A lot of information! Read through to the "Post-Race Cookout and Awards Presentation" section and you'll be well rewarded. Hello Runners! It’s less than two weeks until the inaugural Lower Potomac River Ten-Miler Run, and we’re looking forward to seeing you and welcoming our out-of-town runners to Southern Maryland. Among the runners are many veterans of the Lower Potomac River Marathon, including three-time winner and course record holder John Piggott of Williamsburg, VA. Please review the information below on packet pickup, race day parking, and additional race details, including a description of the course. See you soon! Liza Recto, Race Director SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2008 Packet Pickup 1:00 to 4:00 p.m., Piney Point Lighthouse Museum Pick up your T-shirt, bib number, and a free Power Bar, courtesy of Runner’s World, at pre-race packet pickup on Saturday, October 11, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. at the Lighthouse Museum. This will save you time on race morning and give you an opportunity to familiarize yourself with the course and venue. If you decide to drive the course, please be considerate of the residents on Lighthouse Road and St. George Island and observe the posted speed limits. Parking for packet pickup is available on the museum grounds. If you can’t attend packet pickup on Saturday, you may pick up your packet at the venue on race morning from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m. RACE DAY! SUNDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2008 Parking Parking is at Blanton Field, on Lighthouse Road about ¼ mile from the intersection of Rte 249. From Rte 249, turn right on Lighthouse Road, proceed just past Goddard Rd on your right and follow directions from the parking attendant. The lot is just over a mile from the start/finish, and you might enjoy running along the beachfront road as a warm-up. If you prefer to ride, volunteers will be available to shuttle you in their personal vehicles. Just wait by the roadside and a vehicle will be by shortly. The last shuttle will leave Blanton Field at 7:35, so if you arrive after that time, run west (with the water on your left) on Lighthouse Road to the end. Bag stowage is available at the start/finish. Race Morning Packet Pickup You may pick up your bib number and T-shirt between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. at the start/finish. Race Start 7:45 a.m., just past the museum building, about 100 feet from the end of Lighthouse Road. There are no road closures, but there is sufficient room to run on the 12-foot wide shoulders on the Rte 249 segment of the course, and traffic will be light on Lighthouse Road and St. George Island. A lead cyclist and course marshals will be on hand to ensure your safety. Although we cannot close the course to non-racing pedestrians and cyclists who are not involved with the race, we do not allow unregistered pacers, companion cyclists, pets, strollers, or rollerblades/skates. The use of portable listening devices while in the race is strictly prohibited. The race staff reserves the right to disqualify any runner found to be in possession of a portable listening device while in the race (including via post-race photos). This is a safety issue – please comply. Runners must maintain pace to finish by 10:00 a.m. (13:30/mile pace) or risk being swept. Course Details Safety: There are no road closures. Traffic is generally very light on Rte 249, St. George Island, and Lighthouse Road. Rte 249 has 12’ wide, paved shoulders to safely accommodate runners. Runners will run on the left side of the roads, facing traffic, throughout the course. St. George Island and Lighthouse Road are residential. The roads are paved, but have no shoulders. Stay to your left at all times. Course marshals will be on hand to direct any traffic to ensure unimpeded passage by the runners. A police officer will be stationed at the north turnaround point to ensure that runners cross Rte 249 unimpeded by traffic. Water/Aid: There will be water/aid stations approximately every two miles. Ultima Replenisher® is the official hydration beverage and will be available at the Thomas Road aid station on St. George Island (Miles ~4 and ~6). In the event of unseasonably warm weather, additional water stations will be set up. In case of emergency, contact the nearest aid station volunteer or course marshal. Portable Toilets: There are two portable toilets in a wooden enclosure in the parking lot on the mainland side of the St. George Island Bridge, on your left as you head south to the island (Mile ~2, and on your right as you return to the mainland (Mile ~7.8). Remember, there are no road closures, so please use caution if you must cross the road to use the toilet. Time Limit: All runners must be back on the mainland by 9:30 a.m. Any runners who have not reached the water station at the bridge parking lot (just before Mile 8) by that time may be transported back to the finish at the discretion of the Race Director. In the event of a late start, cut-off times will be adjusted accordingly. The Course – A Detailed Look The USATF-certified course (MD08020JS) is pancake-flat except for the bridge crossing to and from St. George Island. The unique thing about this L-shaped race course is that you can see a lot of it laid out before you from certain sections. Stay to your left, facing traffic, throughout the course. As you round the first curve on Lighthouse Road and glimpse the Potomac, look to your right around 1 o’clock and see the arched bridge to St. George Island, then follow the strip of land to the end. Through those trees, on the opposite