2015 SAN LUIS OBISPO MARATHON + HALF RACE WEEKEND INSTRUCTIONS AND ATHLETE INFORMATION

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1 2015 SAN LUIS OBISPO MARATHON + HALF RACE WEEKEND INSTRUCTIONS AND ATHLETE INFORMATION Thank you for joining us for the 4th San Luis Obispo Marathon, Half Marathon, 5K + Children s Races weekend! Whether you are a local or from out-of-town, SLO Town, recently named a Best/Top Outdoor town in the USA, is a great place to run. This year, you are among 4700 athletes from all over the world, an army of 900 local volunteers and 50 staff members ready to support you and provide the best central coast athlete experience ever! Please read the following instructions carefully. This information will help make your race weekend more organized and enjoyable. These instructions, as well as printable Runner FAQ s and Shuttle bus information will be available at Thank you for choosing our event to kick off your Spring Season! It s time to RaceSLO! Samantha Pruitt, RaceSLO.com Race Director Heather Hellman, RaceSLO.com Event Director SCHEDULE T A GLANCE: Friday April 24: 12 p.m. 5 p.m: Late Reg. (all races) & Packet Pick Up at Madonna Meadows/Pace Group Sign-up Saturday April 25: 6:30 a.m. 8:30 a.m. Late Registration & Packet Pick Up for 5K & Kids Runs ONLY 8 a.m. Children s 1-Mile Run Inflatable Arch 8:15 a.m. 5K Run/Walk (2-loops, timed and Age Group Awards)/Start at Inflatable Arch 9 a.m. Family Fitness Day FREE Activities until 2 p.m. (Open to All) 9:30 a.m. Children s Quarter Mile Dash (start next to tennis courts) 10 a.m. 5K Awards (Podium Area in front of the Big Top Tent ) 7:00 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Expo Open for Vendors, Food and Beer & Wine Garden 8:30 a.m. 6:00 p.m. Late Registration & Packet Pick-up, Pace Group Sign-up Sunday April 26: NO Race Day Packet Pick-up Allowed 4 a.m. Marathon Shuttles Start Loading (Madonna Inn) 4:30 a.m. Last Marathon Shuttles Departing (Madonna Inn) 4:30 a.m. Start Line Area Opens (SLO High- no athlete parking) 4:45 a.m. Half Marathon Shuttles Start Loading (Cal Poly Parking Lots) 5:15 a.m. Last Half Marathon Shuttles Departing (Cal Poly Parking Lots) 6 a.m. Marathon Start at SLO High School 6:45 a.m. Half Marathon Start at SLO High School 10 a.m. Awards and Hall of Fame Dedication (Podium Area in Front of Big Top Tent) 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Expo & Finish Line Open (Madonna Inn) 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Shuttles Back to Cal Poly and SLO High WEATHER UPDATE: Perfect running weather is on order for Marathon Sunday, April 26th - a predicted high of 69 degrees. Race start will most likely be foggy and cool degrees. Utilize the great RaceSLO drop bag we give you for your start line warm up clothing. Then, simply check your bib numbered bag with your clothes at the UPS trucks and jump into your pace corral.

2 For an hour-by-hour full weather description go to ATHLETE CARE & RECOVERY: Valued sponsors and medical professionals, Dignity Health French Hospital Medical Center personnel and San Luis Sports Therapy Bike Medics are honored to provide medical support to the SLO Marathon and Half participants on the course and after the race. All medical professionals will be in red shirts with a large white cross on the back. Please notify them if you do not feel well, need aid or see someone else struggling out on the course. Please fill out the medical information and emergency contact on the back of your bib. Upon crossing the finish line, a team of staff and volunteers are ready to take care of you if need be. There will be icing and foam rolling stations in the Big Top tent managed by our friends at SLO Wellness. Refuel and reward your body in the Jamba Juice Recovery Tent then relax outside on the grass/in the 805 and Michelob Light Beer & Wine Garden soaking up the San Luis Obispo sunshine. Stay for lunch and buy a delicious Which Wich Sandwich in the Food Garden. Bring some extra cash as $1 from each beer sold will benefit the Challenged Athlete Foundation s Operation Rebound. PACKET PICK UP: Packet pick-up for ALL RACES will take place at the SLO Life Expo, at Madonna Meadows from Friday, April 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday, April 25 from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30a.m. (5K & Children s Races only) and then 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (marathon and half marathon only). There is NO packet pick-up on Sunday. A friend or family member can pick up your packet Friday or Saturday with a copy of your registration confirmation plus a copy of your Photo ID giving permission. A Photo ID is REQUIRED to pick up all packets, no exceptions. Parents must register and sign for all minors. LATE REGISTRATION: Late registration is available for all races, however, shirt sizes are not guaranteed. To late register for the 5K and Children's Races come to the expo on Friday, April 24 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. or on Saturday, April 25 from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30am. To late register for the half or full marathon (unless it is sold out) you can do so at the expo both Friday, April 24 from Noon to 5 p.m. and Saturday April 25 from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. If any of our races sell out on Friday there will be NO LATE registration on Saturday and it s a first come first serve basis. In order to find out, visit our Facebook page at or website homepage to see if there are still race openings for Saturday morning. Only cash and or check will be accepted for late registrations, NO credit cards. EXPO DIRECTIONS: Packet pick-up and late registration are within the SLO Life Expo main tent that is located in the Madonna Meadows at the Madonna Inn. Take the Madonna Rd. exit off of Hwy 101 (North and South). The address is 100 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA

