2024 Red Baron Running Festival

A tradition with a twist – the 2024 Red Baron Running Festival

New for 2024, the Red Baron Running Festival takes the traditional race you love, makes the running experience better, and removes the complications that were challenging in the past. This year, YOU choose your distance, YOU choose your start time, YOU choose how long you would like to go, YOU choose whether you want to do it solo, or with another, or two others, or three others. YOU have consistent access to aid stations, bathrooms, shelter. All that, with NO confusing course.

The 2024 Red Baron will use a loop of 1.086 miles at Corning Community College, starting outside the Commons (a small loop of 0.119 miles will be made available for those who need a small distance to reach their distance goal). Participants will complete as many loops as they wish in the time that they have requested. The distance can be covered as an individual, or as a team of up to eight people.

Each participant (or team) will select an amount of time they wish to walk or run, anywhere from 30 minutes to 8 hours in increments of ½ hour. Each participant (or team) will choose a start time between 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on any half hour. Want to run for two hours beginning at noon? You can! Want to start at 8 a.m. and get a 2-1/2-hour half marathon in by 10:30? You can! Want to gather a bunch of your friends and see how many loops you can complete in eight hours beginning at 8 a.m. (or do it solo)? You can! 

During the event, you can leave the course at the start/finish line to use the indoor restrooms, change clothes or get warm indoors, or grab plentiful food and drink. You can also set up your own space along the course and have access to whatever you prefer roughly every mile. Families and teams can set up along the course and cheer on their own members and other runners, playing music and making it a festive environment for all.

Registered teams can switch loops at the start/finish line whenever they wish. If the first person feels like four loops, the second person feels like two, and the third person feels like three, that’s fine! If person one wants to return and do another lap (or sixteen) later, go for it! And in the last half hour (3:30 - 4:00 p.m.), everyone on a 6-8 hour team can run together, and each of those laps counts for everyone on the team.

The surprises continue with the swag. We hear you - you have enough shirts. So the Red Baron Running Festival will give every entrant a complimentary pair of sweatpants with the race logo. If you really, really, really want a shirt, you can add that on during checkout. 

At the conclusion, every participant (individual and those on each team) will receive a medal with Twin Tier themed charm associated with each milestone they reached. 

The details, line-by-line

Date: Saturday, 02 November.

Time: You can choose your start time on any half hour between 8:00 and 4:00 p.m. The event ends at 4:00 p.m. Each half hour, we will gather those who have selected that time slot as their start at the start/finish line and send you off!

Distance: As many miles as you choose to go. Laps completed within the time frame you choose are counted. The length you would like to run can be any increment of ½ hour up to 8 hours. The main loop, which stays entirely with the college campus, is 1.086 miles. There will also be a small loop of 0.11 miles at the start/finish which will allow those who need a small increment to reach their goal.  

Location: Corning Community College. 1 Academic Drive, Corning, NY 14830. The start and finish will be outside the Commons.

Parking: At Corning Community College. Less than 500 feet from the start and finish.

Team Option: Groups of up to 8 people can enter together to cover the distance. Team members can switch off at the start/finish line as desired. Team members may re-enter. 

Course: Entrants will complete a loop of just more than one mile (official distance will be posted in mid-July, and will be between 1.05 and 1.1 miles) solely on the Corning Community College campus. No part of the course will leave the campus. 

Restrooms: Plentiful indoor restrooms available inside the Commons, which participants will pass roughly every mile.

Shelter: Participants can take shelter in the Commons if desired. Participants can also set up tents along the course. 

Walkers: Are welcome!

Aid Station: Available at the start/finish line, which participants will pass roughly every mile, which will include water, Gatorade, and in-race fuels, such as bananas. There will also be a table at the start/finish for participants to place their own beverages. Participants will also have the opportunity to set up lawn chairs, blankets, small tables, etc. and have their own personal aid station along the course.

Mile Markers: A guide will be placed at the start/finish line informing participants of each number of loops and their mile (and kilometer) equivalent.

Post-Race (and during race) Food: Complimentary post-race food will be available inside the Commons. Various items will be offered throughout the day beginning at 9:00 a.m. 

Spectators: Spectators can set up anywhere along the course to cheer on the participants. Spectators may take cover in the Commons and use the restrooms there. 

Volunteers: Yes, we would love for you or your group to volunteer! Reach out to us at southerntierrunningclub@gmail.com

Vendors: We are hoping to have a group of selected vendors inside the Commons during the event. Vendors may have crafts, specialty foods, and running-related products for sale. If interested being a vendor, please reach out to southerntierrunningclub@gmail.com. More details on vendors will be posted later this summer. 

Swag: Every participant will receive a complimentary pair of sweatpants with the race logo. Register before 07 October to guarantee size. Participants may choose to buy a race shirt at checkout. 

Bag Check: Available inside the Commons. Participants will be able to access their gear during the race. 

Timing: Participants (and teams) will each receive a total distance covered (i.e. completed laps) for the time they have chosen. For example, if Sally Unicorn has entered for 2 hours beginning at 10:00 a.m., she will get credit for every lap completed by noon. If she has completed 11 laps, and each lap is 1.086 miles, her total will be 11.946 miles. Laps completed after the time has expired do not count.

Each total will be in miles (and kilometers), not time. We will do our best to keep accurate splits, however, we recommend using a watch if you wish to watch your time. 

A clock will be at the start/finish line showing the current time. 

Medals: Every participant (including each member of a team) will receive a medal for completing at least one lap. Participants (including each member of a team) will also receive additional charms that will hang from the medal based on total distance covered. Each charm is associated with something connected to the Twin Tiers (such as grapes, a carousel horse, a waterfall, a glider, a dairy cow, etc.). A list of charms will be posted in late summer. 

There will be 10 charms awarded, and participants (and teams) receive all the charms related to each milestone they surpass. For example, those who complete five miles get both the five mile and the 5K charm.

Charms will be awarded for the following distances reached:

• 5K (3.1 miles)
• 5 miles (8K)
• 10K (6.2 miles)
• 10 miles (16.1K)
• Half marathon (13.1 miles, 21.1K)
• 15 miles (24.1K)
• 30K (18.6 miles)
• Full marathon (26.2 miles, 42.2K)
• 30 miles (48.2K)
• 50K (31.1 miles)

All participants will be completing the main loop of 1.086 miles. There will be a small 0.119 mile (632 feet) loop at the start/finish area for those who need a small increment to reach a goal and do not wish to go overboard with an entire additional loop. Small loops will be done at the conclusion of your time. Loops required to reach a charm distance are as follows:

• 5K - 3 loops (3.258 miles)
• 5 miles - 5 loops (5.43 miles)
• 10K - 6 loops (6.516 miles)
• 10 miles - 9 loops + 2 small loops (10.012 miles)
• Half marathon - 12 loops + 1 small loop (13.151 miles)
• 15 miles - 14 loops (15.204 miles)
• 30K - 17 loops + 2 small loops (18.700 miles)
• Full marathon - 24 loops + 2 small loops (26.302 miles)
• 30 miles - 28 loops (30.408 miles)
• 50K - 29 loops (31.494 miles)

Awards: The overall male, female, and team that complete the longest distance during the day will receive a plaque (one plaque for the entire team). Depending on the number of registrations, we may add additional awards. We do not plan specific age group awards at this time. There may be some surprise awards.  

Packet Pick-Up: Packet pick-up will be available both the day before (Friday, 01 November) and on race day (beginning at 6:30 a.m. on site in the Commons). Details on prior day packet pick-up will be shared in early autumn.