Running Buddies Distance Festival

Sunday Nov 22, 2020 @ 7:30am START TIME

Benefits

• You get to race competitors!
• No entry fee or registration.  Just show up
• Excellent for spectators and runner support 
• No cars or road crossings as totally within the park. Dodge the occasional bike or person walking a dog. 
• Virtually no elevation change. Flat and fast!
• Easy to follow course; basically a straight out and back with a sweeping turn and then one 180 turn

About

• Gun goes off at 7.30am so be warmed up and ready to go! Please be at the start line no later than 7.20am as the start line is a mile from the Old Bell Parking lot (take a left out of lot on trail and head towards Providence road; start is green pole right before Prov Road Bridge)
• Bike support, run pacers, fans are encouraged.  Please respect the park and be courteous to others on the path. Self support with water you can stage throughout the course. We will setup a table at old bell parking lot so that as you pass you can scoop up items (your own bottles, gel, drop off gear)
• If you are a spectator or finished competing, please social distance and/or wear a mask. 
• Park at the Old Bell road parking lot.  1 mile warm-up to the start line on the greenway right before Prov road.  If you want someone to drop you off, enter from Prov road and walk down.

Course

• 7.1 mile loop starting at the Running Buddies10k start (reverse Running Buddies 5k) near Providence Road.  Green pole on top of drainage sewer.  There will also be an orange mark on the ground. 7.13 per loop; 1.13 from Start to Finish, last loop is 1.85 out and back
• Straight all the way past the RB 5k start/RB 10k turn around (3.1 miles) carrying on the gravel towards Independence not the McAlpine XC course.  
• Bear right as if running the first mile of the XC course.  Slightly past the 1000m marker on the XC course around the turn, take your first right on the gravel to cut back onto the main straight.  
• Head back towards the RB 5k start and all the way to the RB 5k finish
• Marathoners complete 3 full loops of 7.1 miles (21.3 miles); 4th lap will be 4.9 miles; Finish line will be approx .1 before you reach Old Bell.  Finish will be marked however, ensure your GPS is 26.2 if you are looking for virtual "credit".  The turn around on the 4th lap is approx the Mcalpine HS XC course start line.  The turn around for lap 4 will be well marked.
• Half Marathoners complete 1 full loop; on 2nd loop you will finish approx .1 before you reach Old Bell (1.1 miles short of a full loop).  Finish will be marked however, ensure your GPS has 13.1 if you are looking for virtual "credit".  
• Full marathoners will run 3 full loops. On the 4th lap you will run just past the start of the high school cross country course start line and turn around before the middle school 3k start marker.  There is a squiggly tree vine that marks the turn around. 
• Marked Half finish line is the same as Full finish line to avoid confusion. 
• If you desire to run a fast 5k or 10k or any other distance we welcome your participation at the start or any point during the event. 
• Questions:  contact Aaron Linz:  aaronmlinz@gmail.com

Course Pictures and Commentary

- orange dots/lines on ground or on trees to mark course

Start of course in light with last green pole on the left.  This is looking back at Prov road.  Runners will start going away from Prov road.  This is the 180 degree turn for each lap.

This is approx 3.5 miles into the loop before you start to head right along the XC course.

As you come around the bend on the XC course, the first turn on the right will take you back to the main path.  Note the orange dots on the trees as indicators.  

Recommend running right up the middle of the gravel as you are cutting back to the main path.

Turn back onto the main path, note the orange markers.  The rope will be down.  Stay on the gravel as it is wet and muddy if you cut too close on the left and you will be cutting the marked course short if you go in the grass. 

Finish line!!!  Once 1 full 7.1 lap is complete, for half marathon, 6 miles for the 2nd lap. The concrete cylinder on the right - note the orange dot.  run all the way thru the concrete cylinder past the green pole and direction sign there on the right.  You can see the Sardis bridge and short walk/jog back to Old Bell parking lot.  This is the same finish for the marathon.  

For marathoners ONLY!! Your 4th lap is your last and will be a turn around about 40 meters past the high school cross country 5k start line and about 20 meters before the middle school 3k start line.  There is a squiggly vine tree branch thingy that is the turn around.

Note the squiggly tree vine thing next to the bike.

looking at marathon turn around and note the middle school 3k start..white sign on the upper right of the picture. 

marathon turn around looking back towards the high school XC start line.