Big Bang Mile

The Shore Athletic Club is proud to host the

The 3rd ANNUAL BIG BANG MILE

Saturday, July 15, 2023
Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ

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First 400 to register gets a t-shirt! 

PLEASE NOTE: This race is open to all types of runners and all age groups! Teams for the USATF-NJ 1 Mile Team Championship competition will be declared using the normal process.  That is, team captains will submit their rosters by e-mail to the timing company (CompuScore in this case) and to the USATF-NJ LDR Committee the day before the race.  USATF-NJ will send out e-mail early next week announcing the race and providing the details for the roster submission process. The Big Bang Mile registration web site is where non-USATF-NJ teams are declared.

TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE (RACE TIMES WILL BE ADJUSTED BASED ON ENTRIES) 

7:30 AM - Bib and t-shirt pick up
8:30 AM - Community and U13 Mile
9:00 AM - Masters Women (ages 50+) Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
9:20 AM - Richard Hill Memorial Masters Men (ages 60+) Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
9:40 AM - Masters Women (ages 40-49) Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
9:55 AM - Masters Men (ages 50-59) Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
10:10 AM - Masters Men (ages 40-49) Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
10:25 AM - Coach Jim Schlentz High School and Middle School (ages 12-18) Mile
10:40 AM - Party Mile (bar, gym, restaurant and office)
11:00 AM - Open Women Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship
11:15 AM - Open Men Mile -- USATF-NJ Team Championship

The schedule of each heat will be slightly adjusted on event day depending on the entries for each race

Awards

USATF-NJ Runners Awards
  Top 3 USATF-NJ members in each of the Open Men and Open Women Mile races will be awarded a pair of 361 Degree Shoes (a voucher to be redeemed)
  Top 3 USATF-NJ members based on age grading among masters (age 40+) men and among masters (age 40+) women, based on their respective Masters Mile races (regardless of what race participating in), will be awarded a pair of 361 Degree Shoes (a voucher to be redeemed).
  To score for a USATF-NJ team, the individual needs to have been identified in the respective team submission(s) to Compuscore (the scoring company) and USATF-NJ. These submissions are anticipated to be due via email by 6PM Friday (7/14).  

Age Group Awards
  For any runners (USATF-NJ Member or not), as an individual to be eligible for the Age Group awards, you must run in the Race for your respective Age.
  Age Groups (Male and Female) are for the Top 3 (Male and Female) for ages 18-29, and 5-year age groups from 30 through 79, and 80+.
  *Age Group awards are custom designed Tote Bags and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
 
Cash Awards
  $200 Cash Bonus for a winning time under 4:10 for the men or under 4:50 for the women.
  Any open finisher in the top 3 who is not a USATF-NJ member will be eligible for a cash award ($100 for 1st, $75 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd for both men and women).
  Any Masters finisher who is not a USATF-NJ member and achieves the top age grading among Masters men or masters women will receive a $100 cash award.
  *It is anticipated that the Cash awards will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
 
High School and Middle School Mile Awards
  Prizes will be Awarded to the top 3 boys and the top 3 girls in the High School and the Middle School Mile.
  Prizes will be Awarded to the top Team (4 participants) in the High School and in the Middle School Mile.
  *Awards are custom designed Tote Bags and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
 
Party Mile Awards
  Prizes will be Awarded to the top team (4 participants)
​  *Awards are custom designed Tote Bags and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.

This race is the USATF-NJ 2023 1 Mile Road Championship Race for Open and Masters men and women. 

Flat, fast USATF certified course on closed roads.

2021 Winners: Men - Luciano Fiore (Empire Elite Track Club) - 4:18.61.  Women - Courtney Decker (Bellas) - 5:11.49

2022 Winners & Course Record Holders: Men - John Walker - 4:13.50. Danielle (Tauro) Barnes - 5:06.44 

REGISTRATION

$30 - Early bird discount for all open and masters races until May 1.

$35 - All open and masters races from May 2 to July 1. Price Increase to $40 on July 2!

$18 - Family Heat and Middle School/High School Heat. Price increase to $20 on July 2!

Registration closes Friday, July 14, 2023

No registration on race day

No animals or headphones allowed in any heat for safety. Strollers allowed only in the Community race

First 250 registered runners will receive a custom shirt with the Big Bang Mile event logo.

Top finishers will also receive a custom award including a replica of the radio telescope, designed by world famous sculptor and Shore A.C. member Brian Hanlon.

New this year: Separate from the USATFNJ Team competition, we also welcome gyms, bar, restaurants and office-based "9-to-5" businesses to participate and take place in a friendly competition. We will also have team races for middle school and high school clubs and teams. Please see the separate race guidelines for this competition, or contact the Race Director for further information. 

The Story Behind the Big Bang Mile

The Bell Works building was once a primary location for Bell Laboratories.  “Bell Labs” attracted top-notch scientists to conduct basic research that might advance telephony.  Two such scientists, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, studied radio signals from space in support of the Telstar project.  In 1964, to their surprise, they observed a background noise coming from every direction in the sky.  Wherever they pointed their radio telescope, they measured the same frequency and strength of microwave radiation.  Puzzled, Penzias and Wilson conferred with colleagues.  Princeton University astronomer Robert Dicke revealed they had found evidence for the Big Bang.  This is a theory that the universe started with an explosion 13.8 billion years ago.  For their important contribution to science, Penzias and Wilson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978.

The radio telescope used by Penzias and Wilson still stands today.  It is located on top of Crawford Hill, about 2 miles northwest of the Bell Works facility.  A nearby plaque explains its significance.  It is worth a visit.

The Shore Athletic Club, New Jersey's oldest running club, dedicates the Big Bang Mile Race to scientists everywhere.  We hope that runners draw inspiration from this story to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and perhaps even pursue a STEM career.  Aim high!