side of that point, is where you’ll be turning around. Relax, it’s not as far as it looks. The bridge is just past the 2-mile mark, and the turnaround is just over 5 miles. Continue up Lighthouse Road and enjoy the picturesque beachfront, with its gazebos and whimsical nautical touches. At about 1.25 miles you’ll reach Rte 249. A course marshal will point you left. You’ll be crossing to the other side of Rte 249 after about 1/10 mile. Remain on the shoulder and spot the willow trees up ahead, where a course marshal will wave you across and direct you south. Remain on the shoulder and continue past the entrance of the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship, hosts of the Lower Potomac River Marathon. Just before Mile 2 you’ll pass the side gate of the Harry Lundeberg campus. Many of you know that driveway as the final 200 meters of the Lower Potomac River Marathon. Continuing south, you’ll pass a complex of townhouses on your left before you reach the first water station, staffed by a few Friends of the Piney Pt. Lighthouse Museum. Listen for the clanging of a cowbell. CBRC member Suzanne Manuel has volunteered for bridge duty, and she’ll be controlling traffic as she clangs you up and over the only “hill” on the course. Go ahead and say it - “More cowbell!” She won’t get tired of hearing it, and you can say it again on the return trip. Geographical note: As you run south, that’s St. George Creek on your left, and the Potomac River on your right. The road narrows on St. George Island; stay to the left of the centerline. Locals and veteran marathoners will notice the newly rebuilt Evans Restaurant around Mile 3. Around Mile 4 you’ll reach the intersection of Thomas Rd and the aid station staffed by Captain Jack Russell and Viki Volk of the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab, a beneficiary of the race. You’ll pass this point again. Just past Mile 5 you’ll see the Chesapeake Bay Field Lab on your right, on Island Creek. Go just past it and round the cone at the car turnaround area, where a big sign says, “U Can Turn Around Here.” Go back the way you came. When you have the Potomac on your left, look over the water at 10 o’clock and spot the point of land jutting into the Potomac. That’s Piney Point, and the finish line. Geographical note: The Potomac River is about 4 miles wide at this point, and that’s Westmoreland County, VA, across the river. You’ll be heading directly back to Lighthouse Road from here. As you come back over the bridge you’ll spot the huge davits at the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship to the right. Take another look left. Piney Point is just over two miles away by road. The water station you passed earlier will have moved across the road, and you’ll hit the 8-mile mark in a bit, then Lighthouse Road in about another ¼ mile. Left on Lighthouse Road and along the beachfront to the end! Post-Race Cookout and Awards Presentation The post-race picnic is hosted by the Friends of the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, a beneficiary of the race. Enjoy grilled chicken wings, burgers, bratwurst, potatoes and toppings, and assorted beverages while waiting for the awards presentation. FOR SUPPORTERS AND NON-RUNNERS - VOLUNTEER OR JUST CHEER! Volunteers are needed as course marshals, bicycle escorts, water/aid station crew, and for various duties at the finish line. Volunteers will receive a commemorative race t-shirt and effusive thanks from the runners and race organizers, and are welcome to join the runners at the post-race picnic. Volunteering is a fun and rewarding way for non-runners to get involved in road racing. Runners, if your support crew wants to do more than cheer from the sidelines, we'd love to have them help out. If you know anyone who’s interested in volunteering, please have them e-mail me at cbrcliza@hotmail.com. DON’T GO HOME YET – THERE’S MORE OF SOUTHERN MARYLAND TO ENJOY! Out-of-town runners – you’re coming this far, so make a day of it! Bring a bicycle or kayak and enjoy the area! After you’ve looked around the museum and climbed to the top of the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac, launch your kayak and enjoy the views across the widest part of the Potomac River, or hop on your bike for a more leisurely look at the scenery you missed while running. SPECIAL RATE FOR ADVANCE SIGN-UP FOR LOWER POTOMAC RIVER MARATHON Participants in the Lower Potomac River Ten-Mile Run, including volunteers, may sign up on October 12 for the 2009 Lower Potomac River Marathon at a special rate of $30. Additional discounts may not be applied to this rate, since it reflects the lowest discounted rate with an additional discount of $5. This rate is only available on the day of the Ten-Miler. The marathon is scheduled for Sunday, March 8, 2009. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS AND DONORS! The Inaugural Lower Potomac River Ten-Mile Run is made possible by the generous sponsors of the 2008 Lower Potomac River Marathon: Michelob® Ultra™/Guy Distributing, Eagan McAllister Associates, Inc., Wyle Laboratories, J.F. Taylor, Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton, The Good Earth Natural Foods Co., Carlson Wagonlit Travel, Cedar Cove Marina, Ultima Replenisher, Camp Merryelande, Connor Bell, and D2 Engineering, LLC. We also thank Pax Velo for supplying food items, the Harry Lundeberg School of Seamanship for providing a grill, Target for their donation of a gift card for food items, the Second District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad, St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Department, and all our volunteers.

