Packet Pick up Info and Faq sheet

Q: Where is packet pick up the night before the race and do you know where we can get pasta that night also?
A: Packet pick up is held at Olshac (Old Logandale School House in Logandale), 3011 N Moapa Valley Blvd Logandale, NV 89021 (702) 398-7272 It is held from 5pm to 8pm and the spaghetti dinner is held in the same location. You can purchase tickets in advance for the spaghetti dinner by sending $10 per person through paypal to valleyoffiremarathon@yahoo.com. Dinners must be prepaid.

Q: Do you have a place we can leave warm ups and such at the start and on the course?
A: You can leave your stuff in a drop box located by the awards table, its your responsibility to mark it and claim it. If you need to remove clothing or other stuff during the race, do so at an aid station. All articles left at aid stations will be returned to the finish area and added to the drop box when the aid station is closed. After the race the drop box will be available through Monday morning at the visitors center by the start line. After Monday morning, all items will be discarded. No items will be mailed. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Q: What happens if I become injured and am unable to race?
A: You may still pick up your goody bag and shirt at packet pick up or have someone who has a copy of your photo I.D. do so on your behalf. We will not be transfering registrations to the next year anymore. We will NOT mail any shirts. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Q: Is this a Boston qualifying course?
A: No it is not.

Q: Is there a time limit for any of the races?
A: Yes, we must have the last runner off the course within 7 hours.

Q: If I can't run can someone else use my registration?
A: Yes, you can transfer your entry to someone else, just let me know who that individual is and they must submit a completed registration form.

Q: Can I get a refund because I can't run?
A: Unfortunately, since I use the registration money to pay for the shirts, medals, fees, etc I can not give out refunds.

Q: What is the profile for the full and the 1/2 marathon?
A: Elevation charts for the full and the half are on the course tab.


Q: What services will be available during the race?
A. There will be HEED, water at every aid station and bananas and oranges at every other aid station starting at the second one. Hammer Gels will also be available at mile 13 and at the turn around (about mile 20). There should be a porta potty or park restroom close to each aid station as well .

Q: What is a typical temperature in November?
A: Temperatures are usually in the high 60's to mid 70’s during the day, mid 40's at night. Race day history; 2001: Partly cloudy, on the cooler side. 2003: high winds, long running clothes, gloves, and hats needed. 2004: Sunny and nice. 2005 sunny and warm. 2006 overcast with a light breeze, 2008 partly cloudy and cool, perfect running weather.

Q: Where do I park my car?
A: You will go to the intersection of Hwy 169 and the visitors center in the park and park in the wash at the southside of the intersection. Watch for the "parking sign" and guys in orange vests.

Q: Is this an open course?
A: The entire half marathon and 10k course (the fulls run the half course too) is closed. If you have family who want to see you on the course they can either be on the race route before it starts (they will have to stay until we have opened the course again) or wait for you at the finish line. The full marathoners will do the second half on hwy 169 and can be seen from various access points.

Q: Do you allow strollers in the race?
A: No, we do not, this is a change in policy but a needed one.

Q: Can someone ride their bike or roller blades with me while I run?
A: No, again a needed policy change.

Q. What is the running surface?
A. The race is 90% on asphalt with the remainder on gravel roads .

Q: When are awards presented??
A. Awards are given out as runners come in and results are posted. We do NOT have an official awards ceremony. If you leave without receiving your award, it will NOT be mailed to you. Please make sure you check the awards table before leaving.

Q: Will I receive a shirt if I register at the last minute?
A. Yes you will receive a tech shirt but we will not guarantee that it will be the correct size. Shirt sizes will be submitted to the manufacturer on November 1st. We are ordering 600 shirts (our full cap of runners) and will make a guess at the remaining shirt sizes. The early registration gets the correct size.

Q: How do the caps work?
A. We have decided to cap the amount of runners due to parking constraints. We will only accept a total of 600 runners (650 including the kids fun run). However, we will allow more than 200 in any race assuming the overall cap is not met. Meaning that we can have 300 fulls, 180 halfs and 120 10ks. The overall cap is the number that matters. As we get close to race day its imperative that you watch the main page of the website for updated numbers!! Once the cap is met, registration for all races will close.

Q: Do you have a description of the course as it lays out - hills, gravel, etc.?
A: This is a description of the full marathon course and since the 10k and half are all part of it, I thought you might find it beneficial, this is from a runners race report from 2008. I have added edits in red.

The first mile was uphill, west up a road and through a slot canyon. The rock formations on each side are red sandstone, which is where the valley gets its name, sculpted by wind and water and most impressive. We reach a crest and see the front runners disappearing in the distance.Full and half marathoners will turn right here onto a gravel road (1.5 miles approx) out to Fire Canyon and come back to the main road."we were doing a small out-and-back up a gravel road to an overlook, which turned out to be well worth the extra mile. The formations are almost pure silica and are quite a sight in the morning sun. The sign says that many of these are about 150,000,000 years old. Wow. When they were laid down, the dinosaurs were just starting to walk the earth." The 10k runners DO NOT make the turn at Fire Canyon but proceed straight out towards White Domes til they hit the 10k turn around and return to the finish. Once the half and full marathoners return to the main road, "the next few miles are up, down, up, down, until we reached the turnaround point, which is called White Domes. We'd been passing some gorgeous rock formations and got a second chance to admire them on the way back. Last year you were on used the honor system as to the fire canyon turn off, this year there will be someone video taping all runners out at that turn around.

"Back through the slot canyon to the start, including a fast run down the road we labored up in the first mile. 10K and Halfers went to the left and the finish line, while full runners went to the right.

And this is where it got tough. It was 7 miles of hard uphill slog. I got passed by a few people and passed a few more. We had a detour around Atlatl Rock, (this isn’t really a detour but a planned part of the course, however about ¾ of a mile of it is on gravel) where we got to see petroglyphs! Very interesting. Then Arch Rock, which has a big natural arch sculpted by wind and which will eventually collapse, but, says the sign, not for a few thousand years yet. (One advantage to being a back-of-the-packer: you get to see and appreciate a lot more of the surroundings than the serious racers who are focusing on the few feet of pavement immediately in front of them at all times.) We finished circling the rocky outcrops and got back onto the road, still going up. I stopped at each aid station and ate some sliced oranges. They were letting cars into the park so the aid station folks warned me to stay left and watch the traffic runners must stay on the right side of the road or on the edge of the west bound lane out and back - and they were right, some people were not driving safely. I'm used to it, but I suspect some runners are going to be intimidated by oncoming traffic. One nice thing about the second half being a big out-and-back is that you get to see the same people several times, so you know how you're doing and can greet other runners as you pass them.

Up to the top of a very steep hill, and I thought the turnaround was at the top, but no, it was 3/4 of a mile farther onto the plateau. I reached the turnaround point and get ready to cross the road to the aid station and head back, and (*&$(*&^)$!! Here come four cars in succession this is exactly why runners are supposed to stay on one side of the street only, so I had to wait for them. I swear they were waiting around the corner for me! Back down, and I was wondering if I'd DFL, if everyone behind me decided to DNF the full and settle for the half, but I saw six behind me so I realized that I was not last. I knew I could hold my place if I had to. It was all downhill (well, except the last 50 yards) from here. Back down the hill we worked so hard to go up. Past the ranger station again, long slog to the rock outcrops, past formations we didn't see on the way up. One group is named the Beehives, and they do actually look like beehives. Finished and got greeted by two volunteers and one brown hairy tarantula.

Keep the questions coming, they help my other runners!!