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Marathon planning underway

Submitted by Sandra Beggs--We are thrilled to tell you more about the first annual Edge of the World Marathon. We're also hoping some of you can help out. The marathon begins at 8:00 am on July 10 in Queen Charlotte. (That's the Saturday morning of the Edge of the World Music Festival). The 42.2 km race will end at Jack Richardson's field next to the festival site. Every two kilometres or so we will have aid stations to provide racers with water, Gatorade and power gels. In addition there will be three transition zones where the team racers- that is the Half Marathoners and the three shorter kilometer racing members of their team-will trade off. Finally, there is the finish line where all racers will be awarded completion medals. The winners will be acknowledged and much food will be provided for the nutritionally depleted racers. We already have a number of islanders who are training in addition to running clubs from Rupert, Terrace and Smithers. For a first-time event, a great deal of interest has already been generated. There are so many ways you can help.
AID STATION-You will need a table and 3 or 4 people to pass off drinks etc. Garbage bags will be provided for your crew to pick up discarded water cups and gel packages. (we supply all the water etc.) There'll be a prize for the best station-music; cheering, decorations and any effort that inspires the runners would be appreciated. Because the aid stations should be set up every 2 km or so, we ask volunteers to be prepared to man a station and then when all the runners have passed, to move up the line and set up another one. This is a 2 - 3 hour commitment and we need ya!!!
TRANSITION ZONES-Again, a table with 3 or 4 people to greet the finishing runners, track and ready the next runners, and manage traffic if necessary
FINISH LINE-we really need you help here. We would love t if some groups would commit to donating baked goods and/or sandwiches for the runners and station tenders. We'll provide oranges, apples, bananas, yogurt and water but the extra home-made food makes it a particularly wonderful and memorable event for all. We also need a group to man the Finish Line itselfÂ… tracking the participants and their times.
The race is going to be along the correct side of the road, runners facing traffic, to limit dangerous crossings. We're setting up the transition zones in areas where there's plenty of room for the runner's support people to safely park and cheer their people on. There are a few small jobs that would just require one people to take part. Call Race Directors Sandra Beggs (559-8831) or Sarah Loewen (557-2077) to volunteer.
A special note to runners- If you're interested in running a shorter distance, we are keeping a list for creating teams if you don't already have a team in place.