Gettin' an early start on race details!
Hello to the 1500 folks who have signed up for the 2018 TMC Get Moving Tucson Half-Marathon series of events to be held on Sunday morning, October 28th.  (And yes, as I write this there are exactly one thousand and five hundred registrants!)

Randy Accetta here, writing on behalf of the race organizing team of Tia Accetta and Linda Whelan with some details (OK, really, a lot of details) on this month's TMC Get Moving Tucson events. We'll send out additional updates, but remember that you can always go to the SAR website at www.azroadrunners.org  for updates.

You can check to see if your registration is accurate in two places: at the SAR site or on our race registration page . If you want to change your race distance, please send me an email and we'll get you squared away ( [email protected] ).

Also, we always welcome volunteers -- so if you want to help out before or after the race, we're happy to take a helping hand. If you know anyone else who wants to hand out water or gatorade or help hand out medals at the finish line (or even be our lead bike rider for men and women) we'd love to hear from them. They can write Tia at [email protected].

Thanks for being part of the TMC Get Moving Tucson -- and good luck with your final weeks of training!

--Randy
1) Packet Pickup Schedule
Saturday, October 27 at The Running Shop, 3055 North Campbell Avenue
10:00 - 1:00 Race Registration and Packet Pick up at The Running Shop
YES: it will be crowded, so please be nice and be patient.
YES: we have unisex and women's sizing.
YES: please be patient with your fellow runners and please be nice to the volunteers and the Running Shop staff.
NO: you cannot pick up your finisher's medal before finishing the race.

Sunday, October 28: Race Morning at start/finish area, Jacome Plaza, 115 North Church 
5:20 am Final in-person registration and packet pick-up begins -- same yes and no applies!

2) Race Day Schedule
Check out parking at the  Downtown Tucson Partnership website here .

5:20 am Begin packet pick-up -- ending 15 minutes before each of the race events. NOTE: Early Half-Marathon Start is at 5:45 and TMC Half start is at 6:30, so be sure you allow time to get your stuff

5:45 Early Start 
* If you think it will take you more than 3 hours to do the half-marathon, please consider doing the early start. This will help ensure your personal safety as the day heats up, as well as help the ambulance units, police, and volunteers who are tasked with making sure you stay safe.  
* Check in for the early start is at the starting line at Church and Pennington -- please check in with timer before the race
*Early starters 65+ are eligible for age-group awards and Grand Prix Points, but early starters under 65 are not eligible for age group awards, Grand Prix points, or prize money.)

6:30 am Official TMC Half-Marathon Start 

Ongoing Festivities
  • VitaCoco will provide cold Coconut Water protein recovery drinks to all finishers
  • Gatorade will be available, too
  • Tucson Medical Center will host a sponsor tent with snack food
  • The Running Shop and others will host sponsor tents, as well
  • 2-EE The Clown will be foolin' around with balloons and face-painting, while Cox Charities will host a jumping castle for the kiddos. 
  • Race beneficiary Team Hoyt will provide free coffee each morning.
  • Some of the race director's University of Arizona students at the McGuire Center for Entrepreneurship will be on hand to talk about their new business ventures. A few of the student teams are seeking feedback from runners and walkers on their venture ideas, so please stop by and talk with them!
 
8:00 am Official Tucson Lifestyle 5k Run/Walk Start

9:00 am Cox Charities Costume Mile and FitKidz Free One Mile for children under 12 years old. All FitKidz receive a 2017 TMC Get Moving medallion and receive SAR goodies

9:30 or so, at the Main Stage: Awards Ceremonies and Charity Giv e -- be on hand to celebrate Team Hoyt Arizona, the Southern Arizona Roadrunners, Watershed Management, Presidio san Agustin del Tucson, the BEYOND-Tucson Foundation -- courtesy of Cox Charities and TMC 

Course Closure Times  (These are the tentative closure times, with final details to be determined by Tucson Police Department on event day as the situation warrants)

9:00 am 10 mile mark at Santa Cruz River Path near Starr Pass - please start early if you are worried about this!

