Let's talk about the 12th Annual Asheville Marathon & Half Marathon on Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina.
Our Event Guide is a recording of our iDaph Events Podcast, and here we discuss what to expect on Race Day. We talk about the course, packet pickup, parking, shuttles and more - along with many other important details.
We look forward to Celebrating 12 years with you at the races. For more info about the race and Course Turn-by-Turn directions and maps, please visit our website here - https://ashevillemarathon.com/
Let's talk about the 12th Annual Asheville Marathon & Half Marathon on Saturday, March 16, 2024 in Downtown, Asheville, North Carolina.
Our Event Guide is a recording of our iDaph Events Podcast, and here we discuss what to expect on Race Day. We talk about the course, packet pickup, parking, shuttles and more - along with many other important details.
We look forward to Celebrating 12 years with you at the races. For more info about the race and Course Turn-by-Turn directions and maps, please visit our website here - https://ashevillemarathon.com/
Hello, and welcome to another iDaph events podcast. I'm Amy Silvers, the administrative coordinator and brand new ultra runner, who just finished her first 50K and with me today is Daphne Kirkwood, owner of iDaph and our race director and serial exerciser, Alison Capps, graphics and marketing, who's getting ready to run a half marathon. She's run several, but she's going to go out for a PR on this
Daphne Kirkwood:one. Awesome. Hello everybody. And as you can see, we're all runners on this team. And that's why we are so passionate about what we do. Yeah,
Allison Capps:we want to make the best events for runners because we know what it's like, and we all are out there every day doing the same grind you guys are, so we're excited about the Asheville Marathon in Half.
Amy Silvers:Yes, and that's what we're here for today. Today we're going to talk about the 12th annual Asheville Marathon in Half, downtown Asheville, happening Saturday, March 16th.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, so the race has been happening a long time now. It started just as a marathon the first year. It sold out. It was at Biltmore Estate which is in Asheville. And we added a half the next year. And then we kept adding more things, more days because there were restrictions on how many people we could have. Since COVID, the race moved downtown Asheville. And it's grown leaps and bounds being down there, and we're really just super excited about this year to be able to elevate the experience even more, being downtown.
Amy Silvers:Yes, and so where exactly are we starting downtown? Where we, where's the main start
Daphne Kirkwood:hub at? Same spot at Pack Square Park which is right downtown Asheville College Street, and Spruce
Amy Silvers:Street. Awesome, okay. We typically have a charity or a nonprofit partner for each of our events. I think we have several going on for this one. Who are we supporting for this event? Yeah,
Daphne Kirkwood:we're really excited to partner up with Riverlink this year. They have the new Greenway section and Park here in Cragnolian Park. That's where our finish line is at. We're really excited about the work that River Link does in our community, so we're raising funds for them. Conserving Carolina also does an amazing job with environmental impact and resources in our community. We're supporting them. Sheepdog Impact Assistance. Primarily supports veterans in our community with resources for them. A light of homes, which is in Asheville. They're part of the event this year. And they help lots of youth and kids and families in our community. And then I dream athletes foundation, which is our sister nonprofit. We're raising funds for the swim league this summer that the iDream puts on as well as for scholarships for people in the community that need those for help with goals or dreams when it comes to running, cycling, triathlon. So excited about all of those. Awesome. Wonderful. Yes. And you'll see them out on the course in some capacity or the expo. Talk to them, get to know them and say hello.
Amy Silvers:Perfect. Sounds great.
Ready to unlock your full potential? Genova Connect has got your back. Our at home lab tests reveal the secrets to optimizing your health and performance. From nutrition to gut health and hormonal balance, we provide personalized insights for your journey to greatness. Use code IDAP20 at jenovaconnect. com to save today. Genova Connect. Unleash your potential.
Amy Silvers:All right. Let's talk about what people can expect on race weekend. Are we having an expo again this year?
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, of course. We're practically Doubletree is home, so right. Doubletree is fantastic Biltmore Farms hotel line and Hampton Inn, which is right next door to Doubletree. That is, Doubletree is our host hotel, so it's pretty much all Marathon Mania in that hotel for the weekend. That's where Packet Pickup is at. If you can't make it to Packet Pickup and to the Expo on Friday, make sure to select the ship swag option. I believe the deadline's coming up really quick. If you can't make it, please have your stuff shipped to you in advance. The expo hours are from 11 a. m. to 7 p. m. on Friday, March 15th. And yeah, if you can't make it, till 8 p. m., there is going to be an emergency offering on race morning that we'll talk about in just a minute. Got
Amy Silvers:it. Okay. And who are some of our vendors that we're expecting this year? Last year everyone shopped for merch and got bids and then went down to the lower level and we had the big expo down there. So who are we expecting?
