We are 6 weeks away from the 5th Annual Quintiles Wrightsville Beach Marathon Madness Weekend!
My staff and I want to personally thank you for participating in the 2014 event. We are excited to give you one of the best race experiences in the nation! We are “running junkies” and enjoy putting on an event that we know runners will love.
As we get closer to the race, we will send out updates so you are clear about what to expect race weekend. Please stay tuned to the website, social media, and your email to receive these updates.
Please start planning for the following pieces of information:
PRE-RACE MEETINGS:
Come ask any questions, go over the course, and understand the logistics for the event. These meetings will take place at the expo tent on the Mayfaire Town Center Mall Event Field at the following times:
Friday at 6:30PM
Saturday at 12:00PM
Saturday at 3:00PM (meet your pacer if you would like to be in a pace group).
OFFICIAL START TIME & CONSTRUCTION:
We are still waiting on the official word about the Wrightsville Beach Drawbridge Construction being completed by race day but will send out details as soon as we can.RACE START: The official Gun Time Race Start will be at 6:45AM for both the half and the full marathon. There are two course check points that we ask participants to be able to meet.
Mile 4:
All half and full participants need to be clear of mile 4 by holding a 14:30 per mile pace.
Mile 15:
(WB BRIDGE on the 2nd loop) Marathoners must be over the bridge by 10:00AM. There are NO exceptions. You will be pulled from the course if you do not meet this cut off. This measure is in place for safety reasons. At 10AM the draw bridge will be allowed to open to passing boats.
EARLY START OPTION:
If you are unsure about meeting these cutoffs we have an early start option for you at 6:15AM (30 min ahead of the race). This option is a personal decision. When you come to the expo for packet pickup, you will look for the RED SIGN THAT SAYS EARLY START OPTION. This is ONLY for participants who need extra time. The early start will be a chip time only and you are not eligible for any awards using the 6:15AM start. Relays will NOT be allowed to start early.
T-SHIRTS:
Our race is known for giving away high quality t-shirts that everyone loves to wear. We want you to give you the best fitting T-shirt. If you have run our race the last 2 years, you are familiar with the Without Limits Brand T-shirt. They run about 1 size smaller than normal and are an athletic fit. If you are unsure, please order 1 size up from your normal boxy tee that you might have received at another race. Just reply to this email and we will make the change for you. Please make this change now as you will be unable to change t-shirt sizes at the expo.
RACE CAP:
We are nearing our race cap of 3000 in the half and the full. Please pass the following information to your friends and family that if they are training, they might want to secure their spot immediately.
MARATHON RELAY:
A great option for friends or groups that do not want to complete a HALF or FULL. The marathon relay is a 2 or 3 person team or the 5K. The legs of the relay are LEG #1 – 11 miles, LEG #2 – 5.2 miles and LEG #3 – 10 miles. Marathon relay participants each get a medal and a t-shirt.
3 POINTER CHALLENGE:
The 3 Pointer Challenge consists of the HALF OR FULL, 5K and 1 mile. A unique gift will be given to anybody that does all three of our events.
PASTA DINNER:
The pasta dinner is filling up fast! 2x Olympic Gold Medalist FRANK SHORTER will be our 2014 Speaker. Get your pasta dinner tickets before they sell out!
MARATHON MADNESS:
Our expo, pasta dinner and race course are college themed. We encourage you to show your school spirit by running in your favorite college team gear! There will be an award for best dressed college themed participant on race day.
We are excited for March 16th weekend. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. We want to make sure you can 100% focus on the race and have a fun weekend . This is our area’s biggest timed event, and we are thrilled that you are part of it!
Good luck with your training. We look forward to seeing you all soon!!!
Sincerely,
Tom Clifford, Race Director
www.wilmingtonncmarathon.com