FINAL RACE INSTRUCTIONS
FORECAST:
35° at Race time. Will warm up 2° per hour… 42° at 10am
No chance of rain. Mostly sunny. Light winds.
“Too warm to freeze the water on the trail” — hopefully this is true!
COURSE WARNINGS (as of 4PM):
PLEASE CHECK & REFRESH THIS PAGE RACE MORNING FOR ANY NEW UPDATES!
35° at Race time. Will warm up 2° per hour… 42° at 10am
No chance of rain. Mostly sunny. Light winds.
“Too warm to freeze the water on the trail” — hopefully this is true!
COURSE WARNINGS (as of 4PM):
- One of the portapotties is in bad shape 💩, but luckily the HANDICAPPED PORTAPOTTY IS FINE (as of now)!
We will try to get that messy potty cleaned up on race morning, but no guarantees! - There are 4 large puddles, but we hope with the wind and warmer temperatures today, they will clear up a bit more before race day.
Puddles at 0.60 miles, 0.64 miles, 1.6 miles and 1.9 miles from start (the last two are past Free Bridge). - The hanging branch before .5 mile mark is still an issue
- The parts of a fallen tree on the edge of the trail before wooden bridge at mile 1 is also something to be aware of.
PLEASE CHECK & REFRESH THIS PAGE RACE MORNING FOR ANY NEW UPDATES!
BIB ASSIGNMENTS & PARTICIPANT TRACKING
Bib assignments and participant tracking are now available.
I highly recommend using RaceJoy. It's a great tool that will tell you your pace and projected time every mile. Also, your family and friends can track you and send you virtual cheers! I used it myself a couple years ago when my Garmin died and it was a lifesaver!
Use the RaceJoy app for advanced tracking of participants and show your support with cheer sending. Participants set up for tracking in RaceJoy and carry their phone as they complete the course. Spectators track participants’ actual location in a map view and can send audio cheers. GPS-based progress alerts are typically issued at every mile along the course. Participants need to opt-in for spectators to track them in RaceJoy. Download the RaceJoy app here.
PRE-RACE PICKUP PERKS!
Sunday, November 27 - Saturday, December 3
(on demand in Pantops near the Chick-fil-A!)
If you can pick up your bib this week, you’ll receive your long sleeve race t-shirt PLUS a Charlottesville Track Club hat!
Text me at 202-320-5207 with your name and preferred pickup time - anytime this week until 10pm on Saturday, December 3 and I will send you directions.
RACE DAY PICKUP
Sunday, December 3
5:45 AM - 6:15 AM (full)
6:45 AM - 7:15 AM (half)
Riverview Park
START TIME
All runners must finish in 5.5 hours or by 12:00 PM
6:30 AM: Marathon Start (as well as any half-marathoners that expect to finish in over 4.5 hours)
YOU’LL NEED A LIGHT - HEADLAMP, FLASHLIGHT, OR CLIP-ON. It will be dark for the first lap.
7:30 AM: Half Marathon Start
Be prepared to start when you are near the timing mat because your official time will begin as soon as your bib is recognized by the equipment.
PARKING
There is limited parking at Riverview Park. Overflow parking will be available on Riverside Avenue (the last left off Chesapeake just before entering Riverview Park).
BATHROOMS
There are two port-a-potties in the parking lot near the start/finish line. There are NO port-a-potties at the 2-mile turnaround or anywhere else along the course.
FLUIDS & NUTRITION
* Self-serve small bottles of water and Gatorade and other sports drinks will be provided near the start/finish line and 2-mile turnaround. We have a variety of flavors of Gatorade (red, blue, orange, white), PowerAde (blue and red) and Body Armor drinks.
* Volunteers will also be at the water stops so you can CALL OUT for what you’d like and they will hand it to you!
* You must BRING YOUR OWN GELS if you require race nutrition. Gels will NOT be provided on the course.
* You must BRING YOUR OWN FOOD if you require immediate post-race nutrition. Post-race food will NOT be provided.
EMPTY TABLE AT THE START AREA
* We will have an empty table at the start area for you to put your own nutritional or other supplies. It’ll be a place for you to drop off stuff (headlamps) during the race as well.
