Friday, November 13, 2009

Club XC Nationals

As of yesterday, we are officially one month out from Club XC Nationals. This year it is held in Lexington, KY.

Our season will cap off with a great team event and some good old fashioned bonding during post-race fun. My version includes a pint of ice cream, a half case of beer and *maybe* dancing. Laura may get us some free pasta, hopefully there won't be any code 803s and no one with frostbite. By the way, what happens at Club Nats stays at Club Nats.

We are beginning to work out our travel plans. I've advanced booked 8 two-bed rooms at a hotel just one mile from the Convention Center. The hotel happens to have an onsite Waffle House. I'll set my alarm to make sure we get there by 3am.

As for flight plans, the options are to leave Thursday day, Thursday night (after work) or Friday day:
Cincinnatti [CVG]
- non-stop available
- $50 cheaper
- total flight time: 2.5 hours
- 90 minute drive to Lexington
Lexington [LEX]
- minimum 1-stop
- price closer to $300
- total flight time w/ connection: ~4-7 hours
- 15 minute drive to hotel

Flying back to BOS, it's best to get an afternoon to early evening flight.

I have some flight numbers and itineraries ready. I can book for up to 6 people. So if I have 5 other people committed, I can book a group and rent our van.

My inclinations are to fly from BOS into CVG, Thursday 5p (Delta 1131). And fly out Sunday 5p (Delta 5964). The prices have already inched up $10.

Post here for your feedback.

24 comments:

  1. Sounds good to me. I think Thursday at 5 to Cinci would be grand. And Sunday coming back at 5pm sounds ALOT better than Sunday at 5am like a certain time I can painfully recall.

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  2. Can you actually painfully recall that 5a? I think everyone was still a bit blurry and glassy eyed. The ride to the airport was only highlighted by the lit up Touchdown Jesus. The rest..., well let's just say thankfully, somehow we got to the airport.
    Note: There is a 2p return flight but with a 90min drive, that doesn't leave a comfortable amount of time.

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  3. Hey guys,

    I have to work thurs and then I have a night class that night, huge bummer!! I guess my only option is to leave Friday .. Yvonne, what time were the Friday flights?

    Thanks for looking into all this Yvonne!

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  4. I assume you mean into CVG.
    The Friday non-stop flight times are:
    5:20a, 7:45a, 11:10a, 1:37p, 4:52p
    (same times as Thursday).
    All flight durations are about 2.5 to 2.75 hours long. All these Friday flights are same price (for now) as Thursday's ~$260.

    If there is a small group (1-3 ppl) on Friday, it may be worth it to fly into LEX, to be picked up by the ppl already in town. If there's a large enough group, then an additional van can be rented.

    The LEX Friday flight times are (for shortest duration 4.75-5.25 hrs, cheapest <$300):
    5:50a, 8:30a, 9:30a

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  5. hey girls! (this is kim partee!)
    i too, cannot make it until friday. however, i was also wondering if Loisville has been considered as a fly-in destination. the drive time to lexington is the same, if not shorter than the drive from cincinati. if there are only a couple of us (under 6?), i can probably convince one of my parents (from TN) to pick us up on Friday and drive us to Lexington... just let me know what all y'all think.! best, kimj

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  6. Louisville (SDF) was considered but there are no non-stops from BOS and costs as much as flying into Lexington (LEX) ~$400 and on top of that still need to drive 90 minutes.

    Kim, would you be considering flying in from a different airport as you are out in Amherst? I want to make sure we coordinate your landing and departure times with others coming in on Friday morning.

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  7. typo to the above. It's about $300 (not 400) from BOS to SDF.

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  8. FYI. Prices are holding steady for both BOS-to-CVG Thursday 4:52p and BOS-to-CVG Friday 7:45a (both non-stop).

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  9. hey Yvonne!
    I am planning on flying out of Bradley in Hartford. I found a flight that can get me to LEX by 10:30 on Friday morning. I only need a one way flight, as I am going to be heading home to TN after the meet. Should I go ahead and book this flight? Does it work with others' schedules and the possiblity of being picked up?
    Thanks!
    Kim

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  10. I'll be in Santa Barbara the week before Clubs so I had my trip planned a while ago. I'll be flying into Lexington, KY on Thursday night at 10:48 PM. I know it's a late arrival, but if anyone is around to grab me at the airport, it would be much appreciated! If not, I can just take a cab.

    Do we know which hotel we are staying at yet?

    Also, I haven't booked my flight back to Boston yet, so I'll just go with whatever the majority of the team is doing and book it in the next week or so.