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, I think the biggest thing is walk around the whole hotel because some people. They come in and they might just think it's the front of the hotel that has everything, but you have to walk through the whole thing to get to all the different ballrooms that have the vendors and for the best experience, you really need to come in through the front door. So if you do park at the back of double tree, I would suggest you. Just walk around the outside of the hotel to the front because that's how we have the flow of the expo Some of the vendors that we have are Ville de Ville relay So if you're interested in finding out about their relay that they're running this spring and this fall They'll be there so you can chat with them race essentials We'll be there. They bring all kinds of stuff. Socks, belts gels, what else? They just have all kinds of stuff. Stickers.
Amy Silvers:They have the stickers, like the 26. 2 stickers and all that
Daphne Kirkwood:stuff. Yeah. Yep. Fleet Feet, Asheville will be there. They'll have Brooks with them as well as Nathan. So if you need something that's handheld or for, race belt or you forgot it at home or you need a new one. They'll have those there. Firefly Realty will be there. Outshine PT, if you have a little nagging issue creeping up, you can talk to them. Runnerbox which is now called Fuel Goods Fuel Goods will be there. And they have, if you have a runner friend or family member, It is such a cool box of a subscription box that they will mail to you. And it has the latest and greatest stuff in there. So they're really cool. They'll be there. The full body work studio doing massages and press athletics untapped, which is our hydration and nutrition partner, gel partner. At the water stations, they'll be there. And then Genova Diagnostics will also have. Lots of Asheville marathon related merchandise, goodie bags goes on and on. Yeah.
Allison Capps:So I'm super excited to see fuel goods there again this year. That is an awesome box. So I'm excited to see that and having just people that will be there for all last minute needs is going to be awesome. So don't try anything new on race day, If you need something new, also buy it. Yeah, I wanted to talk a little bit about something brand new that we are offering this year that is so fun and we've spent a lot of time prepping it for you guys, which is new on site custom shirts. So we will have Asheville Marathon in Half finisher shirts, a medallion shirt that has a similar design as the medal as well as Appalachian Trilogy shirts. All of those you can pre order online and you can go on RaceRoster and we can have them ready for you when you get there. Or You can wait and see some Expo exclusive designs that we'll have that are a little bit more generic, they're not Asheville marathon specific, but they're fun running shirts and we want you to grab, we have some fun kiddos shirts if you're a parent that is running and, or, your spouse is running, we have a just here to cheer shirt that's really fun. What you'll do is you can pick your design and then pick the shirt color base and your size and we will press it and have it ready for you after you're done exploring all the other vendors that we just chatted about. So we're excited about this process. We think it'll be fun. It's sustainable. It's really a cool way for you to get a unique experience and a unique item from the Asheville
Daphne Kirkwood:Marathon at Half. Yeah. Absolutely.
Amy Silvers:For sure. I always I I think I ran the inaugural half marathon that you guys did. And I remember back when you used to offer that a long time ago, and it was so cool to just watch it in the process and just watch it happen and just be able to stay in there and pick what you want and see it made right in front of your eyes. It was a fun, unique experience.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, it's neat to be able to offer that in house. Now we'll be able to do that all of our other events that are coming up throughout the year too. But I really do think it will help eliminate some of the waste. People that don't know we have a whole warehouse that has you know, lots and lots of picked up and things like that. And, the goal is to eliminate some of that surplus and waste that's just sitting there.
Amy Silvers:For sure. All right let's tackle a few of the popular questions that come in 1st. If you paid to have your stuff shipped ahead of time, if you did the pre event shipping, can you still come to the expo? Absolutely. You're welcome and we do have people that do that. People do pay for the pre event shipping, but then still come to the expo and enjoy it. Get their. Goodie bags. You can pick up your goodie bag. We do not don't do not ship those in the free event shipping. So definitely swing by and grab one of those if you want one. Another question is, can I come to the expo and swap my shirt size? If you got your stuff mailed, or if you get to the expo and you pick up your shirt, you realize it's not the right size. We can't swap the shirts. At the expo we can only do that after the race. You can bring your unworn, unused shirt to the merchandise tent after the race and any that we have left will be glad to swap sizes for you. We just need to make sure that everybody ordered, everybody gets what they ordered when they registered before we allow people to start swapping sizes. Yeah. Another question is, If you want, if people are interested in dropping down to the half, or maybe your training's gone really well and you feel like you're prepared and you want to upgrade to the full. Can you do that? Yes, you can do that at the expo on Friday. If you did have your thing shipped, be sure to bring that bib with you so we can swap the bib. Otherwise, we can when you come to pick up your bid, if you haven't gotten it yet, we can make that change. If you want to upgrade to the full, you'll need to pay the price difference. But we can definitely do that. At the expo on Friday,
Allison Capps:right there that if you want to do the half and you're registered for the full, you have to tell us. Otherwise, you're just going to be on our full list and you'll be DQ because you've only run half of it. So please let us know at the expo on Friday or at the emergency packet pickup on Saturday morning. I said, otherwise, you will be DQ. Yeah, yes.
