THINGS TO KNOW - Sun, Nov 1
Welcome to RACE WEEK for the 2020 Historic Drawbridge Half marathon in beautiful Talbot County, Maryland. Our flat and STRAIGHT course is perfect for your next Personal Record (PR). We wanted to talk about some of the logistics for the In-Person racers first!
For those wondering about your packets from the bib-mailing option, all bibs went out on Friday and should be to you shortly. The remainder of your gear can be picked up at either the drive through packet pickup Friday, or after the race, near your morning clothes, at the Maritime Museum. Due to the fact that we have TWO areas that you can go on race morning, it will not be possible to grab your bag BEFORE the event on Saturday.
DRIVE THROUGH PACKET PICKUP
This event is for VIRTUAL and IN PERSON RUNNERS. Virtual runners, please follow similar instructions. If you do not attend Friday's packet pickup, your SWAG will be mailed to you on Saturday, after the event. Specific directions for you will be forthcoming.
Our drive through packet pickup event will be at the main drive to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, located at 213 North Talbot Street. You will drive right underneath the last Drawbridge on the course to get to the packet pickup. DRIVE THROUGH PACKET PICKUP WILL BE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6TH, FROM 5:30 PM TO 8:00 PM.
For the packet pickup, please note your bib number from the www.HistoricDrawbridgeHalf.com -> More -> Search Participants. We would like for you to write this (preferably with a Sharpie) on a piece of paper and place it in your dash. If you are picking up for someone else, please add their number too. This way, as we are handing the bags to you in the front car, we can be prepping for the NEXT car! This whole process will be fast fast FAST!! IF there is any type of concern with the sweatshirt sizing, we will handle all of that on race morning. Your packets will be stuffed with the sizing that you signed up with.
COVID QUESTIONNAIRE
All registered, in person, runners will receive a COVID-19 Questionnaire to complete, electronically, on Friday morning at 8am. We will ALSO post this questionnaire on our website, at the top of the page. This 2 minute questionnaire has the basic CDC questions regarding COVID-19 exposure, and DOES NOT HAVE TO BE PRINTED. When you complete the form, we will receive a digital signature. Please fill one out for EACH registered runner (changing the name section on each). If you do not complete this, you will have the opportunity to do so with a scannable QR code at both the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum AND at the Wylder Hotel.
RACE MORNING – Getting to the Start (and back after)
Bus riders -
You will park in this same lot (213 North Talbot Street, St Michaels, MD) on race morning to catch the shuttle bus down to the start line. Athletes taking the bus, we will allow athletes to show up at the Maritime Museum around 630 am. We ask that you please check in, under the white tent near the finish line, to have your temperature checked. After your temperature is checked, you will be given a wristband, designating that you have been screened. NO ONE WILL BE ALLOWED ON THE BUS WITHOUT A WRISTBAND. THE BUSES WILL LEAVE AT 7:30am SHARP. ANYONE RIDING THE BUS WILL NEED TO WEAR A MASK FOR THE RIDE TO THE START LINE.
At that time, we ask that you have your bib on and with you (if there is an emergency need for a bib, please speak with Jason at the START line). You can wear whatever clothes that you need to stay warm on your way down to the start line. There are plastic bags in your Packet Pickup for a morning clothes drop (you will find the drop off area right by the start line) at the start line area. There will also be extra bags at the START LINE for those who did the bib mailing, and did not get the plastic bags. We ask that you please use our clear, plastic bags, for safety issues.
Drop off runners –
This year, we ARE allowing your friends and family to drop you off at the Start line, located at the Wylder Hotel (21499 Chesapeake Acc Drive, Tilghman Island, MD). We ask that you drop off between 715 and 730 am. As this is a functioning hotel, we ask that YOUR RIDE DOES NOT PARK ON THE GROUNDS. Unless an athlete is staying at the hotel, PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE TO, AND PARK AT THE WYLDER HOTEL. Registered guests are welcome to start at the Wylder.
***We will begin temperature screening at 715 at the Wylder Hotel. Please come over to the tent area near the finish line and have your temperature scanned for race morning. Those with over a 100.4 degree temperature will be asked to not participate on race morning. After a successful scan, you will be given a wristband, designating that you have been screened. Please, for the safety of all involved, take the few seconds to be temperature screened so that we can have a safe and healthy event.
POSSIBLE parking off site –
We are working with the Talbot County Public Schools to see if they will allow off-site parking at the Tilghman Island Elementary Schools for those who wish to drive themselves to the Start line. This has not been finalized yet and will be made clear this week.
SHUTTLES FOR RETURN –
There will be a 15 passenger van running from the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to the Wylder Hotel, starting around 930 am until Noon. This shuttle will take up to 6 people to the Wylder Hotel, should you be a registered guest or if off-site parking is allowed. PLEASE WEAR YOUR MASK WHEN INSIDE OF THE SHUTTLE.
