POST RACE LETTER FROM THE RACE ORGANIZERSDear Runners:
On behalf of the City of Baltimore, our Title Sponsor Under Armour and Corrigan Sports Enterprises, let me once again thank you for your support of the 2007 Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival. We try very hard each year to make this event one of the best on the Fall racing calendar and could not do that without the support and input from each and every one of our participants.
This year we were blessed with great weather. The race day temperatures allowed for an enjoyable race not only for the runner but also for the friends, families and supporters that came out to cheer you on during your 26.2 mile jaunt around Charm City.
We have reviewed the survey results and recapped the day’s events with the pertinent parities within the City of Baltimore and have come up with the following list of improvements that we are considering for 2008.
1) Half-Marathon Adjustments- We plan to implement a wave start for the 2008 CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon. This will come in the form of 2-4 waves, grouped according to expected finish time, starting 3-5 minutes apart. Although most runners told us that this was the best “merge” to date, we do feel like that wave start will spread the half marathoners out more evenly and allow for the slower half marathoners to join the combined course more in line with their pace. Along with that, we will also be adding and enforcing pace group alignments at the start. We are confident these two adjustments will help the crowding issue and will keep the merge with the Marathoners a smooth transition. We will also be providing sound further down Light Street for all of the staged runners so they can hear what is being said at the Start line.
2) New or Revamped Expo Location- After seven years, it appears that we might be outgrowing our expo location. We have enjoyed the use of the stadium for many reasons. 1) Its uniqueness to Baltimore, 2) Its prime location with tons of free parking 3) The logistical advantages of allowing runners to have a “dry run” trip to the Start/Finish site a day or two before race day. However, we did experience at times when the area just was not big enough for the crowds. Some possible improvements are 1) Extended Hours, 2) More Signage and Maps 3) New Layout 3) New Location, possibly the new Convention Center Hotel located just outside the Camden Yards outfield wall. We will keep you abreast of any changes. Interesting fact: This year because our local runners were very compliant with our wishes to get to the Expo Thursday, Thursday at 1:00 ended up being the most crowded time of the expo. We experienced quite the back-up but were able to get things under control after about 45 Minutes. The rest of the Expo/packet pick-up was very heavy throughout but without major delays.
3) Tweaking the Runner Compound area - Again, reports were that 2007 was the best year yet but with additional growth we are exploring ways to improve this area as well. The area this year was created with two areas, an immediate finish area that we really designed with the thought that runners would clear thru there rather quickly (Not hang out there) that area was well stocked with Water, Oranges, Apples, Bananas, Nutrigrain Bars, Power Bars, Potato Chips and Pretzels as well as Gatorade and then a secondary area that we thought runners would take a little more time getting through, that area was also stocked with food and water, medals (in case you did not get them in the immediate finish area). Last year we also created for the first time a Team Relay reunion zone which was well received and certainly well used that had food, beverages and medals in and provided a good place for all the team members to reconnect with one another. We will be expanding that. We will create wider and more exit points for the Runners Compound. We are considering moving the Bag Check to the Celebration Village side of things, allowing for more room in the Runner’s Compound.
4) Celebration Village – It was crowded this year for sure. We will be expanding the area and redesigning the location of the Stage, Beer Trucks, Food Vendors, etc to make it more manageable for runners and fans. The Jumbotron was once again a big hit. Look for it to return in 08.
5) Signage Signage and More Maps – Every year we add more signage and every year we feel like we need to add even more, so we will. On the course, in the Runners Village, in the Celebration Village we will be creating more Signage and Maps to better inform and direct runners. We also plan for even more signage such as the “YOU ARE HERE” maps you often see at Malls and Attractions in both the runner compound and Celebration Village areas.
6) Stronger Community Outreach- We feel the citizens of Baltimore are really catching on to the thrill, pride and enjoyment of cheering for the runners as they pass the various neighborhoods. We hope to build on this by continuing to reach out to schools, organizations and church groups and have them plan their day’s activities around the race course. We will be working with our sponsors, city development organizations and our volunteer coordinators, Special Olympics of Maryland, to come up with and provide further incentives to get neighborhood associations out with the waterstop groups to support of the race and our participants.
7) Kids Fun Run: We will be dedicating an entire group to this endeavor. Every year this event gets bigger. To keep up with the demand and the very important details of corralling and herding the kids from the Kids Zone, the Start Line, the finish line and back to the kid’s zone, we will be dedicating 10 people to this effort. We will also allow parents to pick up the kid’s packet and shirts at the expo prior to race day
8) A Bunch of Other items on our Radar Screen:
a. A Band Playing all-day at Lake Montebello for the Runners
b. Lower the volume of the Main Stage in the Celebration Village
c. More Picnic Benches in the Celebration Village
d. More Food for the Runners at the finish and on the course
e. More Porta Potties at the Start Lines and at the Relay Exchange points on the course
f. More Clocks on the Course
g. More Trash cans/Boxes in the Village and at the Start Lines
h. Stands at the Finish Line
i. Relay Registration – we will work with Active.com to develop the easiest way to register a team and its individuals
j. Relay Exchange Points will be beefed up with more bib # signage
Once again, we thank you for your participation, support and feedback on the Baltimore Running Festival. We hope that we have shown you that your opinions and suggestions are a part of our yearly event improvement plan and that we are committed to creating a fun and friendly race for everyone that gets a little bit bigger and better each and every year. This year 96% of you who participated in the survey reported that you would recommend our event. We appreciate your vote of confidence.
We hope to see you again next year as we run the 8th Annual Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival on October 11, 2008!
Sincerely Yours,
Lee Corrigan
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