10:00 Mile 12: All TMC Half-Marathon participants routed to sidewalk or picked up by sag vehicle, depending on TPD decision for safety of participants

10:30 Timing at Finish Line Closes

11:00 Breakdown of Event Site

3) Medals and Awards 
All finishers in the 5k and the half-marathon receive the special TMC Get Moving commemorative medallion, crafted by industry-leader Ashworth Awards.
 
The 2018 Half-Marathon Prize Money Structure 
* $100 to first overall male and $100 to first overall female; $50 to top overall Master's (Over-40) male and female
* $200 to the top 5 males who break 1:13 and to the top 5 females who break 1:26
* $500 for course records. Current course records are Scott Smith's 1:06:23 (2012) and Jennifer Bergman's 1:19:44 (2015)
* $50 to first male and female member of the Southern Arizona Roadrunners
* $100 to first man and woman at the preem (men must finish in under 1:30, women in under 1:45)
  • Headphones are not allowed in prize money competition; prize money will not be given to runners wearing headphones
  • All runners must pass the multiple timing mats on the course. Runners not passing the multiple mats will be disqualified and removed from prize consideration
  • Prize money awards are based on "gun" starting time for overall and masters, and chip time for age group.
  • Runners who break the course record will receive $500, but not the additional $200

2018 Age Group Awards for both 5k and Half-Marathon courtesy of the Running Shop
Prize money awards are based on "gun" starting time for overall and masters, and chip time for age group.

TMC Half-Marathon
Overall 1: Cash + commemorative mug
Overall 2, 3: $40, $30 gift cert to the Running Shop + commemorative mug 
Masters 1: Cash + commemorative mug 
AG 1: $20 gift cert to Running Shop + commemorative mug 
AG 2: $15 gift cert to Running Shop + commemorative mug 
AG 3: commemorative mug 

Tucson Lifestyle 5K Run/Walk
Overall 1, 2, 3: $30, $25, $20 gc to Running Shop + commemorative mug 
Masters 1: $20 gc to Running Shop + commemorative mug
AG 1: commemorative mug 
4) Course Updates - please see map below
TMC A-Mountain Half-Marathon
We're back to the original course, through Downtown and West University, over to the Sentinel Peak, along Grande and the Riverpath, then back along St. Mary's to Jacome Plaza. The turn-around on the riverpath will have a big ol' Roadrunners Timing inflatable arch, so you will have to cross the mat heading south, then turn and cross it again heading north. Easy-peasy -- but if you do not have a time marker at that mat, you will be disqualified.  

All Half-Marathoners are asked to stay to the right on the path at all times. Thus, when you head south we ask that you stay on the west side of the riverpath, then when you head north you will also stay on the right, on the east against the riverbed. The Riverpath is open to pedestrians. We will have signage explaining that a special event is occurring, but please note that others will be on the path so please do not wear headphones for personal safety.

Water Stations:  at approximately 3.1, 4.5, 6.5 & 7.5, 9.5 & 10.5, and 12.  We will have Gatorade on the Riverpath.

PortOJohns : There will be bathrooms at the 3.1 mile mark and at the water stop near the 9.5 mile mark on Grande.

Certified : The TMC Half-Marathon is a USATF certified course measured by Dave Hill.

Tucson Lifestyle 5k Course
This course stays the same as always, with one lap of the staging area, then the loop around West University. It is measured, but not certified. The 5k will have a water stop staffed by the Sam Hughes Huskies grade school cross country team.

Cox Charities Family Mile and SAR FitKidz Mile
This short-mile course stays the same as recent years, with the loop of Court and Meyer Street, starting and finishing where the Half-Marathon finishes. Special thanks to the SAR team led by Diane Manzini for coordinating all the SAR FitKidz goodies.  

Special thanks to Cox Charities for help with the children's activities, including the jumping castle and face painting! All adults are free, but they must register and they will not receive a shirt or finisher medal.

Don't forget -- wear a costume!  

5) Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown Notes
This is the third and final leg of the 2018 Gabe Zimmerman Triple Crown. A few things to know about this:
1) Your registration has raised $9,500 for the BEYOND-Tucson Foundation, dedicated to improving the health and well-being of our community --  click here  to know more about this wonderful local charity.

2) All runners will receive the same finisher's coaster medallion -- you as GZTC registrants are the only ones to have received the first medallion, though, so you will have the completed series.

