10th Annual Pigtails Flat Ass 50K and Marathon
Saturday, December 19, 2015 8AM
Both the 50K and Marathon will start at the same time at 8am. No early start, no exceptions. If you are concerned about being slower and finishing late, I suggest signing up for the marathon instead of the 50K. Please consider not keeping the volunteers and myself out in the cold winter weather and sign up for the marathon if you will take more than 7 hours to finish the 50K. The aid station workers at mile 21 will decide if you can continue on with the 50K or if you should finish with a marathon. There is a cut off at mile 21 of AROUND 5 hours to be able to proceed with the 50K. If the weather is really bad, you will be forced to finish with a 50K. Plus, you have to be looking pretty good to continue on for the 50K.
This year, registrants will get a running visor from Headsweats (my favorite visor) to add to your Pigtails collection! The first 150 runners will get a visor. Volunteers will get one too, so have family members come and help man an aid station!
Also, I am still requesting food donations for the Maple Valley Food Bank. They are extremely grateful each year. Please bring 2-3 items and have at least one item be chicken noodle soup or butternut squash soup so that we can warm ourselves up at the finish. There is also an option for monetary donation with on-line sign up. Be creative and bring any other type of non-perishable item other than soup, but soup would be just fine still.
REGISTRATION
$35 for the run (plus tax and Databar fees). This year, I increased the registration to cover costs for sanicans. Registration is open until mid-night December 17. If you email me after this, you will not get a response. NO DAY OF RACE REGISTRATION
RACE DAY SCHEDULE
Check In 7:15-7:50AM (All runners must check in.)
Race Briefing 7:55AM
Both races start at 8:00AM!
START/FINISH
CEDAR RIVER TRAILHEAD AT LANDSBURG PARK (SAME AS THE LAST FEW YEARS)
For directions, GPS SE 253rd St & Landsburg Rd SE Ravensdale WA 98051
RACE COURSE
This is a completely flat run. There is no significant hill unless you are running the 50K where there is a slight hill at mile 21 when you leave the marathon course to do an extra out and back to get the additional 5 miles before returning to the marathon course at mile 26. The maratnon course is about 11 miles packed gravel and 15 miles paved bike path. The 50K is 16 miles packed gravel and 15 miles paved bike path. The race start/finish is at Landsburg Park in Ravensdale. There is a main parking area, some across the street, and more around the corner on the other side of the river. Please carpool as there a limited number of spots and there is not much parking along the road. Thank you for carpooling last year, it was much appreciated and we had enough room for all the cars. Please do not leave things in your car in plain site. This is a high car theft area. We have had cars broken into during the race. Also, I will have a volunteer show you where you cannot park. Last year, people blocked access to the water department and we got into a lot of trouble.
I will start all runners at the gate of the power line trail that parallels the Cedar River Trail for ½ mile out and ½ mile back. This will spread out runners before having to squeeze on the trail next to the gate where runners will run a little bit of road on the bridge over the river, through the parking area and finally on the Cedar River Trail (this is only 0.15mi from the power line gate). All runners will run the slightly downstream packed gravel rails to trail to the 1st aid station (with volunteers) at 5.85mi, continue straight to the 2nd aid station (unmanned) at 11.25mi, 2.45 miles to the boundary of King County Parks/City of Renton at 13.7 miles at turn around and now slight upstream, 2.45mi back to 3rd aid station (same as #2) at 16.15mi, and back to 4th aid station at 21.55mi (same as #1). At that point marathoners will continue straight back to the finish (4.7mi to go). 50K runners will turn right/uphill towards Lake Wilderness for 2.45mi out (slightly more uphill grade) before turning around back to last aid station (same as #4) with 4.7mi to the end. The finish will end at the end of the Cedar River trail, so you won’t have to run through the parking area and on the road over the river as in the beginning. Please dress appropriately for the run and remember to bring warm clothes to change into at the finish.
COURSE MARKINGS
The course will be marked with white chalk spray or flour and red plate signs at intersections and turn-arounds.The course is flat with the first half predominantly downstream and second half predominantly upstream. Be careful not to wear yourself out in the first half!
There is one major intersection at Cedar Grove Road between aid #1 and #2 (and again between #3 and #4 on the back) that is a traffic light. There will be no course monitor there, so you must obey regular traffic light laws. No one will be there to stop traffic for you.
AID STATIONS
**Approximate mileage (Aid stations #1, #4, and #5 are the same and #2 and #3 are the same)
Aid #1: 5.85mi (next aid 5.4mi)
Aid #2: 11.25mi (next aid 4.9mi)
Aid #3: 16.15mi (next aid 5.4mi)
Aid #4: 21.55mi (finish for marathoners in 4.7mi, next aid for 50K 4.9mi) CUT OFF FOR THE 50K IS 5 HOURS, MAYBE LESS DEPENDING ON WEATHER
Aid #5 26.45mi (finish 4.7mi)
Total mileage marathon: 26.25mi Total mileage 50K: 31.15mi
Aid stations #1, #4, and #5 (all the same station) will be manned and is a major aid station. There will be the usual ultra fare: candy, chips, cookies, gels, and probably something hot. No drop bags this year. In past years, only a few people used them and it was always a hassle to get them back to the runner's expectations. You can leave stuff at the first aid station and grab it on your way back. If you forget to pick it up again, you will just have to wait until the aid station closes and for the aid station workers to return to the start/finish to get it back. If weather is really nasty, I will have garbage bags for runners to help with rain and wind. Aid stations #2 and #3 (same aid station) will be unmanned and will have water candy, and possibly some gels. Everyone should carry one water bottle and most of their fuel. There will be gels on course to help supplement but not to fuel everyone for their entire run.
**PLEASE, NO LITTERING ON THE COURSE. CARRY YOUR TRASH TO THE AID STATIONS AND DEPOSIT THERE.
BATHROOMS
This year, I am putting 2 sanicans on the trailhead side of the race/main parking area. Please do not use the sanicans across the street at the Landsburg park. I got in trouble last year because I was told people were wandering around in the dark looking for the sanicans and ended up trespassing into the wathershed. I'm sure this was not the case and even if so was not intentional, but now the watershed requires a permit and fees for my event. So to avoid any more troubles with them, I will get my own sanicans. I am ordering only 2 because they are expensive, so no whining about this! No other porta potties on the course. Use the Facilitrees.Pack out your TP!
PARKING
PLEASE CARPOOL! We will try to squeeze in as many cars in the main parking as possible. I will have a volunteer direct parking across the street so that the watershed gate is not blocked. This happened last year-some runners parked too close to the gate and the watershed threatened to get those cars towed. Cars can also park in a wide area across the river on the south side where we actually start the race. Finally, after that, there is street parking but there is not much room on the shoulder, so carpool and arrive early enough to get a spot. No parking pass required.
POST-RACE
There will be hot soup. Likely will have pizza at the finish as well. If you would like, bring an item to share.
FINISHER’S AWARDS
Unique pig finisher's awards as in past years. If you break the course record for the marathon, you will get $26.20. If you break the 50K course record, you will get $31.00.
COURSE RECORDS
Marathon:
Female: Marlene Farrell 3:02:10 (2012)
Male: Uli Steidl 2:31:26 (2012)
50K:
Female: Megan Hall 4:08:03 (2012)
Male: Mat Zuchetto 3:35:04 (2014)
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