SeaWheeze Expo Activities

Oh my gosh...I was totally unprepared for the extravaganza that Lululemon put on for the 2013 SeaWheeze Half Marathon weekend.  My friend Pauline had participated in 2012 for the inaugural race and so she was our insider who made sure we were fully prepared.

The festivities kicked off on Friday morning with Packet Pick Up and the famous Expo shop.  Lulu had given sneak peaks in the 10 days leading up to the race of some of the special SeaWheeze designs that would be available for sale only at the Expo shop.  The expo opened at 8AM and we began our morning with a workout of course.  Mandy and Pauline were doing a week long workout challenge during our trip so they took Jules to the fitness center and got their workout on around 5:45AM.  I headed to the pool for the good fun of lap swimming! As a side note...we all highly recommend asking for a room on the same floor as the fitness center when you are travelling with multiple people.  It worked out great for our group since we could use the extra bathrooms and showers in the fitness center.

Yep! Swimming Rocks even on vacation!

We finished up our workouts and then headed to the expo arriving around 7:15AM...to a super long line.

Lulu fans get in line early for their exclusive clothing options! I made my first Lulu mistake and was one of the few people not totally decked out in a Lulu outfit.  I just didn't even think about that when I packed for the trip plus I don't own a ton of Lulu pieces.

One of the entertaining things wondering thru the pick up line! 

The line was very pleasant and before we knew it the line began moving.  It was a little like Disney though in that you never quite seemed to get close to the doors!  Eventually we made it in and we debated splitting up.  There were two separate entrances - one for packet pickup and one for the store.  We had decided to have one person go through pickup and the rest wait in the store line but the volunteers ended up telling us it would be faster to get into the store if we went through packet pick up.

Once we got inside for the packet line we got our first glimpse of the circus fun that Lulu had planned.

Jules, Me, Mandy, and Pauline

The pickup process was a little slow at times since the volunteers sometimes struggled to quickly find your bag but otherwise it was pretty painless.  Once we activated our timing chips, we were released into the store.

The store was organized by size groups and then products within each size.  It really made it easy to shop your size however the assortment wasn't the same across all sizes.  There were changing rooms available but most of the shoppers were just claiming some carpet space and trying on as discreetly as possible.  Most ladies were grabbing options and had large piles surrounding them since choices and quantity were limited.

After selecting items for purchase (15 piece limit - and many bought their limit!) you got into the payment line.  The line took about 15-20 minutes to move through but once you got to a cashier they were very pleasant and efficient with the process.  All of the volunteers were super cheerful throughout the expo and shop including the poor souls that had to keep stocking and restocking the product.  They were busy for sure!

The views from the expo center were gorgeous and the view included many seaplanes taking off and landing while we were shopping.   Just outside the store area was the Mantra wall.  We took turns supplying our mantras to the mantra wall.

Pauline on the Mantra Wall! 

Leaving our marks on the Finish Line banners! 

Outside on the plaza was a fun summer beach style retreat.  They had fun games and bright colored chairs to rest on.  There was even a hair and makeup station but we bypassed that line.

Hair and Nail Stations

Instead we ended up getting immediate service at the massage area. It was great to get a relaxing 15 minute massage under the sun and the aromatherapy products were amazing.

All the massage therapists had shirts that read "here for you at the Finish Line"

After our massages, we headed to the Cactus Cafe which was right alongside the plaza.  We sat outdoors and watched one of the largest outdoor yoga classes that I have ever seen.  Then we headed back to the hotel to offload our purchases and plan out our Vancouver explorations.

Tips for the Lululemon SeaWheeze Packet Pick up:
1) Arrive early if you are interested in the shopping opportunity.
2) Wear layers - so that you can easily try clothing on over your leggings or tank for example.
3) Make plans with your friends - have a check in time and check in location.  It's easy to lose track of time and friends within the shop.
4) Make sure you tell your credit card company that you will be traveling outside the US and if you plan to make a large purchase at the store alert them to that so your charges don't get denied.  It was a common occurrence so much so that they announced on the PA several times to call credit card companies while you were in line.
5) Plan to spend several hours exploring all the fun at the expo site.  The massages are great and some of the activities had a line that was slower moving.
6) Bring drinks and snacks - there is a small coffee shop inside the expo hall but otherwise food and drink options are limited.
7) Stop by one of the real Lululemon shops before hand to try out the products and get an idea of your size and determine if there is anything in the normal product lineup that you like better than the SeaWheeze designs when you are at the shop.
8) Have fun!!!