Runner Packet- 2023
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Please review this the week of the race. Items may have been added or changed.
Note- Road Construction on Hw 58
Please plan on your drive to the start to take longer than iMaps (or other navigation apps) predict. The race will start on time regardless of some runners being late.
Directions to Packet Pick-up (Friday, day before race day, 5-8 PM)
Packet pick-up location will be the race start/finish, at the Damscus town park gazebo (see below for directions).
(Packet pick-up may also occur race morning at the starting location 5:00 - 6:30 AM.)
Direction to the Start/Finish area
Damascus, VA, Town Park (Google Maps)
From the South: Drive North on I-81 to exit 19. Turn Right at the bottom of the exit onto Hw 58 East. Drive 10.3 miles on Hw 58 into Damascus. You will see a red caboose (as Hw 58 turns left); stay straight onto S Beaver Dam Ave and park near the gazebo.
From the North: Drive South on I-81 to exit 29. Turn Left at the bottom of the ramp onto Hw 91 South, following Hw 91 for ~12.2 miles to Damascus. At the stop sign (in Damascus), turn Right onto Hw 58 West (Laurel St) and drive ~ 0.5 miles. Turn left beside the red caboose onto S Beaver Dam Ave; park near the gazebo.
Crew Directions (follow link)
Please link to Crew Directions to get directions. Please be aware that several of the aid stations will be very crowded on small gravel roads. Also, the gravel roads can be very rough (washouts, etc). Drive at your own risk. If you can do without a crew, please consider doing so. If multiple crews can carpool for racers that generally run about the same pace, please do so. I will NOT have print-outs of crew directions for runners and crew.
General Information
Cell Phones
Cell phone coverage in Damascus is pretty good, if you use Verizon. However, do not count on cell phone coverage at the start and definitely not during the race (on the race course).
Race Morning Check In
2023 Chip Timing- There is no race morning check in. However, you must ensure you are wearing your chip (it attaches to the back of the bib). If you are not wearing your bib and chip, you are NOT IN THE RACE. You are just in a long, crowded training run.
Race Waiver (USATF Waiver)
(2023) To pick up your bib, you must have a printed and signed copy of the USATF waiver form. When you pick up your bib, you will write your bib number on yhte form. If you are a minor, a legal guardian must sign the form. I will not have blank copies of this form at the race.
YOU MUST PRINT AND SIGN THE WAIVER! Then you can trade your waiver form for a bib.
Parking
There is very limited parking at the race start/finish and there is a time limit on using that parking. In the past, the First Baptist Church has generously allowed us to park in their parking lot (they have given us permission to use their parking lot for 2023). Also the town of Damascus has additional parking by the library.
Right by the race start (Damascus Gazebo) there is a parking area designated for volunteers. It will be marked off by traffic cones; please do not park in this area, volunteers need to pull in close to load aid station supplies.
Drop Outs
If you drop out of the race, PLEASE make sure an aid station worker writes it down so we don’t start a search for you.
There will be cut-offs at various aid stations. If you do not leave the aid station by the cut-off you will be pulled from the race. Cut-offs are different for the various distances. The cut-offs for the 50 mile route are generous initially but get tougher as the race progresses. This is a challenging course to complete in 12 hours! We have a finishing rate in the 70s (%) for the 50 mile event, largely due to the time cut-offs (and potential heat!!).
Drop Bags
Drop Bags will be allowed for 30 mile, 40 mile, and 50 mile entrants. Bags dropped at the race start will be taken to the Skulls Gap Aid Station. 30 mile entrants will pass this once & 40/50 mile entrants will use this aid station twice. Drop bags must be marked with the runner's bib number on color duct tape (usually red for 50 milers, yellow for 40 milers, and silver for 30 milers). Tape will be available at registration.
50 & 40 milers- you only need 1 drop bag. It will be moved from Skulls Gap 1 (~16 miles) to Skulls Gap 2 (~37 miles for 50 milers, ~27 miles for 40 milers).