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  11. Kim:
    Yes the Friday to Lexington by 10:30a works. If Jenn takes the 5:50a from BOS, she'll get into LEX at 10:30a and we can pick both of you up to head over to the race course.

    Jenn:
    The 8:30a flight out of BOS to LEX on Friday has jumped in price to $380. And you'd be getting in at 1:30p

    Jeff:
    We can pick you up, since you're flying into LEX. It's a short drive from the hotel.

    Everyone else:
    How many other Thursday 4:52p BOS to CVG departees do we have? So far Karina and I. Anyone else?

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  12. I'm pumped. If anyone is on the fence about this trip, fall over on our side and decide to come. The memories are well worth the price of a plane ticket.

    JC says the best time to buy tickets is 2am tomorrow morning. Let's do this shit!

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  13. Why at 2a? I'd have to set my alarm for that.

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  14. As of today, the best deal I've seen flying to/from lexington is $330 on US airways .. i'd arrive around 4pm on Friday, with a sunday departure at 650am .. early (boo!) but cheaper. I'm thinking of going with this possibly. Has anyone booked yet?

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  15. Actually, scratch that ... w/ the help of travelocity i found:

    Fri - leave boston 945am, arrive 3pm
    Sun - leave lexington 1pm, arrive 7pm

    Total - $300 .. much better - probably will go with this!

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  16. Jenn:
    I'm not sure what time we'd check out the race course, but I think earlier than 3p. I'll check with Kevin.

    You can fly home from CVG with us and also saves you about $25.
    ie $278, on expedia.com
    Fri - BOS to LEX 5:50a (Delta 3776/3132) or 930a (Delta 1857/4964)
    Sun - CVG to BOS nonstop 5p (Delta 5964)

    I'll get back to you on the race course preview time.

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  17. yay! i just purchased my tickets. im flying BDL to LEX and will get in at 10:30 to LEX. If anyone is taking the 5:50 flight out of BOS to LEX that same morning, I think we will be meeting up in Detroit or something, so let me know!
    *kimmy

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  18. Travelling Group:
    Yvonne, Karina, Erin D, Laura, Kevin

    Travel itinerary:
    Thursday BOS 4:52p, CVG 7:24p, Delta 1131
    Sunday CVG 2:05p, BOS 4:12p, Delta 1722

    For those booking your own flights, please send me your itinerary information. Just in case your flight is early/delayed.

    I can still book for other people, but please let me know asap. I'll make every effort to coordinate the groups.

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  19. If anyone is booking there own flights and is looking at American Airlines or Northwest, USATF has negotiated a 5% discount into LEX.

    http://www.usatf.org/events/2009/USATFClubXCChampionships/athleteInfo/travel.asp

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  20. Just be aware there are conditions and 5-7% isn't all that much. The times won't be flexible on those airlines and the booking is through a telephone agent, that may charge an additional fee.

    Please consult with me if you have any questions.

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  21. Anna, Nicole and Avery have joined the roster!

    For those really strapped for cash, have time to kill, and can get Thursday and Friday off: There are roundtrip flights to CVG for $180. They are all morning flights on Thursday, with 1 stop, and you'd have to wait for the rest of the group to get in at 7:30p (unless there was a group of you). The Sunday flight back would have to be 1-stop too.

    FYI: The price of the 4:52p flight on Thursday to CVG has jumped to $325. At this price, you may want to consider flying into LEX. If there is an additional group out there, trying to book flights, let me know, so I can try to coordinate.

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  22. I'll be getting to LEX by 3PM Friday and then leaving LEX at 10:40AM Sunday.

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  23. I will be flying into CVG on Thursday. I am arriving at 4:11 PM. I don't have my departing flight yet since I am still figuring out plans for Florida. I'll try to get the flight out sometime after everyone else so we don't need to take an extra trip to the airport.

    I'm JACKED about this trip!

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  24. My flights are all booked. In case anyone is still looking, this is what my itinerary is.

    Thursday, December 10

    12:30 PM - Depart LAX Continental Flt 46
    5:45 PM - Arrive in IAH (Houston)
    7:40 PM - Depart IAH - Continental Flt 3137
    10:48 PM - Arrive in LEX

    Sunday, December 13

    4:07 PM - Depart from LEX - US Air Flt 2550
    5:24 PM - Arrive in CLT (Charlotte)
    6:05 PM - Depart from CLT - US Air Flt 808
    8:12 PM - Arrive in BOS

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