Amy Silvers:Yeah, absolutely. You don't want to confuse volunteers, other runners, course marshals and everything with the wrong bib on the course.
Daphne Kirkwood:Two different bibs, two different colors. They look completely different. And we'll have volunteers practically tackling runners. We don't want you to get tackled.
Amy Silvers:The bibs do have a gear check ticket on them. Bag drop is another big question. Do we have a bag drop? We do have a bag drop. Your bib will have a little tear off ticket on it that you can safety pin to your bag and that will be that. There will be a truck or a van at PAX Square at around the start hub where you can drop that bag and we'll move it to the finish line for you. So you'll have a dry change of clothes, shoes, whatever you need to put in it. And another question that I've been asked is. Can I drop clothing at the start line? Anything that you want back? Needs to go in your gear check bag before you drop it because we won't be able to pick up discarded clothing and get it back to you after the race. So anything.
Daphne Kirkwood:And I'll just add, I know we get calls and emails after the event. Oh, I stashed my favorite Lululemon pullover at mile 4 by the sign. Do you have it? No, you don't. People, if you have something and you're going to need to tie it around your waist or put it in that bag. Once it's discarded, it is gone to the world. Chances are you won't get that back.
Amy Silvers:Yes. So if you do want it back, make sure it's secured in that bag with your gear check ticket on it before you drop it. And then one little extra note about bibs, make sure that's pinned on the front. And easily visible, make sure you use all 4 pins, magnets, whatever you use so that the wind doesn't fly flop it up and we can't see the number or your course. Which color you're, which distance you're running. So make sure that your bid is on there and secured on the front. And make sure it's on a layer. That's not going to be pulled off and discarded. You want to make sure that it's visible the whole time.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah. What about the other packet pickup opportunity, the emergency one, Amy? Yes.
Amy Silvers:Saturday morning, if you can't make it to the Expo on Friday, Saturday morning from 6 a. m. to 7 a. m., there will be an emergency bid pickup with bids and safety pins. That will be at the Hilton Garden Inn, Asheville, downtown, and that's 309 College Street. And that will be on race morning from 6 a. m. to 7 a. m.
Allison Capps:All right, so let's chat about shuttles and parking. We've got lots of moving places and at the hotels and that downtown and our finish line is different from previous years. Daphne, talk us through all
Daphne Kirkwood:that. Yeah for some of you, it might be best to look at the event guide for those specific nitty gritty details of, where the shuttles are going to be location wise, time wise, that sort of thing. But just a quick overview shuttle tickets for runners are complimentary and your race bib is your shuttle ticket. So you do have to show that to get on a shuttle. So keep that in mind. If you come in late on Friday night and you don't have your bib and you're at Doubletree Hotel, you would have to buy a shuttle ticket to get on that bus if you don't have your bib yet. So just keep that in mind. There are spectator tickets for families and friends. I would suggest you go ahead and buy those online. Those are emailed. They are purchased through race roster through your registration, you can go back and add that on if have family and friends who need to utilize that as far as the shuttles on race morning, Doubletree Hotel Hampton Inn or side by side, the bus will be on the back side of Doubletree, that's where all the participants, spectators load back there. And then that shuttle bus, if you're staying at those hotels, will take you to downtown Asheville, drop you off very close to the start line, and then those shuttle buses will hang out until the race starts, and spectators who are hanging out in downtown can hop on the shuttles, They can be taken straight to the finish area, Carrier Park is where they'll be dropped off. Or spectators might want to hang out downtown for a little bit because if you look at the map, the route goes through Montford and comes back to basically right where the start area is. So you get, you could see your runner a few miles later coming back to that area and then you might want to board the shuttle bus. To head down to the finish. So you got two options there. There are time restrictions on that shuttle bus. So definitely check that out on the website because that bus isn't going to hang out there all day to take you down, but it'll be there for a while and then the finish area shuttle Pick up and drop off is at carrier park We'll have signs for that and it is a little short walk to get to the finish line From that area. But carrier park is such a great area for you to spectate because you're going to see the half and the marathon runners coming through the carrier park area, the marathon runners will come through there twice at the end of the race mile 20 to 26. You could check them out there, walk around and then you could head towards the finish area. And then the shuttle buses at the finish at Carrier Park will take runners either back to Doubletree or back to downtown Asheville. We highly recommend if you have spectators, people coming, have them park in downtown Asheville. On race morning and then take the shuttle bus to carrier park. There's very limited parking around carrier park and the finish. And just, it'll be so much easier if you board the bus instead of trying to look for parking and all of that stuff. Did I catch everything on that? Do you guys feel like, was there anything else? I think
