IMPORTANT RACE INFORMATION PLEASE READ

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1 IMPORTANT RACE INFORMATION PLEASE READ Welcome to the return of the Cherokee Harvest Half Marathon & 5K. We are so glad to bring this iconic event back and are thrilled by the response from the regional running community. The information below is important and will help you and your supporters enjoy the event to its fullest. RACE START TIMES: Half Marathon - 8:00 AM 5K 8:15 AM Parking lot of the former Acquoni Events Center. Look for the start flag on the Baymont Inn side of the parking lot. Packet Pick Up/Late Registration Friday, October 19 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. Former Acquoni Events Center Inside Stadium 1501 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, NC Beat the Saturday rush by picking up your packet on Friday. You may pick up the packet of another runner, however, you must give us their date of birth and you will be asked to sign for it and you may not give it to anyone other than the registered runner(s). Unauthorized transfers will not be permitted and both the offending runner and the runner who picked up for them will be disqualified. The 5K is sold out but there are a limited number of half marathon spaces remaining. Saturday, October 120 6:00 to 7:45 a.m. Former Acquoni Events Center Inside Stadium 1501 Acquoni Road, Cherokee, NC 28719

2 For those who are pre-registered, this is the last opportunity to pick up your packet. If you aren t pre-registered, we ask you give yourself plenty of time on Saturday and not wait to the last minute to register on site. Late registration will end promptly at 7:30 a.m. (7:45 for the 5K!) If you are not registered by this time you will not be able to run the race. Switches The 5K is sold out so switching from the half marathon to the 5K is not available. You may switch from the 5K to the half marathon but please do not do so without working with those at the on-site registration table. There is a process to go through to ensure our results and awards are correct. Anyone who switches from one race to another without going through this process will be disqualified. Race Day Parking Parking will be available at the Acquoni Events Center. Please park on the right side of the parking lot near the building. After this lot is full, you will be asked to park in the large parking lot near Hardees. Aquoni Road will close at 7:45 AM to car traffic. If you arrive after this time, you will be directed to one of the auxiliary parking areas. Leave yourself time to get parked and to the start line. If someone is dropping you off and wants to leave after the race starts, they must park outside the race area. Follow the instructions of the parking attendants. If you must leave the parking area before the races end you must turn left out of the parking lot. Please be aware of runners coming into the Center and pay them every courtesy you were extended during your run. Road Closures Most of the roads on the course are open to vehicular traffic with the following exceptions: Acquoni Road Closed to Traffic 7:45-11:30 AM. If your supporters plan to leave during the race, they should plan to park away from this road. Whitewater Drive Closed from Tsali Blvd to US 441 US Highway 19 - Outer lanes closed for runners. Please stay inside the cones on this section and on the right side of the road for all others. How Are We Timing You? We are using the Bib Tag System by Mylaps, the makers of the reliable Championchip equipment that we have used in years past. The Bib Tag system uses a chip and a small battery built into the tag that has been placed on the back of your run number. Below are some important items to know about your race bib: Please place your bib number clearly displayed on the Front of you. Our backup system relies on reading your number, Also if you wear the tag on your back, you will get a slower time because your body is shielding the number from the system.

3 *Do NOT wrinkle or fold your number. Simply pin it on flat as smooth as it is when you get it. *Stay away from the start and finish locations unless you are actually racing. *Do NOT come back across the finish line after you have finished. If you must come back across please remove your bib and tag from your person before doing so. The detection range of the mats is quite large. Please stay away from the black mats before and after the race to avoid being read at times other than your actual start and finish. The timing chips are single-use they remain on your bib. Do not wear them at another race. Race Bibs You will receive a race bib in your registration packet. This must be pinned to your FRONT and visible to race officials before the race and when you cross the finish line. Safety pins will be available at the registration tables. If you don t have the correct bib on your front at the start line, you will not be allowed to participate in the race. Restrooms There will be portable toilets located near the stadium adjacent to the race area and at least one restroom at each aid station on the course. Important Times The half marathon starts at 8:00 a.m. SHARP in the parking lot. Runners should begin lining up behind the start line at 7:45 with faster runners to the front and slower runners and walkers at the rear. The pre-race festivities will be start at this time. We ask that 5K runners not line up until they are called to do so. The 5K will start at 8:15 AM SHARP. Please listen for the announcements for your call to the start line. Course Each race will start at a different spot in the parking lot (marked by a START FLAG) but both will finish inside the stadium. Upon entering the stadium, runners will complete one, counter-clockwise lap on the track to the finish line. Weather permitting, the half marathon course will be marked by WHITE arrows on the road, while the 5K will be marked with GREEN arrows. There will also be signs and course marshals to point you in the correct direction. Run on the RIGHT side of the road unless otherwise instructed. The two courses will split at Highway 441 & Drama Road with the half marathon runners turning right and the 5K runners turning left. Again, pay attention to the instructions of the officials, road markings and signs.

