| 22nd “LAST TRAIN TO BOSTON” Marathon & 4-Person Relay, Sat, February 23, 2002, 9:30 a.m. Number Pickup/Registration: Number pickup will start around 7:30 a.m. on race day at the Stark Recreation Center, Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground. NOTE: If all 4 members of your Relay have not signed a Waiver statement, they will be required to do so at Number Pickup. Parking: Plenty in areas across from Stark Recreation Center (Registration/Start/Finish area) Directions to Race: I-95 to Edgewood, MD - RT. 24 (Exit 77); South on RT. 24 to Main Gate of Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground; Continue on this road (which has become Hoadley Rd) to Austin Road; Turn Left; Follow to Stark Rec (Red-brick bldg on Left) – Corner of Austin & Wise. Lodging: The following Hotels, except for the Super 8 Motel, are located at the 1st traffic light after you exit I-95 onto Rt. 24 South – the same exit you take going to the race. All of these hotels are approximately 4 miles from where the race starts. Best Western 410-679-9700 Comfort Inn 410-679-0700 Days Inn 410-671-9990 Hampton Inn 410-670-6000 Holiday Inn Express 410-612-1200 Super 8 Motel 410-676-2700 (1015 Pulaski Hwy (Rt. 40 in Edgewood, MD) [All hotels are expected to cost between $60 & $80 for 1 person (last February 2001 prices)] Shower Facilities: Showers are available at the Hoyle Gym which is ¼ mile from Stark Rec Center.. Course Maps: Maps of the course will be available at the registration desk on Race Day or upon request. A map is also available on the web site – www.oocities.org/last_train . Course Certification: The course is certified by The USA Track and Field (USATF) and has been sanctioned by the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA). USATF #MD95002JS Weather: The weather at the end of February is hard to predict. Temperatures in the last 15 years have varied from the 20’s to the 70’s. Generally, the temperature is around 45-50. The best suggestion we can make is to be prepared for anything. Warm weather can present more problems than cold weather. It’s especially important to take fluids at all opportunities in warm/hot weather and not to over dress. If you have to remove sweats in the middle of the race, you can leave them with one of the course marshals. We’ll be sure that you get them returned. Course Description: Relatively Flat, Fast, 4-loop Course. Race Starts and Finishes at Sea Level. Water Stations: Water/sports drinks will be provided every 2 miles or so. Times: Times will be given at as much as possible. We will give times at the 1, 3, 10, 10 miles to go, and after every loop (1/4 marathon). We will also try to give times at 3 miles to go, 5, 15, 5 miles to go. Course Markings, Course Marshals: The course is well marked. All turns are marked are on the road. All Mile marks will be painted on the road. Course marshals will be at the turns and will be there to lend assistance if necessary. Cutoff Time: 3 loops (19.65 miles) must be completed in 4-1/2 hours (by 2:00 p.m). If you think you will take more than that or more than 6 hours, we can let you start early. Refreshments: Sodas, bananas, donuts, Gatorade, water will be provided after the race. Photographer: We will do our best to have a professional photographer available as in the past. Awards – Marathon: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Women and Men overall, Top Master for men and women, and Top 3 in the following Age Groups: Females: 29 & Under, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60+ Males: 29 & Under, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60+ NOTE: The Age Groups are different for Men and Women to make the awards more competitive. Typically, there are 5 times more Male runners than Females. By going with 10 year age groups for females, we are hoping to have the competition more comparable to that of the male runners. With these age-groups last year, 12 of 13 women runners still received open,masters or age-group awards. *NOTE - $100 FOR OPEN OR MASTERS RECORDS !! Awards – Relay Teams: All runners of winning teams (Co-ed, Female, and Male) will receive awards. Medals: All Marathon Finishers will receive a Finisher’s medal. Certificates: We are going to make every effort we can to get certificates to all Finishers “immediately” following the race. With the expectation of 250 runners, it becomes more difficult to do quickly. If you have to leave immediately after the race, let us know and we will do our best to give you your certificate. In our attempts to keep entry fees as low as possible, it helps us if you get your certificate on race day. Results: Race results will be made available to all finishers within 2-4 weeks of the race either via email or regular mail. We will also do our best to post results on the Last Train web site or at The Finished Product (www.finishedproduct.com ) as soon as possible after the race. *These results will also be sent to the Boston Athletic Association for those runners who have qualified for Boston. Closing Remarks. We have a dedicated group of Volunteers who do their best year after year to make your race an enjoyable one. Remember, we can’t do races without them. If you get a chance, please thank them (we know most of you already do) - they really appreciate it. Unlike many races, some of them are out on the course for 4-5 hours. NOTE: If you have family/friends watching who would like to help, please seek one of the Race Directors on race day or even before, if possible. We can always use extra help and it also helps them to pass the time faster. Above all, good luck in your intended goals - whether it be to finish your 1st marathon, run a PR, to qualify for Boston, or just to have a good training run. We will be at the finish for all of you. The middle of the packers and the runners holding up the rear are just as important to us as the front runners. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us – either by E-mail or phone after regular working hours. Brad Roberts, lasttrain@ieee.org Dave Hagger, dhagger@yahoo.com Home |