Allison Capps:the only thing that you might have missed is that there is no shuttle from the finish to the start on race morning. And last year we had a little, not too big of a problem, but we did have several people that shuttled themselves from the finish to the start, which is totally fine, but please be aware that there is no parking at wrong way. Cabins where the finish line party is the climbing gym or the Evelyn shortstop sit go please park in city parks, parking lots rather than just at any local business that you can find because we want to be really respectful of them because we would ideally love to be back here next year. And so there is no shuttle from the finish to the start on race morning.
Daphne Kirkwood:No, there's not that. Thanks for bringing that up. Yeah, I think that, there's plentiful parking downtown Asheville. There's lots of parking garages close to the start line. Hilton Garden Inn is our hotel partner down there this year. So people can hang out inside before the race. That's our recommendation just for you guys and your friends and family to have the best experience.
Amy Silvers:And there is a link on the website with a real time parking link that updates how many spaces are left in each garage and where they're located. And that's really convenient.
Allison Capps:That's awesome. Okay, so speaking of downtown Nashville, let's talk about the start line and all of that. So the start line is at the top of College Street and Spruce Street this year in Peck Square Park. And. We're gonna have a couple fun things around. We have our awesome DJs that'll be pumping you up. They're Zach and Bridget. If you want to say hey to them, they're awesome. They like are great emcees and I know Zach will be getting you guys all energized up and waking you up. We also have two coffee trucks or carts this year at the start line. So you can grab a cup of coffee, warm up while you're waiting. We do think that it's a good idea to get, be ready to go about 45 minutes before the race, be parked and be in the park. Your body in the park about 45 minutes before the race just to take off all that last minute stress and everything you guys have trained so hard. So come early. So you're not rushed at the end to get racing so you can have coffee. Have spectators grab a cup of coffee. Both of those are Bare Bones Brewhouse and Refuge Coffee. You can also take your finisher bags, your gear bags, to the truck at the start line. We won't have a drop for you at the expo, so bring that to the start line. We'll have a banner, a big U Haul truck, to take it all to the finish line for you. There's plenty of port a johns but. Again, you guys who have raced before know those lines get long and they just get long and there's nothing we can do about it. So just get in line early because all of you, all of a sudden have to go to the bathroom right before you run. And once you're once the start, once all the runners go, there's so many coffee shops and great locations open downtown in the morning that you can find on our website for the spectators who would like to, grab a donut or grab a nice little treat or a latte before they go to the finish. And we will also have a coffee cart. At wrong way, pretty much open as soon as the race starts Daphne, so they can spectators if you can't find what you need at the start line, we'll have it at the finish line for
Daphne Kirkwood:you. Yeah, and we're just so excited to. Be able to have runners explore more of the downtown Montford area in Asheville this year and just some of the downtown streets. They're just so cool and iconic and Wall Street is just such a cool street that the runners will be on. So looking forward to seeing runners down there. That'll be fun. We also have pacers again this year. If you're looking for a specific pace group, we have those listed on the event guide as well as the website. We will have them lined up along Spruce Street and so they'll have their signs and they'll hold them up and I would suggest that you look around and you see which pace group you're thinking might fall in line with approximately when you feel like you might come in. And that will help you to line up in the right area in the start line. We don't have starting corrals yet for this event. It's just not big enough to warrant that, but the pacers they are really sectioning off that start line so that You are running with people who are about the same pace as you. So look for that. Line up with them. And I think it'll just be a great experience for everybody if you can look for those too.
