Hello everyone,
We are officially three weeks out from Race Day and we hope you all are getting as excited as we are! Here are some race/pre-race details to help you be prepared for what you will encounter next month:
- Packet Pickup - Packet pickup will be from 3:00pm - 7:00pm at Lilly's Bridge Marina (1183 Lillys Bridge Rd, Mt Gilead, NC 27306) on Friday, October 19th. There will be live bands playing at the Marina and cold beverages available for purchase if you want to relax, hang out with some other runners and listen to some tunes on Friday. Bands should be playing from 3:00pm - 9:00pm.
** We will suspend packet pickup starting at 4:55pm in order to ensure that we start our race brief on time. Packet pickup will resume once the race brief is over. The reason why we do this is so we can start our race briefing on time. ** Drop bags can be turned in here at Packet Pickup and we will have white duct tape on hand with a sharpie to mark your bags.
- Pre Race Briefing - Our pre race briefing is being held at Lilly's Bridge Marina (1183 Lillys Bridge Rd, Mt Gilead, NC 27306) at 5:00pm on Friday, October 19th. Our race brief is short and to the point (plan for about 15-20 minutes max). We will provide you will all the information you need for the race and then open it up to any questions than any of you may have. Your time on Friday night is VERY important, we want to get you the information you need, give you time to get some good chow and then get some rest before the big day Saturday/Sunday.
- Pre Race Dinner - We will start serving a pre race pasta dinner immediately following the pre race brief. We welcome you, your family and crew to come out and grab a bite to eat.
- Drop Bags - Runners can have drop bags at each of our three aid stations. You can drop off your drop bags at packet pickup or they can be dropped off at the start no later than 5:30am Saturday morning. We will have white duct tape and a sharpie at packet pickup and at the start so you can mark your bags with bib# and aid station location. All drop bags will be returned as each aid station closes down towards the end of the race. Just keep in mind that you may have to wait for your drop bag if you drop and want your drop bag sooner than that. We will do what we can to get it back to the start as soon as possible, but you may have to wait until a volunteer is returning from Crossroads/Kelly's Kitchen or drive to that aid station and pick it up yourself if you want sooner than that.
- Race Day - The race will start promptly at 6:00am on Saturday, October 20th at Wood Run Trail Head which is located on HWY 24/27 approximately 9 miles west of Troy, NC. GPS Coordinates for the start are 35.310293, -80.043726. Please follow instructions from the parking attendants so we can ensure everyone gets a parking spot as close to the start as possible. A Google Maps link can be found here: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wood+Run+Trailhead/@35.3107305,-80.0433924,15z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0xc9c69e5dc4842e42!8m2!3d35.3107305!4d-80.0433924 .
- Race Morning - Packet pickup is also available on race day from 4:30-5:30am. Drop bags must be turned in no later than 5:30am so we can deliver them to the aid stations before you get there. At 5:40am we will conduct a short race brief to brief up any runners who missed the race briefing the night before. The race will then begin promptly at 6:00am.
- Aid Stations - Runners will encounter aid stations at mile 6, 11.7, 15 and 20.5 during each loop. Attached is a simple spreadsheet with what mileage each aid station will be at during each loop. Runners can turn in drop bags for all aid stations. We will have a wide assortment of drinks/food at the aid station. Some of the offerings include Heed, Gatorade, Water, Coke, Mountain Dew, Ginger Ale, Hammer Gels, Hammer Endurolytes, burgers, veggie burgers, hot dogs, bacon, quesadillas, pizza, soups, sandwiches, potatoes, fruit, chips, candy, etc. Aid stations at the start will start with the basics in the beginning and will transition to warm food starting around lunch time on Saturday. There will be portable toilets at each aid station. More information on our aid stations is available at https://www.uwharrie100.com/aidstations/.