Metric Marathon? Does that mean 26.2 ... kilometers (a bit over 16 miles)?

Sorry, I relaxed leisurely this morning. How did it go?

Subtract a 10k from that distance and I'm sure you'll have no problem maintaining a pace of 7:00/mi --- or lower! --- in the LPR 10-Miler. Rick, where do you stand in the days leading up to the Baltimore Half Marathon? Is Alden still brazenly committed to the full marathon?

Some more indispensable info: Hello Runners, The weather forecast looks good for Sunday, and we look forward to seeing you at packet pickup or on race day! If you didn't receive the detailed info letter I sent a few days ago, let me know, and I'll e-mail it ot you. It's also posted on the website, www.cbrcmd.org. Below are a few reminders for race day. Parking: Limited parking is available at the Lighthouse Museum Park. If you arrive early (6:30-ish) and Blanton Field is coned off and unattended, proceed to the end of Lighthouse Road. Race Timing: This is not a chip-timed race, so it is important that your race number be visible as you approach the finish line. Please pin it to the front of your clothing; do not pin it to your shirt if you expect to be taking it off during the race – better to pin it to the front of your shorts. The tear-off strip at the bottom of your number is essential for timing, and the finish line crew will be removing it as you enter the finish chute. Please do not tear it off before the race. If, after you’ve finished, you go back on the course to run with a friend, please do not cross the finish line a second time. The timer is punching a watch for everyone who crosses the finish, and if there’s no bib number associated with a recorded time, it causes a glitch, and subsequent delay, in results processing. That's all until race day. Thanks for signing up! Please contact me if you have any questions. See you this weekend! Liza Recto Race Director

Well, Joe says he's running the race, but I doubt he's registered yet. So this is the only way that he can be "kept in the know" about race details.

Or, I could be "in the know" because I'm a member of the Chesapeake Bay Running Club, unlike DR.

http://results.active.com/pages/page.jsp?eventLinkageID=16773&year=2008 Rick Schaffer Bib #11563 That's my info. You should be able to track me during the race tomorrow. Keep in mind that while Alden's race starts at 8am, mine doesn't start until 9:45am. The weather may not be as bad as I originally anticipated. It could be slightly below 50 so close to the harbor at 6-7am tomorrow morning when Alden and I head out for the early festivities, but it may be close to 70 by the time I finish. Good short-sleeve running weather. It shouldn't be much warmer than 70 when Alden finishes, so good weather all around up this way.