Amy Silvers:All right. We do have a new course this year. We're so super excited for runners to get to experience the best parts of Asheville. And like you said, the Monford area, that area is just beautiful through there. Tell us a little bit about
Daphne Kirkwood:that. Yeah, so there's more city streets we really worked with the city of Asheville and trying to create a course that had more city streets but also utilizing the new greenway sections that have come online since the last year or two. It's still a net elevation loss. For both the marathon and the half, you're starting, up in Pack Square and essentially running through Montford, which does have some hills to it. It's not completely flat, but it's interesting. And then you run down to the river like you did before. It's just, you don't get down to the river quite as quickly as you did. Runners will come to New Belgium and New Belgium is the mark of Oh, okay, we're gonna do something a little different here. And that's where the course splits right past the New Belgium building the marathon. They will run across the bridge, which the half a marathon used to do together. The half does not go on that side anymore. The half will go down the new greenway section that was just finished this past year that's behind New Belgium. And then they will run French Broad River Park, which you've seen before. Over past the finish area into Carrier Park, you'll turn around. Past Carrier Park by the outdoor center, and then you will come into the finish the marathon. They stay on the other side for a while running on that flat greenway section, and then they will come back and hop onto that half marathon course by New Belgium, and they will end up running out past Carrier Park to Hominy Creek Park. So some of the trail section that we had before. For the marathon that's gone. We were happy to be able to add on some miles to get rid of that section. And yeah, I think it's a neat course. It's USA track and field certified and sanctioned. If you're trying to qualify for Boston, it's a Boston qualifying event, which is really great. And yeah, we're excited about it. Awesome.
Amy Silvers:Okay. With this new course design, there are some course cutoffs along the way that we didn't really have in prior years. Tell us a little bit about that.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah. So we've always had a 2 p. m. time limit, which is six and a half hours from the start. And that's for the marathon and for the half. And that means you have to be pretty consistent by running at least a 14. 53. Her mile pace to make it to the finish within our cutoff. We will have some spots along the way. mile 5, 8 12, 15 12, and 20 that you need to reach in order to continue running on the course. And this is part of our agreement that we have with the city. So just be sure that you get past those sections. They're listed on the event guide and online before those cutoff parts. Gotcha. All right.
Amy Silvers:Let's talk about course markings and signs. You and I both love our music when we run, and it's tempting to crank it up sometimes, but, we want everybody to keep that volume low so you can hear traffic, you can hear course marshals, you can hear direction, law enforcement officers you need to be alert and aware what's going on, and tell us what kind of markings and signs they should be looking for.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, so we'll have markings on the pavement in the form of route arrows some of it is. Other markings, and then we will have signage on the side of the road. I think the biggest thing is that. Sometimes there's a herd mentality and in races and people just follow the person in front of them. And you really can't do that because they might be running a different race than you. So just don't assume that the person in front of you knows where they're going. So pay attention to the signs and the markings. There are a couple of course splits to know about. The one I just talked about at New Belgium before mile nine is A pivotal one'cause if half marathoners, if you go across that Craven street bridge, you are on the marathon course You do not wanna do that, not do that. You'll have more than you bargained for on race day. And then marathoners the same. You don't wanna turn behind new Belgium. At that split because then, you're not going to have your full marathon experience. So definitely pay attention to that one. You will have the half marathon at the outdoor center before the RV park past the carrier park. That's where the half marathon turnaround is at. It's at a, not a weird spot, but it's not at like this. Place that I can explain. You just have to look at it on the map and we will have signs there and volunteers there. Big signs. But you have to look up, some runners and when I was racing all the time, I would see it, run with their head down looking at the ground and that's just their style. You got to look up every once in a while. So you can see these volunteers and stuff. And that's where the music comes in. If the music is. Is loud and you're totally zoned out, which I love doing that in a race, but with a race that has core splits you can't zone out, you gotta pay attention. Let's see, there is where the new finish area is at the greenway. You will run past and beside the Sitco station, and if you've done this race before, you were on that sidewalk before but you run, past where the finish area is, into Carrier Park, and then you circle around Carrier Park, the Marathon does Carrier Park and Hominy Creek Park twice. And then they come back to the finish but that's a course split right there that you need to be aware of. There will be signs and signs that say check your mileage to make sure you've gone enough miles if you're in the marathon. Let's see what else I think those are the key ones. There's some turnaround spots. There's a turn around for the marathon on Riverside Drive. There's one at the end of the Greenway before the Amboy Bridge on the rad side. And then there's another one along the river that's past Harmony Creek Park. And as I mentioned before, the half That turns around at the outdoor center. And we have a pretty map that's on the event guide and website. I would recommend you look at that. Also ride with GPS. You can zoom in and out and put it on your watch if you want. Yes.