COURSE ETIQUETTE
* All runners MUST run on the RIGHT SIDE of the trail at all times unless you are passing another runner on the LEFT.
* Because the trail is narrow, we ask that you limit side-by-side running to 2 people.
* When passing another runner, alert the runner by announcing: "ON YOUR LEFT" or “TRACK.”
* You can drop empty bottles off to the side of the trail. We will have volunteers picking up trash throughout the race and after it's finished.
SPECIAL NOTE TO MARATHONERS
If you signed up for the marathon but during the race you don't think you'll finish the full distance you can make the switch to the half if you do so by the 3rd lap. As you finish the 3rd lap tell the timers about your switch. Then make the half turn around at mile .55 and get to the finish line so you can get an official half time than DNF for marathon. If you drop out after 3 laps you'll still get all your splits but you won't have an official finish time for either event.
REQUEST A MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE
Twins Run will be putting motivational messages along the course in chalk and signs. If there's a special mantra or slogan you'd like to see, please respond to this email or fill out the online form. Think of this as Cville's version of the Boston Marathon's Scream Tunnel. :)
POST-RACE SWAG
Don’t forget to pick up a miniature “Coney” after you finish the race! We will also have grab bag prizes (Pint Glasses from Firefly Restaurant, sweets from Albemarle Baking Company, and some other cool surprises). Ragged Mountain Running & Walking Shop will be providing prizes for winners as well.
SO YOU NEED A MEDAL… WE CAN HELP
We used to make a thing about only giving out medals to runners who dropped out (because yeah, that’s really hard, but sometimes it’s the best thing to do and I know this firsthand from experience). Then we decided to go all in with the cone icon and give out a hand-crafted miniature Coney to participants. This year a previous winner asked for a medal to include in his wall display so we came up with a way for runners to order their own medal (ok, it’s a Shutterfly metal ornament, but it’s neat!). If you need help with a customized graphic, just send us an email and we will help you out!
QUESTIONS?
Please text Leah at 202.320.5207 (please let me know who you are!)
Thank you!
Leah Connor and Malinda Hill
Volunteer Race Directors
Bib assignments and participant tracking are now available.
I highly recommend using RaceJoy. It's a great tool that will tell you your pace and projected time every mile. Also, your family and friends can track you and send you virtual cheers! I used it myself a couple years ago when my Garmin died and it was a lifesaver!
Use the RaceJoy app for advanced tracking of participants and show your support with cheer sending. Participants set up for tracking in RaceJoy and carry their phone as they complete the course. Spectators track participants’ actual location in a map view and can send audio cheers. GPS-based progress alerts are typically issued at every mile along the course. Participants need to opt-in for spectators to track them in RaceJoy. Download the RaceJoy app here.
PRE-RACE PICKUP PERKS!
Sunday, November 27 - Saturday, December 3
(on demand in Pantops near the Chick-fil-A!)
If you can pick up your bib this week, you’ll receive your long sleeve race t-shirt PLUS a Charlottesville Track Club hat!
Text me at 202-320-5207 with your name and preferred pickup time - anytime this week until 10pm on Saturday, December 3 and I will send you directions.
RACE DAY PICKUP
Sunday, December 3
5:45 AM - 6:15 AM (full)
6:45 AM - 7:15 AM (half)
Riverview Park
START TIME
All runners must finish in 5.5 hours or by 12:00 PM
6:30 AM: Marathon Start (as well as any half-marathoners that expect to finish in over 4.5 hours)
YOU’LL NEED A LIGHT - HEADLAMP, FLASHLIGHT, OR CLIP-ON. It will be dark for the first lap.
7:30 AM: Half Marathon Start
Be prepared to start when you are near the timing mat because your official time will begin as soon as your bib is recognized by the equipment.
PARKING
There is limited parking at Riverview Park. Overflow parking will be available on Riverside Avenue (the last left off Chesapeake just before entering Riverview Park).
BATHROOMS
There are two port-a-potties in the parking lot near the start/finish line. There are NO port-a-potties at the 2-mile turnaround or anywhere else along the course.
