McKirdy Micro Marathons - Michigan

The start/finish is at the Meadows Pavilion in Millennium Park. The course consists of 6- 4.05 mile loops, plus an approximately 1 mile long "tail" at the start and the end. Each loop has approximately 70feet of elevation gain.

The course is USATF certified (MI18031MN). The course was first measured by Don Kern - Aug 10, 2018.

For an elevation profile of the course view on MapMyRun here!

Participating in any event obviously carries a certain amount of risk, but we are committed to doing everything possible to lower the risk as much as possible and keep your safety and the community's safety as the number one priority.

COVID Mitigations for this race include:

• temperature checks and COVID questionnaires at bib pickup
• starting procedures that allow for social distancing at the start, at aid stations, and out on the course
• masks are required for all participants, volunteers, and spectators
• participants are only allowed to remove their mask when they are actively exercising
• aid stations will provide sealed bottles of water only, there will be no food or open containers
• aid station tables will be separated by 6 feet, allowing multiple participants to retrieve water without violating social distancing guidelines
• the event will have signage reminding people of the mask and social distancing requirements

ALL RUNNERS MUST WEAR A MASK WHILE IN THE STAGING AREA! Failure to do so will result in disqualification. We highly recommend a Buff or something that can be easily pulled down once you're running, so you'll have it on you at the finish as well. 

Runners will be seeded by their predicted finish times, and separated into waves of 25 runners per wave. We are currently planning to have Wave 1 start at 7:00am, and each subsequent wave will be released in 5-10 minute increments. A more detailed timeline will be available once we are closer to race day. Please monitor your email for race updates the week of the event.

Aid stations will offer 16.9oz bottles of water - water ONLY - and will be located on the main loop just past mile marker 1. Runners will pass the aid station at approximately mile 5, 9, 13, 18, and 22. We expect runners to be carrying their own nutrition (gels, chews, waffles, etc). Please do not litter on the trail. There will be designated drop areas following each water station with a volunteer to assist in depositing your trash.

Bib pickup will be held at Gazelle Sports in Grand Rapids (3930 28th St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49512) from 12-4pm on Saturday, April 24th. We strongly encourage all participants to pick up their bib on Saturday to avoid lines on race morning!

For those that are absolutely unable to pick up their bib on Saturday, we will host race morning pickup from 6-6:30am at Grant Pavilion near the start/finish area. 

Parking

There is plenty of parking near the start. Please park in the "The Meadows at Millennium Park" parking area near Grant Pavilion.

Bathrooms

There will be 4 portable toilets near the Start/Finish area at Grant Pavilion, and 1 portable toilet near the aid station on the main loop. Runners will pass the aid station 6 times during the race. The permanent restroom facilities in the park are not guaranteed to be open on race morning, so please plan accordingly.

Gear Check

There will be no gear check for the race. Anything left behind in the staging area at the start will be disposed of. Please leave all valuables in the car!

There will be no deferrals as we have no idea if we plan to hold this event in 2022 😂

Transfers are not allowed.

Refunds: If we need to cancel prior to 2 weeks before the event date, we will fully refund your registration fee minus the processing charge. If we need to cancel within 2 weeks of the event date, we will refund 75% of your registration fee minus the processing charge. We hope to avoid this situation at all costs. 

Time Limit

The official time limit for the race is 5:00 (11:26/mi). We will not sweep any runners from the course, but please be aware if you are finishing in over 5 hours, you may not receive an official finish time or aid on course after the 5 hour mark. The timing company and the aid stations will begin breakdown at 12:25pm.

Awards

There will be finisher medals for all race finishers, as well as prizes for the top 3 male and female finishers (based on chip time). Finisher medals will be available at the finish; prizes will be mailed out after the race.