Amy Silvers:Yeah, depending on what model of Garmin you have, you can upload the course and it'll tell you every turn, turn by turn. Pretty cool. And let's talk water stations. I know we've beefed up the water stations this year. We've got I count 9 of them this year.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, there's 9 and some of them will be multiple times and you use multiple times just based on where they are on the route. So you can check the water station page. On our event guide to see the exact locations of those, but they're really every couple miles. Yeah.
Allison Capps:So don't forget though, we have, we talked about those nonprofits and everything that was that are part of the race. And part of that is that a lot of those will be hosting water stations and we have a contest for water stations, which makes it just fun. So on the post event survey that you guys will get. In the week after the race, probably about three days after the race, we have a question to vote for the best one and the best organization at the water station will get 500 towards their organization and 250 for the runner up. So be sure to pay attention and thank them and just have fun with it and notice. The
Daphne Kirkwood:water stations. Yeah. Yeah. And we have untapped that we mentioned before. That's going to be out on the course again. They're going to have great maple aid hydration at the water stations. And then they'll have a variety of different gel flavors, salted citrus, coffee, maple energy, and the maple syrup is the foundation for their nutrition. So if you haven't tasted it, they do, they are offering a bundle for Our runners for only 10 bucks. There's links to that on the website, on Instagram. If you want to taste that and try it, train with it before race day, you can do that. We also have jam bar. Back again they're our nutrition bar sponsor and partner. And so we will have them out at some of the water stations as well as the finish area.
Allison Capps:Yeah. And so with all that said, those gel wrappers and bar wrappers and everything get thrown pretty crazily around the course. And most runners do a great job of. Getting it in a trash can or at a water station, or at least getting it on the ground near the trash can. I know sometimes that's a moving target for you, but we really got to tighten up on miscellaneous trash just being thrown on the course, not at a water
Daphne Kirkwood:station. Yeah, we've actually had complaints filed about trash. While the race is happening and accumulating on greenways and sections of the city. We really need to do a better job. And, like you're doing on your training runs, you're carrying your wrappers with you and you're thrown away when you get home or when see a trash receptacle, please do that. We're just asking that. You do your part in trying to eliminate as much of that litter as possible. And unfortunately this year, if we do see that you're littering outside of a water station zone, you will get disqualified from the event. That's how serious This is and what we've pledged to the city to do better at this year. Do your part. We'll have, if you are running by and you miss that trash can at the water station, there's volunteers there. They'll pick it up and put it in the trash can. It's just you need to have that trash in those water station zones and not just in random spots a mile down the road.
Allison Capps:For sure. Yeah. And along those lines, we are running through several public parks and things like that, so there are other trash cans along the way, so if you just can't stand to hold it, there'll be a trash can. Hold on to it until you find one. So as far as restrooms, Daphne, where are port a johns and restrooms along the way?
Daphne Kirkwood:Every water station will have Port a johns near them the start line and finish line will have Port a johns and yeah, so they're all on the course or public restrooms that will be open and those are on the map as well. People can see those.
Allison Capps:Awesome. And where do you recommend that spectators go for this year's course that being a little different?
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, I would say start at the start line, hang out there and if you want to go immediately after the start to the finish, that's fine. Or if you want to hang out there and see if you can see your runner come through at mile five and a half you can do that and then get on the shuttle to get to the finish. But at Carrier Park, the marathon this is where the shuttle will drop you off close to the finish. The marathon is passing through there at mile 18, 18 and a half and mile 22 and mile 26, and then the half passes through that area, mile 11, 11 and a half and 13. So you're on the course when you get down there to carrier park. I would say that's a great spot to be and then the finish area. Of course, you can walk over there. Just just know there's an active race in progress. Alice and I were talking about this before, just hit the grass. When you see the runners coming towards you so that you can give them space as you're walking from the shuttle area to the finish line, especially. Also that Eblen shortstop, I always call it sicko. Is it not a Citgo? I have no idea. Okay.
Amy Silvers:It has a sit go sign, but like a street sign, but the building itself says Evelyn
Daphne Kirkwood:shortstop on it. Okay. So no parking there. But they do have hamburgers, hot dogs and fresh pizza and all kinds of stuff that you can go in and pick up home ground coffee bar and delis also there that has breakfast. soup, sandwiches, salads. That's on the course before you get over to the finish area. So you can check those out too.