FLUIDS & NUTRITION
* Self-serve small bottles of water and Gatorade and other sports drinks will be provided near the start/finish line and 2-mile turnaround. We have a variety of flavors of Gatorade (red, blue, orange, white), PowerAde (blue and red) and Body Armor drinks.
* Volunteers will also be at the water stops so you can CALL OUT for what you’d like and they will hand it to you!
* You must BRING YOUR OWN GELS if you require race nutrition. Gels will NOT be provided on the course.
* You must BRING YOUR OWN FOOD if you require immediate post-race nutrition. Post-race food will NOT be provided.
EMPTY TABLE AT THE START AREA
* We will have an empty table at the start area for you to put your own nutritional or other supplies. It’ll be a place for you to drop off stuff (headlamps) during the race as well.
COURSE ETIQUETTE
* All runners MUST run on the RIGHT SIDE of the trail at all times unless you are passing another runner on the LEFT.
* Because the trail is narrow, we ask that you limit side-by-side running to 2 people.
* When passing another runner, alert the runner by announcing: "ON YOUR LEFT" or “TRACK.”
* You can drop empty bottles off to the side of the trail. We will have volunteers picking up trash throughout the race and after it's finished.
SPECIAL NOTE TO MARATHONERS
If you signed up for the marathon but during the race you don't think you'll finish the full distance you can make the switch to the half if you do so by the 3rd lap. As you finish the 3rd lap tell the timers about your switch. Then make the half turn around at mile .55 and get to the finish line so you can get an official half time than DNF for marathon. If you drop out after 3 laps you'll still get all your splits but you won't have an official finish time for either event.
REQUEST A MOTIVATIONAL MESSAGE
Twins Run will be putting motivational messages along the course in chalk and signs. If there's a special mantra or slogan you'd like to see, please respond to this email or fill out the online form. Think of this as Cville's version of the Boston Marathon's Scream Tunnel. :)
POST-RACE SWAG
Don’t forget to pick up a miniature “Coney” after you finish the race! We will also have grab bag prizes (Pint Glasses from Firefly Restaurant, sweets from Albemarle Baking Company, and some other cool surprises). Ragged Mountain Running & Walking Shop will be providing prizes for winners as well.
SO YOU NEED A MEDAL… WE CAN HELP
We used to make a thing about only giving out medals to runners who dropped out (because yeah, that’s really hard, but sometimes it’s the best thing to do and I know this firsthand from experience). Then we decided to go all in with the cone icon and give out a hand-crafted miniature Coney to participants. This year a previous winner asked for a medal to include in his wall display so we came up with a way for runners to order their own medal (ok, it’s a Shutterfly metal ornament, but it’s neat!). If you need help with a customized graphic, just send us an email and we will help you out!
QUESTIONS?
Please text Leah at 202.320.5207 (please let me know who you are!)
Thank you!
Leah Connor and Malinda Hill
Volunteer Race Directors
COURSE PHOTOS
2022 Course Photos (includes all turnarounds)
Please note: As of Thursday, there were a couple areas to watch out for especially for marathoners who will run in the dark for the first lap.
A bit past the 1/2 mile point there is a branch hanging down close to the trail. I've painted it orange, but please watch out for it (if you run in the center of the trail going out you should be fine!
Please note: As of Thursday, there were a couple areas to watch out for especially for marathoners who will run in the dark for the first lap.
A bit past the 1/2 mile point there is a branch hanging down close to the trail. I've painted it orange, but please watch out for it (if you run in the center of the trail going out you should be fine!
Just before the one mile mark there are parts of a tree close to the edge of the trail. Once again, if you run in the center of the trail on the way out for the first lap, you should be fine.
Puddles at .60 mile mark and .64. mile mark.
There are a couple puddle past Free Bridge (mile 1.5) at approximately 1.6 and 1.9 miles .
These photos were taken at 2:30pm Saturday. Hopefully they’ll clear up before race morning, but be aware that they could be slick if it gets below freezing.
These photos were taken at 2:30pm Saturday. Hopefully they’ll clear up before race morning, but be aware that they could be slick if it gets below freezing.