RACE MORNING – START LINE
There will be portable toilets at the start line of the event for you to use. Last year, we MAY have broken a toilet or two inside the Wylder, so they are politely asking that we not use their facilities. Please respect this business as they are gracious enough to allow us to use their property on Saturday morning for our start line.
Athletes will see rows of cones on the main start area on Chesapeake Acc Drive. These cones designate 6 feet of distance between you and the next persons in line, and should be used to space yourselves accordingly. IN ACCORDANCE WITH MARYLAND DIRECTIVES, UNTIL YOU START RUNNING, PLEASE BE SURE TO HAVE A MASK ON. If you do not have a mask with you, we will have plenty of disposable masks for you to use. Please just ask at the temperature screen tent.
We will begin the event promptly at 8am, with the first small wave of runners going off. THIS EVENT IS A CHIP TIMED EVENT, meaning your time starts when you cross the start line. This means that you COULD start 2 minutes behind the first person over the line, and still win the whole thing! That means that you don’t need to crowd the start line, or be worried about being in that first wave. Things are going to open up, VERY quickly, when you get on course!! We will be launching small waves of runners every 10 seconds, so we are going to get through this very quickly. The only time that we will see any type of traffic control will be in the first mile, to make sure that you get off of Tilghman Island, and over the first Drawbridge, safely, and without delay. WE EXPECT ALL RUNNERS TO BE STARTED WITHIN 5 MINUTES OF THE FIRST WAVE.
WHEN YOU START YOUR RUN, PLEASE RUN WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, UNTIL WE GET NEAR THE BRIDGE, WHERE YOU WILL CROSS OVER AND RUN AGAINST THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC, ON THE SHOULDER, FOR THE DURATION. We are trying to minimize our traffic impact on the residents as much as possible.
ON THE COURSE
There are currently 6 aide stations scheduled to be on course (possibly 7, depending on the weather). These rest stops will consist of tables with small (8 oz) bottles of water and Gatorade, in sealed containers, on the table for you. There will also be an assortment of gels and mini Clif bars. We will have trashcans both at the aide station, as well as about 100 feet beyond, for you to deposit your trash. Please try to assist us in getting your trash in the cans on site.
Aide station volunteers that you see there WILL NOT HAND YOU ANYTHING. They are there to restock, and make sure that we have the product needed to make sure that you have a safe run. Please respect our volunteers at the aide stations.
There will be TWO portable toilets on course, with the first being at Mile 4, and the second at Mile 8. Please use the hand sanitizer on site before entering and upon leaving the portable toilet.
This course is a STRAIGHT course, with two turns on the course. One is about 50 yards beyond the start line, one is about 200 yards before the finish lines. The course will be marked with mile markers and cones will be spaced about every 1/10th of a mile along the entire course. There will be ONE FINAL TURN in to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum to complete your journey.
We ask that you be able to complete the course in 4 hours. Should you need assistance on course, please contact us at 443-328-4323.
Upon completion of the course, we will have small Bento boxes of food for you from our friends at Sprout, in St Michaels.
FINISH
Congratulations on your finish!!! We ARE excited to provide you with the very best finish line that we can, with a professional announcer, large moving medals, and finish line photos.
Please be sure to check your times by either downloading the TCR Event Management app, or check the website at www.HistoricDrawbridgeHalf.com. Many of you will also get email notifications as soon as you cross the finish line from our partners at RunSignUp.
If you are looking for your morning clothes bag, you will find them spaced out by the Steamboat Building (just beyond the finish line). Here you will also find coolers with “drinks”, water, Gatorade, and food boxes.
We will be able to verify your placings as soon as the elapsed time between waves has passed from your finish. That means if you start at 8am, and the last wave starts at 8:05, we need to wait 5 minutes to make sure that someone who left after you does not run faster. REMEMBER, THIS IS A CHIP TIMED EVENT.
Once we verify your placing within your FIVE YEAR AGE GROUP, we will be able to present you with your award. Sadly, there will not be a large gathering for an awards ceremony. We DO encourage you to use our podium boxes and backdrop to have your photo taken from family or friends!
As a part of your entry, you, and your Sherpas, are given free access to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as a part of your entry. If you are a member of the YMCA, there is also a brand-new facility at 300 Seymour Avenue, behind St Michaels High School, to be able to shower and clean up. If you are NOT a member, we are working on getting you access as well.
WRAP UP
We encourage you to check out https://www.stmichaelsmd.com/ for more information on what to do at the finish line.
The SCHEDULE OF EVENTS has been added to the website for ease of use, and we will be sending out smaller emails this week, as we finalize a few other offers from supporters of the race.
We are looking forward to hosting you for the 2020 Historic Drawbridge Half. We understand that situations are still fluid with everyone’s travel, and how they feel, so at any time this week, please feel free to reach out to us at info@tcreventmanagement.com if you do not feel comfortable racing in-person and we can switch you to virtual or defer you to 2021.
Be safe! Be well! Be kind!
See you later this week!!
Jason and Laura Chance
