy two mile shake out run this morning. Any run that includes palm trees, majestic live oaks and sunshine is a great run.  I used the run as an opportunity to take my New Balance gear for a test run before tomorrow’s race. My mom and I are both wearing hot pink so it’ll be easier for our spectators to spot us amongst the other 2,500 women!

IMG_8024After a quick breakfast we headed downtown for a quick coffee and expo date. Mom and I love The Collins Quarter’s walk-up coffee bar which includes more than twenty delicious drink options ranging from their specialty, the lavender mocha latte to cold pressed coffee.

The Collins Quarter coffee barThe Collins Quarter

Coffee in hand, we crossed the street towards the race expo which was held at the Hilton Savannah DeSoto hotel. Unlike any expo I’ve visited, this expo was aptly named the New Balance Fashion Fitness Expo.

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Our first priority was picking up our bibs. As this was mom’s first race expo experience, we had a blast going by all the booths and talking with the volunteers. Everyone was very supportive, helpful and knowledgeable! The swag for this race is not your usual t-shirt or technical t-shirt. Instead, each woman receives an awesome New Balance gym bag! With four outside pockets, one outside zip pocket, and an inside zipper this bag is the perfect gym bag! The gray color and fun purple and green detail put a feminine spin on it. All you heard near the bag pick-up was shouts of glee and lots of compliments!

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Our next stop was the Corona and Natalie’s juice booth where they checked our identification before giving us post-race wristbands so we can enjoy mimosas or beers after 13.1 miles!

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There were booths from all of the sponsors including Fleet Feet Savannah, Leopold’s Ice Cream, Publix, St. Joseph’s Candler, Savannah Bee Company, Byrd’s Cookies and Optim Orthopedics. Fleet Feet allowed visitors to spin for prizes and discounts while Optim Orthopedics gave runners race kits including Sport Beans, lip balm, and blister kits!

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Within the expo, New Balance dedicated a section to their expansive women’s wear including Publix Savannah Half branded items and pieces from their yoga, lifestyle and running lines. There was so many adorable pieces that mom nor I could resist buying a few pieces of branded gear.  The local touches including a New Balance fountain of shoe laces and shoes, which looks like our iconic Forsyth Park Fountain and cobble stone walkways and artificial grass. IMG_8049

I had the chance to catch up with my New Balance friends who were kind enough to send me home with a new pair of Fresh Foam Boracay shoes as part of our race ambassador partnership. The New Balance and Fleet Feet Savannah staff working the expo were absolutely wonderful today. Everyone was very helpful, happy to answer questions and look for sizes while also explaining the difference between their many lines of apparel and shoes. My mom snagged a pair of the New Balance Well2Go flats which will be perfect for their Europe adventures next month!

IMG_8045Just as we were leaving I saw two friendly brunettes, Claudia and Victoria, who are also race ambassadors! These lovely ladies are integral parts of the Savannah running community and have been huge supporters of this race on a local level. Victoria is pacing the 3:00 run/walk group tomorrow. IMG_8047

After the expo Mom and I enjoyed a celebratory birthday lunch. We met Ryan, Madeline and my dad at Lili’s on Wilmington Island to catch up with my brother and his girlfriend while celebrating her birthday.  The seared shrimp salad is my new favorite. Filled with tasty shrimp, fresh blueberries, couscous, feta cheese, and crushed pecans this salad will fill you up and cover all the taste buds!

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2 Comments

  1. Kristine March 27, 2015 / 10:24 pm

    That salad looks amazing. But you knew that was where I was going first 🙂

    I absolutely love all the hometown touches at this expo AND that you and your mom are experiencing it together! Hope you both have a wonderful race (I’m cheering for you from SF!) and that you have a great trip home!

  2. Claudia Deen March 28, 2015 / 8:44 pm

    Love it! Congrats! I’m stilling the pic of the 3 of us <3

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