2 mile turnaround
To get to the 2 mile turn around you’ll enter here. If you are setting up the water stop you should be able to drive down this trail.
The fence that used to block the trail/road to get down to the 2 mile turnaround is gone!
This is the road you’ll want to park on if you’re working the 2 mile turn around. Park on the street where the cars are on the left of this picture. I think you also could park near the white fence on the street, but DO NOT PARK IN THE VFW LOT. Repeat: DO NOT PARK IN THE VFW LOT. Street parking only!
EXAMPLES OF Previous WaTER STOP SET UP
2 mile water stop from 2021
|
Riverview Park water stop from many years ago!
|
25.1 MILE FINAL turnAROUND (FULL) - 1.1 miles from start
There will be a 25.1 mile sign and a PURLE cone placed here.
12.55 MILE FINAL TURNAROUND (HALF) - .55 miles from start
A GREEN cone will be placed here for the final HALF marathon turnaround
START/FINISH
the start/finish - orange dot, white flag, it’s next to the 7th column in the fence
CHALK THE WALK MESSAGES
PREVIOUS RACES
2022 VOLUNTEER INSTRUCTIONS and COURSE PHOTOS
Set up at the 2 mile turn around
Set up at the Start/Finish Area
Setup on Course
Start/Finish Area
25.1 mile turnaround (FULL) - 1.1 miles from the start
12.55 mile turnaround (HALF) - .55 miles from the start
Water Stops
- One table with water and gatorade on the side by the river near the 2 mile sign. The table needs to be close to the trail. The VFW owns the land on both sides of the trail except for the 5 foot strip of grass on either side of the trail.
- Put MILE 2/6/10/14/18/22 sign near the turnaround
- Add other motivational signs in the 5 feet strip of grass next to trail along the river side before the water stop.
Set up at the Start/Finish Area
- One table with water and Gatorade next to the short walkway to the park (before the fork in the trail that leads to exit or the finish line). Include a 2nd empty table where runners can put their own supplies.
- Add MILE 4/8/12/16/20/24 SIGN near the start.
Setup on Course
- Add 1/5/9/13/17/21/25 mile sign on the right after the bridge
- Add 3/7/11/15/19/23 mile sign on left side after bridge facing towards riverview park
- Someone can bring the two cones and 25.1 mile sign to the two turnarounds or the person who's working those spots can do that (see 25.1 and 12.55 turnarounds).
Start/Finish Area
- Mark the checklist as each runner crosses the turnaround. When a runner has reached their final lap, send a text to the volunteer at the final turnaround (25.1 miles for full, 12.55 miles for half) so they make sure the runner turns around the cone and heads back to the finish line
- CHECKLIST FOR MARATHONERS (bibs with trail photo on them)
- CHECKLIST FOR HALF MARATHONERS (bibs with cones photo on them)
25.1 mile turnaround (FULL) - 1.1 miles from the start
- Bring cone and Mile 25.1 sign if it's not already on the course. If you want to sit, please bring your own chair.
- Will get notified via text from start line when a runner who's about to make the final turnaround is coming. Mark sure they turn around the cone before heading back to the finish!
- Cheer and encourage runners! Get to know their names ... check out the participant tracking for more information (or view checklists above).
- Pace chart: https://marathonpacechart.com/
12.55 mile turnaround (HALF) - .55 miles from the start
- Bring cone if it's not already on the course. If you want to sit, please bring your own chair.
- Will get notified via text from start line when a runner who's about to make the final turnaround is coming. Mark sure they turn around the cone before heading back to the finish!
- Cheer and encourage runners! Get to know their names ... check out the participant tracking for more information (or view checklists above).
- Pace chart: https://marathonpacechart.com/
Water Stops
- Have water or Gatorade ready as runners come by. The runner might ask for something or you can also call out to see what they want.
- If anyone appears to be having a hard time or needs assistance, make sure to text someone at the start line (medical tent or volunteers).
- Cheer and encourage runners! Get to know their names ... check out the participant tracking for more information (or view checklists above).
- If you want to sit, please bring your own chair.