- Pacers - Runners can begin having pacers after completing two full loops (41 miles). Pacers are required to check in at the timing table at the start/finish to give some basic emergency point of contact information and get issued a pacer bib. The only reason we do this is to ensure we can properly care for a pacer if one were to get injured. Your pacers DO NOT have to sign up online.
- Crew - Crews can crew and see their runners from either the Start/Finish or at Kelly's Kitchen. Crew are not allowed at Crossroads Aid Station due to the narrowness of the forest service road that you must take to get there. Directions to each of our aid stations can be found on our website at http://www.uwharrie100.com/aidstations/. We will also include maps in your race packet so you can share a hard copy of the directions with your crew.
- Cutoffs - Both 100K and 100M runners have 36 hours to complete the race. Runners must begin their last lap by 11:00am Sunday and must be through Kelly's Kitchen by 3:00pm Sunday. Runners who have missed cutoffs and refuse to obey race staff to drop from the race will be banned from future events. I know that is harsh but the cutoffs are there for a reason. Runners trying to remain on the course and continue after missing cutoffs becomes a safety and legal issue. We don't have the required amount of volunteers to remain on the course past 6:00pm on Sunday and our permit from the National Forest Service requires us to be completed (including having the course swept) by Sunday evening. We will do everything we can to help each runner be successful but we also have to be considerate for our volunteers and understand that each aid station has to shut down at some point and break down so they can all go home after a hard day of volunteering.
- Volunteers - We are still in need of volunteers. If any of your crew are interested in helping out we would greatly appreciate it! This is a great way for them to stay occupied as they wait until they can see you next. All volunteers will receive a Uwharrie 100 shirt, an UltrAspire C2 7 oz Reusable Cup and 50% off entry into the 2019 Uwharrie 100 as a small token of our appreciation. Volunteer signup is available on our website at www.uwharrie100.com.
- Registration - We still do have a few spots remaining if any of your friends have been on the fence about signing up to join you on race day. Interested runners can register on UltraSignup at https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=51680.
- Race Awards - Unique awards will be presented to our 1st, 2nd and 3rd place males and females for both the 100K and 100M
- 100M Runners dropping to 100K - 100M runners that drop to 100K distance after completing 3 complete loops will be awarded with a 100K finisher medal but will not be eligible for overall 100K placement awards and will be recorded on the results as a Did Not Finish (DNF).
- Speedy Spider Award - The runner with the fastest first lap will be awarded the "Speedy Spider Award" regardless of their sex, distance or final race placement. This award is a form of thanks on behalf of all the runners for clearing the spider webs on the trail. The concept of this award came from some of our runners during one of our training runs. Thanks for the great idea guys :)
- Sub 20 and Sub 24 Hour Cash Award - We are SUPER stoked to see if this is going to be the year that we have our first female to break Sub 24 hours and the first male to break Sub 20 hours on the 100 miler! A $1,500 cash prize will be awarded to the first female to finish the 100 miler in under 24 hours and a $1,000 cash prize will be awarded to the first male to finish the 100 miler in under 20 hours. If no one breaks the record this year than we'll keep adding an additional $500 to the pot each year until it is broken.
- Race Timing - We will have real time race tracking available online courtesy of Ultra Timing Professionals LLC . A link to the live results along with Bib #s will be posted as we get closer to the race. We will issue cloth ankle bracelets with your assigned chip and your official time will be recorded as you reach EACH aid station. This is a change from previous years as this is the first year we will have timing mats at each aid station. Ultra Timing Professionals LLC does an awesome job and your friends and family will be able to see real time updates online as you pass through each aid station.
- 10 Days of Uwharrie Festival - A 10 day festival will be going on in the local area before, during and after race weekend with tons of different events. This would be a great option for your crew and pacers to checkout while you are out enjoying the trails during the race. More information on all the festival's events can be found at https://ncoutdoorfestival.com/.
That's it for now, just let us know if you have any questions. We want to ensure that you have everything you need to make your race a great experience. Look forward to seeing you in October!
Take care,
Dan and Amanda Paige