We will try to return drop bags to the start as soon as possible but it may not occur until the end of the race. If you leave something at the race, it will be given away or thrown away. By leaving something, I mean that at 7 PM on race day, anything found at the race start/finish will be given or thrown away!!!
Stuff left at the race- will be given/thrown away!
Stuff left at the race (start/finish/aid stations) will be given away. When the race ends (7 PM) we will start packing up. Anything not claimed by 7 PM will be given away (possibly, that night, soon after 7 PM). So please be sure you pick up your stuff (drop bag/chair/etc) before 7 PM. If your drop bag is not at the finish when you finish, and you leave to clean up, PLEASE make sure you get back to the finish by 7 PM to pick up your drop bag (or whatever else you left).
ANYTHING left at the race by 7 PM race night (Saturday night) will be given away, possibly on Saturday night at 7 PM.
Road Crossings
We will not have someone at the major road crossings. You are responsible for stopping for cars; the roads will not be closed! You are responsible for your safety!
Course Markings
The trails will be marked with streamers (flagging- pink with black polka dots) approximately every ¼ mile and more frequently near turns. In town, the course will be marked with cones or streamers. The VA Creeper Trail (the first ~5 miles of the race) will not be marked. We have had course vandalism in the past and we have had few people go off course even where vandalism did not occur. Runners must pay attention and look for turns.
Some runners are confused as they return into Damascus. When the trail hits the pavement, continue running down hill. Cross Hw 58 (Douglas Dr), and continue until the road dead ends at a T-intersection. Turn left, and when the road ends at the Creeper Trail, turn right. This will be marked, but some runners have a hard time seeing the markers in town.
Dogs
Crews are allowed to bring dogs; however, they must be kept on leash and away from the actual aid stations (and start/finish gazebo). Also, please ensure that they are not in the runners' way. Tired runners are not very nimble and could easily be tripped up by dogs and leashes. After the finish (and before the start), do NOT bring your dog under the gazebo.
If there is the slightest chance your dog (or your crew's dog) might bite someone, don't bring him/her. If your dog is not comfortable with strangers petting him/her, don't bring him/her. Runners are responsible for the actions of their crew and of their crew's dog. If a dog bites someone, that runner will be disqualified. If a crew's dog bites someone, the runner associated with that crew will be disqualified. Runners are responsible for anything & everything their crew does, including their crew's dogs. (More info on the FAQ page.)
Multiple Trail Users
Most of the course is open to other trail users. These include horseback riders, mountain bikers, dirt bikers (motorized), and hikers. Given that it will be Labor Day weekend, I expect many of you to run into horseback riders. Everyone I have met on the trail has been friendly; please ensure that you are friendly as well, especially since you are an entrant in an organized event. If we get many complaints we could be denied a permit in the future.
Horses have right of way (over all other users); foot travel has right of way over all except horses. Please be courteous to all users! If you do encounter a horseback rider, understand that you should not run past them (as this can spook the horse). Call out to the rider, and he/she will probably try to move over and allow you to pass as soon as there is room on the trail.
It may be a while before the horse reaches a suitable place for the runner to pass. Please be patient and follow the directions of the horseback rider.
Iron Mountain Man/Woman Competition
If you are interested in competing for the Iron Mountain Man/Woman Award, you are responsible for letting finish line volunteers know. Your 5 minutes start as soon as you cross the line regardless of when you actually start doing the exercises.
Restrooms
There is a public bathroom at the far end of the park (near the caboose). It has a couple of toilets and a sink. Given the pre-run ritual of many runners, I have additional port-a-potties behind the bathroom. If there is a line for the bathroom, please walk around the building and there will probably be an available port-a-pottie.
If you want to freshen up after the race you can soak in the adjacent river or sponge off in the sink in the public bathroom. There are no public showers.
USATF (& SAFESPORT)
The race is usually sanctioned by USA Track and Field. Part of being sanctioned by USATF includes participating in SAFESPORT. Anyone who would like to review the USATF Safe Sport Handbook can find it on the USA Track and Field website (where you can download it).
Please see the FAQ page for answers to questions not addressed on this page before you contact the race director. Feel free to contact him if you have a question, but please look for the answer on this website first.