Conserving Carolina is a local land trust that protects our outdoors and creates public lands and trails for running, hiking, mountain biking, rock climbing, birding, fishing, and all of the things that people love to do outdoors. We've protected over 48,000 acres so far, and we are thrilled to benefit from the Asheville Marathon and connect with more members of our outdoor community. If you'd like to become involved, you can learn how to volunteer or become a member@conservingcarolina.org.
Amy Silvers:Okay. Another question I get a lot is the course open to traffic?
Daphne Kirkwood:Yes, both vehicular traffic and people traffic. On the roads, you definitely want to stay on the side of the road and not be taken up the whole thing. I know that's. pretty impossible in the very beginning of the race and that's fine. But as the race thins out, you really need to move more to the side, just like you would if you were on a training training run. And then on the greenway there's several sections where there might be out and back. traffic and just staying to the right as you're running there so that people can pass you and just know that, people might be going to the dog park to take their dog there while the race is happening. So you might just see random people and be courteous and the other foot traffic that's out there. Got
Amy Silvers:it. Okay. Okay. So you've had an amazing run. You've crossed the finish line. You've picked up your gorgeous finisher medal that Allison designed featuring the Asheville skyline. You can grab a bottle of water at the finish line and then head on over to the post race party at Wrong Way Cabins.
Allison Capps:Yeah. We're so excited about this year, the wrong way cabins has been an awesome partner. We know that several of you guys are staying there as part of your marathon weekend experience, which is just awesome. So thank you guys for using them as a partner, but yeah, we're excited to have a lot of different offerings at the post race party this year, you can redeem your beer ticket from our Presenting sponsor Dale's beer. If you're 21 and over and Oscars, Oscar blues brewery produces Dale's beer. So we also have a non alcoholic option and new this year. We are giving you A locally renowned biscuit from biscuit head, which y'all these biscuits are big and they're good and they come with jelly and it's going to be what you want when you finish 26. 2 miles.
Daphne Kirkwood:Oh, yeah, we know.
Amy Silvers:Okay, and others that will be there at the post race party, of course, we'll have photo ops with backdrops that you can throw on your finisher metal. And you're going to want to you're never going to want to take that off. You're going to strut around with that all day anyway. But anyway, you can wear your finisher metal, get some photos with the backdrops. Firefly Realty will be there. Genova Diagnostics will be there. We'll be there we'll have our merchandise tent. If you didn't make it to the expo, we'll have all the race merchandise there. You can also swap your shirt if you need to after the race. We'll have goodie bags for those who didn't swing by the expo to grab one. Sierra will be there from Outshine Physical Therapy and Fitness. If you've got a little twinge or an egg or a something that's not quite right, let her check that out for you. Refuge Coffee will be there. Smokey's Pizza food truck because everybody knows you need to refuel with pizza. Small Cakes, we'll give you a free mini cupcake and There again, it's there. It's like the biscuit. You got to have the cupcake to go with the biscuit. It's
Allison Capps:just we're really like carving these people up
Amy Silvers:and the Maggie Valley band will be there with live music. Okay, results. It, once the results start coming in, it takes a couple minutes for those to populate, but we'll get those posted online at IDAF. net and at Ashevillemarathon. com in case you're looking for those.
Daphne Kirkwood:Hey, Amy, what if somebody wakes up on race morning and they're just not feeling well can, what's their options at that point? Is it too late to do anything or?
Amy Silvers:We do have a virtual option for this event. We just need to know before the race starts, send me an email support at IDAF. net. Let us know, hey, I, you woke up, you're not feeling great, you're not going to be able to make it, so we can pull your Shirt, if you got one and your metal and set that aside for you and get that shipped out for you that will be, you can do that right up until 6 30 on race morning. Sometimes it happens you wake up, you just not feeling the best. And at least there's an option where you can still participate virtually and get your things. Yeah
Allison Capps:our award ceremonies will be not at the finish line, but across the street a wrong way. The half marathon will probably do close to 1030 in the morning and approximately 1130 for the marathon. We'll have awards for the top three finishers overall, male and female. Top three, top overall finishers for Masters male and female, and that's top three Masters this year. And then age group awards in five year age groups. Age increments, sorry, for top three male and female for each.
Amy Silvers:And we have to throw out a special, super special shout out to Mr. Wayne Boynton for helping sponsor our awards categories. He he helps to sponsor awards on many of our events and we're so grateful for his support. So thank you, Mr. Wayne.