3) For those GZTC registrants who cannot be in town, you can simply run 3.1 or 13.1 miles at anytime this weekend then post your run photos to the SAR  instagram  or  facebook  pages and the Run Tucson  instagram  page and  facebook  page.

4) Out-of-town Virtual Folks: we will mail the shirts and medals soon -- we're waiting for them to arrive, then we'll mail everything to you!

6) Additional Details
Spectators : The course is open to all spectators. We ask that spectators follow traffic laws and be careful if on bicycles (for instance, no cars on the closed roads or the Loop), but we'd love to see all your friends and families out on the course cheering for you! 
 
Headphones : Please do not wear headphones. It is a safety hazard and a potential disruption to those near you. We have live music at multiple locations on the course and recorded music at three, so there is plenty of opportunity to get jazzed up! Plus, you can always chat with your running neighbor. 
 
Weather : Race morning is supposed to be clear with start-time temperature of 55 and 78 by 10:00 am. Wear a hat and sunscreen and if you will be out for more than two hours, please bring water!

Timing : Please put your bib number on the front of your shirt using the pins provided at registration. Greg Wenneborg is our official timer, and he will time the race with the IPICO system.
NOTE: Following USATF standards, official results, all cash prize money, and all age-group awards will be by "gun time."  
NOTE: All late starters will receive the gun time as their official starting time.   

ParkingParkingParking: There is plenty of free street parking in Downtown Tucson on race morning. See maps put out by our friends at the  Downtown Tucson Partnership .

Please note that the Joel D. Valdez Library parking lot will most likely be off-limits because Alameda will be closed to traffic on race morning.  

No Pets: Please do not bring pets to the event - and do not leave them in your car!!    
 

7) Social Media & Photos
Please share your story -- we use instagram and twitter and facebook primarily, but we're trying to do more on youtube, too. Tag @RunSAR and @RunTucson, use hashtags #getmovingtucson, #gabezimmermantriplecrown, #runtucson and whatever else you think is creative: #costumerun or #mylegshurtfromrunningtoofast or #runningforbeer or whatever you want!

Photos:  Our friend Kerry Whelan, aka, Goatographer, will be running about snapping race photos. Check out his facebook page:  facebook.com/goatographer  . As Kerry says, "They'll be a lot of you out there, so best not be shy if you want your happy face and winning style recorded for posterity."

Our other friend, Damion Alexander, will be the lead bike rider, snapping pictures from that vantage point. Check him out  here . 
 
Please share your photos with us @RunSAR and @RunTucson!
THANKS!

We're glad you're part of our awesome Halloween running weekend!
NEXT UP: Free social runs, coached groups, & awesome races!
Monday: join us at the free Meet Me at Maynard's Walk/Run in Downtown Tucson. Show up anytime from 5-6:30.

Tuesday and Thursday: join our Workout Group for track repeats, fartlek workouts, or easy running. Reid Park, 6:00 pm.

Wednesday: join us at the free Meet Me Wednesday's at S. Phillips Plaza, along the Rillito Riverpath. Show up anytime 5-6:30.
December 1, 2018:
TMC BE TUCSON 5k
We've put together a super-cool and speedy course that starts in front of the Kino Veteran's Memorial Stadium and ends on the centerfield of the stadium. Beautiful views, unique and fast course --great for personal bests and awesome for havin' fun!
The first 300 male and female registrants receive the free wine glass, while all registrants receive soft & comfortable TMC BE Tucson shirt. Register Here.
January 1, 2019: Hair of the Dog Inaugural New Year's Day 8k & Doggie Mile
Welcome to the New Year’s Day HAIR OF THE DOG Run/Walk, benefiting the Humane Society of Southern Arizona. All registrants receive an Event Finisher’s Glass, and a Collectible Poster Art + a free beer at the Dragoon Brewing Co. Beer Garden (or non-alcoholic beverage). Post-race treats, sweet or savory, compliments of Le Buzz Caffe, the famed east-side European style patisserie. Info and Registration Here.
For information about our events, the RRCA, and The Workout Group, contact Randy Accetta
(520) 991-0733
For information about in-person, online, or group coaching, contact contact Tia Accetta.
(520)891-4369