Participant Guide
Updated 3/31/2025
2025 Participant Guide
Packet pick-up this year will be on Saturday, April 27th from 1-7pm at our health and fitness expo. The address is 2632 Emmitsburg Road, Gettysburg but we will have the Aspire Hotel entrance closed for the race so use the main entrance for the Eisenhower Conference Center. Participants can have someone else pick up for them if they cannot attend, but the person picking up each packet should have a print out of the registration email receipt or photo ID of the race participant. There will be race merchandise for sale at the expo (jackets, shirts, sport packs, pint glasses, and more).
Parking is right next to the start/finish line wrapping around the hotel complex. If you want an address, use 2634 Emmitsburg Road, Gettysburg, PA. The expo will be inside the Aspire Hotel to your left as you enter the complex and the start/finish is on the access road just outside the Aspire. Much of the parking is behind the Eisenhower Hotel. Overflow parking will be the All-Star Sports Complex located on the right as you enter the complex. Parking is not permitted at the apartment complex in the back right corner of the complex as you enter. Parking is also not allowed on the grass and any vehicles parked on the grass will be subject to towing. We do not offer a bag drop because everyone should be able to easily leave items in their vehicle right by the start/finish.
Bathrooms at the start/finish area are available inside the Aspire Hotel and Eisenhower hotel. The Aspire has two different sets of restrooms and the Eisenhower has the same. There will also be portable toilets behind the Aspire Hotel between the ballroom and the race starts/finish line. On the course, there will be at least one portable toilet at each aid station.
Weekend Dining is available at two restaurants on site – Richards Restaurant (open 5-11pm) and the Marketplace Deli (open 7am-2pm and 5pm-10pm). There are many more restaurants located in downtown Gettysburg 3.5 miles up the road although weekend dining in Gettysburg can be very busy with long wait times. We have a pasta dinner on Saturday inside the Aspire Hotel ballroom with all you can eat pasta, grilled chicken, meatballs, drinks, etc. Tickets ($30) must be purchased at least two weeks in advance for the pasta dinner (family and friends welcome). All pasta dinner tickets are purchased through RunSignup.com (same platform used for race registration) and tickets can be purchased after registering by modifying your registration. The Gettysburg area is home to a number of great restaurants and here are some to consider:
Start Times – All races take place on Sunday, April 27th. The marathon and half marathon will start together at 8:00am sharp. Then the 5K will start at 8:15am.
Aid stations on the course will be water and electrolyte drink. There are 7 aid stations along the half marathon course and the full marathon will offer 15 aid stations (7 on the half course plus one at the start/finish turnaround). It is critical to the future of this event that all trash be placed in trash cans at or near aid stations on the course and not dropped on the roadway or side of the road. This includes extra layers of clothing that are no longer needed. Any participant caught leaving waste on the ground along the course will be subject to disqualification.
The courses will be marked with spray chalk on the ground and free-standing signs. Signs can blow over if it is windy or they have been known to "walk off" on rare occasions, so look for the ground markings if needed. We will have flaggers at the important intersections to keep your safe. Their job is not to direct you on the course, but worry about cars, so do not take their use of a flag as an indication to go a certain direction. Keep in mind that the course is not closed to traffic, so be aware of vehicles at all times and run on the side of the road to allow vehicles to pass safely. The half and full marathons have had the paperwork submitted to USATF so that the courses will be certified and can be used to qualify for the Boston Marathon, NYC Marathon, etc. Because the courses are open to traffic, they will be measured along the side of the roadway. This means runners can NOT cut the tangents on curved areas of the road. At all times, runners should run against traffic except on the one mile out and back section crossing into Maryland. For that portion of the course, runners will be on both sides of the roadway simultaneously as should run on the right side for that section only. Course maps are available on the website including interactive versions that include elevation profiles
Spectators will not be allowed on the course for the event. Unfortunately, these beautiful rural roads do not have any locations where spectators can safely park and gather to watch the participants. Any vehicles parked on the roadway will create a safety concern and increase the risk to participants. All family/friends should remain at the start/finish location during the event.
Participant Tracking will be provided by the RaceJoy app Real time GPS tracking will be available for participants who run with their phones. If you download the app and friends/family have it as well, you just start it before you cross the line and they can watch your dot move around the course, see your pace, and even send text-to-talk cheers. More information on RaceJoy is available at http://racejoy.net. The online results will include a split point at the 6.8 mile point (and 19.9 mile mark of the marathon) but that will be the only mid-race chip timing data that feeds into live online results.
Awards - We will give out our top overall awards on gun time but all age group awards will be given on chip time. This will allow people who don’t feel comfortable crowding to get near the front to wait for spacing to cross the start line. Only invited/seeded athletes will be allowed right on the starting line and all other participants will gather just behind them. In order for the chip timing system to properly capture the timing chip on your race bib, the bib must be worn on the front and not covered up. The technology works just like EZ Pass which means if you wear it on your back, covered with a jacket, underneath a water belt, etc. the timing chip may not register and your time will either be missed or incorrect. There will be three separate awards ceremonies inside the ballroom of the Aspire Hotel next to the finish line. 5K award ceremony at 8:45am, ½ marathon at 10:00am, and marathon at 12:00pm.
Race Photos will be available for free following the event to download. Our photographer/s will do their best to capture everyone but your race bib must be visible for the photos to connect with you properly. You will be able to view race photos on the results page of the RunSignup website next to your individual results. We will also have finish line video of everyone crossing the line connected with your results (that normally takes a day to process and upload).
Post-Race refreshments will be available at the food tent following the event. Food will only be available to runners who will get a single trip through the tent to get food and will use a tear tag ticket from their race bib to get entry to that area. There will also be a beer garden set up for finishers 21+ near the finish line as well. Please be sure to have photo ID to get your beer.