Daphne Kirkwood:Yeah, Wayne has always wanted the older population to have equal opportunity to win awards, and so he he's amazing, and we really appreciate his support so that we can add categories to be able to give extra awards. We're really excited. Amy Kochenauer, she's a local artist She's doing a color pencil drawing of the downtown Asheville cityscape for the winners this year age group and overall. We can't wait for you guys to be able to take one of those home and put it on your wall and just admire it the rest of your life.
Allison Capps:That'd be an awesome token to remember a great race from. Speaking of sponsors, who else do we need to mention that we haven't yet? I think
Amy Silvers:we've mentioned a good bit of them. Of course, we're presented by the Asheville Marathon in half this year is presented by Dales and Oscar Blues Brewery. So we want to get that shout out. With a special thanks to them. As some other supporters, Asheville School Beer City CrossFit, Biltmore Farms, Buncombe County EMS, the City of Asheville, of course, for allowing us to do this. Doubletree, again, is our host hotel where we have the expo and we're super grateful for them. Fuel Goods and Runner Box we mentioned. Ham Radio will be in constant communication throughout the event. So we thank them. Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Asheville Downtown, iHeart Media, Mayheck Sports Medicine, O'Reilly Auto Parts. We thank them for letting them, letting us use a bit of their parking lot for one of the water stations. Shout out to them for allowing that. Southern Appalachian anglers, if you are a fly fishing guy or gal like my husband. I call him my fly guy. They're your go to for a great fly fishing trip locally. Give them a look up and get something on the schedule. They'll be glad to take you out. And the fold body work studio.
Daphne Kirkwood:Awesome. We're so grateful for all of them. They really helped elevate this experience for everybody. So thankful. We have one more thing to mention that I can think about, the Appalachian Trilogy because we started that series, and this is the first race in the series for the year, right? It
Allison Capps:is. Our Appalachian Trilogy, we have four half marathons that IDAF events puts on throughout the year, and you need to do three of those to get an extra medal At your third race, and the medals are big and gold and pretty they are really pretty this year. And so when you see this metal, you're gonna want it. So just go ahead and have in the back of your mind to save the date for two of our other events. Come back into town, into Western North Carolina to do them. We have, the next one will be Jump Off Rock, Mother's Day weekend that's in Hendersonville, and it's just the prettiest course that we have. It has to be. And then we have the Rad Half Marathon that runs through the River Arch District and then we have Black Bear in the fall. RADS in June, Black Bear is in October. So you can come back into, this is the tail end of winter, then you could do a spring, summer, and then a fall, all different weekends in the Asheville area in Western North Carolina. And it's so pretty. We have awesome swag to go with it. I mentioned that we'll be selling that at Race Expo to motivate you to keep going throughout the year and to make that. But We have some really cool pieces of sweatshirts, dry fit shirts. We have a couple different varieties than we've had in the past, so it'll be fun.
Amy Silvers:and if you're running the marathon, that also if you're doing the marathon and half and only doing the marathon instead of the half that counts too towards the trilogy. Oh yeah.
Allison Capps:It almost counts extra because Exactly. You're doing 26.2 plus two, 13 point ones. We don't have anything extra to give you, but it's, it does in our brains. It's impressive.
Amy Silvers:Yes, and there's also, it's also worth mentioning. If Asheville is the only time you plan on coming to Asheville this year, but you want that medal, you can run the other events virtually. That's an option and you can submit your time online virtually and still get that beautiful big gold swag.
Daphne Kirkwood:You run for bling, that's the bling you gotta have this year. For sure.
Allison Capps:All
Amy Silvers:right. Anything else you can think of, Daphne? Did we get everything covered?
Daphne Kirkwood:Allison? We're just excited to
Allison Capps:see you there. We want to hear your stories. If you are running for something specific or, you have a really, awesome story, we want to hear it. Come up to us at the race expo. If you recognize us, we love talking to our runners.
Amy Silvers:Absolutely. Yes. It's so great to, to put a name with a face, I email and get your emails and get your phone calls. And a lot of times I'll just say, Hey, stop by the expo and say hello. And I love it when you guys do that. It's we, like Alison said, we love to meet you guys in person. All right. Forward to seeing everybody at the 12th annual Asheville marathon in half. In downtown Asheville on Saturday, March 16th.
Daphne Kirkwood:It'll be here before we know it. Thanks everybody. Bye