3 PACE GROUPS: Pace Groups are available for both the half marathon and marathon. They are a free service we provide to make your race pace more consistent and goal focused. Our Pace Group Leaders are experienced runners and pacers and many of them paced our race the past three years. They will do their best to bring you across the finish line at your goal time, however, if you are trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon we suggest you pace yourself and do not rely on others. Pace Group information can be found inside the packet pick up area at the expo. There, you can also meet the pacers and sign up to be a part of a pace group. At race start you will see them with their designated race goal finish time held high on signs. Feel free to join them. PACE CORRALS: The mandatory start line pace corral system allows for a smooth race start for participants of varying levels. You are required to self-seed yourself based on your estimated finish time to help ensure runner safety, lower your start line stress and ensure our Challenged, Elite and competitive runners are respected as well as our walkers. The full marathon and half marathon will both enforce Pace Corrals. Full Marathoners will utilize the corrals first. Look for the signage showing estimated finish times and enter the appropriate corral. AFTER the marathon start, half marathoners will populate the corrals. Half Marathon runners should NOT get into the pace corrals prior to the 6 a.m. marathon race start. ELITE then Challenged runners will be in the corral closest to the start line and walkers will be furthest from the start line. All other times in between as signs read. SHUTTLE BUS INFORMATION: There is NO PARKING at the SLO High Start Line so you must either ride one of our shuttle buses or be dropped off near the start area. To ride one of our shuttle buses a pre-purchased wristband is REQUIRED to board. If you failed to pre-purchase the wristband during the EventBrite registration process, they will be available for cash purchase at the packet pick up tent in the SLO Life Expo for $10 each until sold out. There is a RED full marathon and WHITE half marathon unique wristband, unique shuttle boarding locations and specific schedule. You can get information at the customer service booth at packet pick in the expo. See customer service packet staff with any questions or concerns. CLICK HERE for a printable PDF with all the detail on shuttle buses. DROP BAG CHECK: Brown UPS Trucks will be staged at the SLO High Start Line athlete area for you to check your bib number identified RaceSLO.com sweats bag. Remember the night before to attach your bib number tag to the bag with a safety pin so we can identify it. Once we receive it we will then transport it to the SLO Life Expo Finish Line. Using your race bib for identification, you can pick it up post race, at the same brown UPS Trucks. Please do not pack valuables, money, jewelry, cell phones, etc. as we are not responsible for lost, broken or stolen items. DO NOT FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR BAG POST RACE. All uncollected bags will be donated one week post race to a local thrift store charity. RACE SHIRTS: Marathon and Half Marathon participants all receive a long-sleeve tech shirt. 5K participants receive a short sleeve tech shirt. Children s Race participants receive a short sleeve cotton shirt. All shirts must be picked up AFTER you process through packet pick up at the expo, inside the SLO Life Expo main tent on both Friday and Saturday. Shirts sizes are marked on your race bib and we will do our best to provide you the exact shirt size you requested. On Sunday after the race, we will have a shirt size exchange area inside the Big Top tent in case you decide you need a different size (based on availability). No exchanges will be made prior to Sunday. RACE AWARD CATEGORIES: This year we have both Challenged Athletes and Military/First Responder competitive categories. To ensure you are listed and included in either of those two categories for Overall Male and Female awards, you must let us know in advance at packet pick-up. All

