Q. Is there an early start?
A. Yes. If you expect to take over 6 hours, please consider joining the 9:30 group. Our volunteers cannot be asked to be out beyond that. An announcement to head for the start will be made at the registration table about 9:15. If you join this group, you will be out of contention for an overall or age-group award. (An exception may be made for men over 70 and women over 60.) There is no early start for the relay.
Q. Is the marathon a Boston qualifier?
A. Yes, it is a certified course, and we send the results to Boston , but that doesn’t guarantee that the 2008 Boston Marathon will not close before our race day .
Q. Is there a Half-Marathon?
A. No. The geography of the triple loop does not lend itself to a half. However, a 3-person relay is available for runners who do not wish to tackle a full marathon.
Q. I am being passed by people wearing color-coded cloth sashes. Who are they?
A. That is not the "Miss. Teen Runnerup" beauty pagent; they are relay runners, who are required to wear their sashes on the course. The winning relay team has run 2:47.
Q. Is there a bag check?
A. Yes. Drop off your bag at the tent near the corner of Crescent and Northway, one block before the start line. The tent is adjacent to the finish line.
Q.Are there finisher medals?
A. Yes for the all marathon finishers, but not for relay finishers. For the relay, only the top 3 teams in each of the 5 categories get gold, silver or bronze medals as awards .
Q. Are showers available after the race?
A. There are small locker rooms off the basketball court in the Youth Center.
Q. Are there portable toilets on the course?
A. Yes, at the three water stops: Criter Garden on Beaver Dam Road just past Soil Conservation Road at about mile 4.5; intersection of Springfield & Powder Mill Road about mile 7.75, and at the USDA Visitor Center about mile 9.75. Of course, these are also available on the 2nd and 3rd loops. You pass the waterstops and portable toilets ten times.
Q. What if I need help?
A. There will be radio operators along the course especially near the waterstops to call for medical assistance. Notify either a sentry, a waterstop volunteer, or a radio operator. We will have EMTs stationed at the Youth Center. If you withdraw from the race, please check in at the Youth Center so that we can track who is still on the course.
Q. Is the course flat?
A. No. There are lots of flatlands, but there are hills too, including one at Mile 25. The course finishes on a bike path paralleling Northway. Because the course starts and ends near the same location, there is about a ten foot net drop.
Finish line is on a wooded path.
Q. Is there a time limit on the marathon?
A. Yes. You must start the third loop (Mile 17) by 2:30 p.m. which is a 14 min/mile pace. We close the finish line at 4:30 p.m. which is a 13:45 min/mile pace for normal starters or a 16 min/mile pace for early starters.
Q. How long is this marathon?
A. Twenty Six miles and 385 yards :-)
Relay:
Q. Do we have to run the legs in the order stated on our entry form?
A. Not really. We assigned your team three consecutive numbers in the order stated on your entry form. If someone runs out of the stated order, we can figure it out.
Q. What if I do not have three runners for my team?
A. One runner can do two legs, or we can help you recruit a runner at the registration area.
Q. Can someone running the full marathon also compete on a relay team?
A. Yes. It is best if that person does the first leg (to avoid waiting at the exchange point). We ask that the runner wear both the relay and full marathon race numbers.
Q. What does each team member pass to the next member at the exchange point?
A. A colored cloth sash. We will also collect the tear-off tag from your race number to help us record your time.
Q. How does the exchange area work?
A. The full marathon runners will bear to the left, and the relay runners will go through the chute.
You will be timed, and then you can hand your sash to the next member of your team. Each runner must keep a look out
for the incoming teammate.
Q. What happens on the third/final leg?
A. The third leg relay runner will run the same loop as the second leg. The runner will then bear to the left and not enter the relay exchange area. Instead, the runner will follow the full marathon route for two miles back to the marathon finish line.
Q. Is there transportation between the start/finish and the exchange area?
A. No. We suggest that the runners for the second and third legs car pool to the exchange area (about 2.5 mi from the Youth Center), with the first and second leg runners driving the car back to the start area.
Q. Are split times provided?
A. Yes. There are digital clocks in the relay exchange area and at the finish line. In addition, we record the times for each leg, and post them in the race headquarters and on the internet.
Q. Is there an "early start" for the marathon relay?
A. No. All relay runners must have their first runner start at 10:30 a.m. There has never been a relay team to take more than 6 hours.