4 Half marathon runners will use a section of course inside the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. This area is a known elk habitat. Should you come upon one of these magnificent creatures, please stop and give them time to move from your path. Because of the remote nature of some portions of the course and tree canopy, GPS devices will not be accurate. Time Limit: There is a 3:15 limit to complete the course but if you make it mile 12 by this point you will be able to finish on the sidewalk along Aquoni Road. Aid Stations There are six aid stations on the half marathon course at approximately every two miles. There is one aid station on the 5K course and will serve water. Half marathon stations will serve the following: Mile 2 Water Mile 4 Water, Gatorade Mile 6 Water Mile 8 Water, Gatorade, Cookies Mile 10 - Water, Gatorade, Pretzels, Cookies Mile 12 - Water, Gatorade, Pretzels Post Race Refreshments Cherokee Bottled Water will be available for you immediately after the race near the finish line. There will be a post-race meal from the culinary team at Harrah s Cherokee Casino Resort served to under the large tent where you picked up your registration. Spectators should be prepared to be self-sufficient. We ask that only race participants take water and food. There are a number of restaurants within in a short distance of the race site for spectators and supporters to choose. Should we have food leftover after the last runner has finished, we will make it available to everyone. Shirts, Hoodies and Past Items We have given you the sizes you requested during registration. After the race we will have a tent in the infield where you can swap sizes, either with our leftovers, or other participants. We will also have past race items for sale (shirts, hoodies, headbands and hat) at great prices (Cash or check only) Spectators The finish line of both races will be inside the stadium of the Acquoni Events Center. Friends, family and other supporters are encouraged to watch the finish from the infield grass and stay away from the finish line. If they would like to watch from the course, there are sidewalks along much of it but they will not be allowed to drive in and out of the parking lot during the race. Trash and Recycling Trash and recycling containers will be scattered in and around the stadium and at the start/finish area. Please help us by disposing of these materials in their proper container.

5 Awards Finisher awards will be given out at the finish line at each race. Overall and age group awards will be based on gun time. The awards ceremony for the 5K will begin at approximately 9:30 a.m. in the grass infield of the stadium. The ceremony for the half marathon will begin at approximately 11:00 a.m. Overall and individual awards will be handed out at these times. You must be present to receive your award or have a friend pick it up for you. They will not be mailed. Results We will be streaming results of the race in live time on Saturday. You can see your results as soon as you cross the finish line. For the 5K go to For the Half Marathon go cherokee-harvest-half-marathon.html Official results will be posted on each race page at by no later than Sunday morning. Directions From Asheville, NC (approximately 1 hour) - Take I-40 west to exit 27 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue west on U.S. 74 past Waynesville, Sylva, and Dillsboro to exit 74, Cherokee. U.S.Hwy 441 will take you into Cherokee. Turn right on US Hwy 19. Turn left at second traffic light - Acquoni Road. The Acquoni Events Center is approximately.7 miles on the left. From Knoxville, TN (approximately 2 hours) - Take I-40 east into North Carolina to exit 27 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue west on U.S. 74 beyond Waynesville, Sylva, and Dillsboro to exit 74, Cherokee. U.S. Hwy 441 will take you into Cherokee. Turn right on US Hwy. 19. Turn left at second traffic light - Acquoni Road. The Acquoni Events Center is approximately.7 miles on the left. From Atlanta, GA (approximately 2.5 hours) - Take I-85 north to I-985 which becomes U.S. 23 north, and eventually becomes U.S. 23/441 north. You will travel through the towns of Clayton, GA, Franklin, NC, and Dillsboro, NC. Just beyond Dillsboro, take U.S. 74 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) west to exit 74, Cherokee. U.S.Hwy 441 will take you into Cherokee. Turn right on US Hwy. 19. Turn left at second traffic light - Acquoni Road. The Acquoni Events Center is approximately.7 miles on the left.

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