4 others will be included in the Age Group Awards only. Double Dipping is allowed. The 5K Race has a Cal Poly Greek House Competition as well. All Houses are required to sign up in advance for that category on Saturday AM. Greeks see the timing desk for sign up. RACE & AWARD TIMES: All races will take place rain or shine. Race times are as follows and will start SHARP on time. For details on the award opportunities, go to You must be present to collect Age Group Awards, they will not be mailed. RACE RESULTS & TRACKING: We use chip on bib timing and track live results. Infinity Timing Company uses the ChronoTrack System. Your chip is implanted onto your bib, therefore, you must wear your bib on the front of your shirt, chest or stomach, not on your back. ELITE athletes and overall race winners will be scored on GUN TIME and gun time clocks. All age group competitors and all others will be timed off your race bib chip and split mats. You and your loved ones can sign up NOW to track your race progress while you are out on the course and even push those updated splits to your social media. You can also get your results the instant you cross the finish line then post them to your Facebook page! To sign up for instant tracking and instant results, go to: LIVE STREAMING VIDEO FROM ULTRA SPORTS LIVE TV For the first time ever at a marathon event, Ultra Sports Live TV will stream our race. Your friends and family will now be able to track your progress and watch all of the action LIVE from 3 locations online. Have them log in to to watch the race and see short features. TIMING SPLIT MATS & BOSTON QUALIFYING TIMES: Out on the half marathon course (2 splits) and full marathon course (4 splits) we provide mandatory timing split mats to track runners, update the ChronoTrack live text and Facebook update system and ensure all our competitive and Boston Qualifying runners are recorded. When we verify that our overall winners, age group winners and Boston Qualifying athletes have crossed each of the timing mats, we will submit the final race results. All non-elite athletes who wish to contest time and results must do so in writing within 72 hours post race via to Race Director Samantha Pruitt at RD@RaceSLO.com RESULTS & VIRTUAL GOODY BAG: Results will be live online and at the expo in the LeftLane Sports store inside the Big Top tent. Don t forget to use the hash tags #RaceSLO, #SmallTownBIGRACE and #ShareSLO while racing and your communication/picture will show up at Friends and family who live out of town can follow your hash tag progress by going to and searching for the race hash tags. You will be receiving a pre-race and post-race blast of the 2015 SLO Marathon Virtual Race Bag. There are more than a dozen great offers from our sponsors and vendors for you to take advantage of during race weekend. ON COURSE INSTRUCTIONS Marathon Course Time Limit: The marathon has a 7-hour time limit. Athletes must finish by 1 p.m. To ensure walkers meet this cut off, they must cross the 18-mile marker timing mat on Biddle Ranch Road by 11:00 a.m. and then, at Mile 23 on Orcutt Rd. near the Railroad Bike Path by 12:15 p.m. A SWEEP Wagon is provided to pick up athletes not wanting or able to finish the race throughout the day.

5 Aid Stations & Restrooms: There will be 16 on-course aid stations for the full marathon and 8 aid stations for the half marathon. There is also an aid station at the Start Line. There are ample port-o-johns at the start, finish and at every aid station along the course. Each of these aid stations provides Culligan Water, FLUID Sports Drink (Raspberry Pomegranite Flavor) and CLIF Shot Gels in Razz, Vanilla, Citrus and Mocha. You ll see the CLIF Shot Energy Zone just before the Half Marathon Turn-around! We also have Culligan Water and FLUID at the start and finish line as well as ample port-o-johns and hand wash stations. Tables will be labeled FLUID SPORTS DRINK or H2O. We use small cups at aid stations and only fill them half way so we highly suggest you race green and carry your own bottle. Our volunteers are prepared to help fill your bottle. DO NOT LITTER. Please carry your trash to next aid station or put trash in the MEATHEAD MOVERS trash boxes provided. Course Marking and Directions: Our USA Track & Field sanctioned certified course is closed to through traffic. Half and Full unique mile markers are placed at every mile and a variety of signage, road paint and volunteers will direct you at every turn. Please be aware that the half marathon shares the same route as the full marathon to mile 7. Slower runners and walkers will be overtaken by faster runners at some point on the course. PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK our ELITE or faster runners at any time! Respect that they are racing for prize monies and overall rankings. Challenged Athletes need consideration as well so be aware of your surroundings. Slower runners and walkers must adhere to the verbal direction given by marshals and the signage directing you to stay to the RIGHT or LEFT SIDE and never walk or run two abreast. We have a professional traffic control company, SLOPD and CHP along with 200 course marshals working for your safety race day. However, there are several spots on the marathon course in Edna Valley where residents can drive onto the route to get in and out of their driveways. Be aware at all times! Wearing earbuds or headphones will limit your ability to hear faster runners or vehicles approaching you and potentially jeopardize your safety. USA Track & Field rules state that those competing for age group awards, medals or prize money shall not be allowed to wear headphones. SPECTATOR VIEWING: For the best and most accessible spectator locations, please visit RACE DAY PHOTOS: Our Official Race Photographer is Sport Photo. They will be out on the course and at the Finish Line recording your journey. They will have banners setup at the Finish Line for you to take a photo alone or with another runner. They will be ing you your race photos for purchase afterward. You can also go to their website after the race and search for your photos at AID STATION CONTEST: We re giving a prize to the most Spirited Aid Station. Take a picture during the race and post it to our Facebook Page ( and use the race weekend hash tag, #RaceSLO to vote for your favorite. We ll tally the vote and post the winner on our FACEBOOK PAGE at after the race. They get a pizza party, so VOTE!! HALL OF FAME AWARD: Each year, the SLO Marathon + Half recognizes someone in the local community who has made a positive impact in the local running community. This year s recipient is Stan Rosenfield, co-founder of the San Luis Distance Club. Rosenfield finds the SLO running community active and inclusive, with opportunities for all ages and abilities, from elite athletes to youth. He believes the opportunities for runners in SLO are comparable to those in a larger city, with the added benefits of traffic-free roads, long beaches and dedicated open space trails. The completion of the Bob Jones Trail

6 will be a big boost to the SLO running profile. The award ceremony will be following Age Group Awards, approximately 10:30 a.m. JAMBA JUICE RECOVERY TENT: We offer a variety of foods in the Jamba Juice Recovery Tent (did you know the company started here and that co-founder Linda Olds is running the half marathon)! We ll be offering a small bagel, peanut butter, a banana, a CLIF Bar, potato chips and a new Jamba smoothie created just for this race called Protein Chocolate Marathon, with all the nutritional value of a recovery drink. We will also be serving Strawberry Swirl. You will need your bib tab to claim your recovery food. Jamba will also be selling additional smoothies in the Food Court. You cannot claim your recovery smoothie in the Food Court. Please pick your smoothie up in the recovery tent (one only per athlete). MARATHON MERCHANDISE: Official 2015 SLO Marathon merchandise is available for sale in the Big Top Tent by Left Coast T-Shirts all weekend long visit the merchandise area anytime between Friday, April 24 at 12:00 p.m. to Sunday, April 26 at 2:00 p.m. to get great RaceSLO gear. SLO LIFE EXPO VENDORS: There are 30+ vendors in the Big Top Tent, all with great products and services for your running lifestyle. Be sure to visit them all, including our Presenting Sponsor, LeftLane Sports, who will feature top brands including New Balance Apparel & Footwear, Craft Running Apparel, Karhu Running Shoes, 110% Compression Apparel, Pro Compression Socks, Fluid, Asics and Adidas. FOOD & THE SLO LIFE EXPO: we are super excited this year to have our local Which Wich as our exclusive food vendor this year. Visit them and purchase a sandwich in the Food Court and you could win $100 Gift Card. They will be serving up breakfast sandwiches, as well as other substantial meat and vegetarian sandwich fare during the weekend. They will also be serving PB&J s for the kiddos. Stay and have breakfast and/or lunch with us during the weekend. We ll have tables set up or you can lounge in the beer and wine garden. Kreuzberg s Coffee House will be serving up espresso and coffee drinks in the LeftLane Sports store on Friday, and outside in the food court on Saturday and Sunday EARLY. No need to go somewhere else for your morning pick-me-up, come to the Madonna Meadows! Ready for a cold beer? 805 is a local, award-winning craft favorite, or if you re watching calories, nothing is better than a Michelob Light. Lounge and recover in the garden after your race. We will be donating a $1 from each beer purchase to the Challenged Athlete Foundation s Operation Rebound. Bring a few extra dollars and help us support our wounded veterans. EXPO PARKING: Free parking for athletes and spectators is available at the Madonna Inn in the upper parking lots and the front field all weekend long. Do not park at the Copper Café Restaurant, Hotel parking or block any other vehicles or you will be towed.

7 LOST & FOUND: Lost & Found will be at the Information/Pace Group table at Packet Pick-up on Friday and Saturday. It will move to the RaceSLO.com booth in the vendor tent for Sunday, April 26. DOGS: Dogs of any size are NOT ALLOWED (even on a leash) at the SLO Life Expo for both safety and the courtesy of others. If you bring them, you will be asked to take your pooch to your car, sorry! San Luis Obispo Transit ENJOY SLOTOWN: There are so many things to do while you are here for the weekend. Wine tasting is always on the list. If you need a ride take advantage of our sponsor SLO Safe Ride and their special wine and beer tours. BBQ is usually on everyone s list as well. You can t miss Mo s Smokehouse BBQ (our Volunteer Sponsor) on Monterey Street, it s award-winning for 21 years! And to get you around town we have FREE Bus Passes for the weekend from SLO Transit!! You can pick up the free pass at the customer service booth at packet pick-up. VOLUNTEERS: If you are bringing family or friends with you and they would like to volunteer, have them register on our website at Only registered official volunteers will be allowed on course, at aid stations or in other valuable roles throughout race weekend. Thank you! WHEW!! ###