46th Annual John F. Kennedy 50 Mile Run
LIMITED STARTING FIELD: The 2008 JFK 50 Mile starting field will be strictly limited to 1,000 starters. Entries will be reviewed on a first-come, first-serve basis. Race Organizers expect the field to be filled by the end of August if not sooner.
START INFORMATION: The JFK 50 Mile will start promptly at 7:00 a.m. from U.S. Alternate 40 adjacent to the Boonsboro Educational Complex in downtown Boonsboro, Maryland. An optional 5:00 a.m. start will be held for a very limited number of accepted "applying participants" who anticipate needing more than 12-hours to finish. Those starting at 5:00 a.m. will have a 14-hour time-limit. THOSE APPLYING FOR A 5:00 A.M. START POSITION MUST INCUDE A WRITTEN "APPEAL" WITH THEIR ENTRY STATING THEIR REASONING FOR SEEKING A 5:00 A.M. START POSITION. RACE ORGANIZERS WILL ACCEPT NO MORE THAN
250 STARTERS INTO THE 5:00 A.M. START.
DIRECTIONS TO START: From the North, take Interstate 81 South to Interstate 70 East, exit Interstate 70 on to MD Rt. 66 and proceed South towards Boonsboro. From the South, take Interstate 81 North to Interstate 70 East, exit Interstate 70 on to MD Rt. 66 South towards Boonsboro. From the East, take Interstate 70 West to MD Rt. 66 South towards Boonsboro. From the West, take Interstate 70 East to MD Rt. 66, Take MD Rt. 66 South towards Boonsboro. Race morning packet pick-up and parking is at Boonsboro High School in the Boonsboro Education Complex at the intersection of MD Rt. 66 and U.S. Alternate Rt. 40. Special note to those using the 5:00 a.m. start: 5:00 a.m. starters must pick-up their packets on Friday, November 21, 2008 or make other special arrangements with the race organizers. See details for the Friday Packet Pick-up later in this information packet.
FINISH INFORMATION: The JFK 50 Mile course is a point-to-point "horse-shoe" configuration finishing at Springfield Middle School in Williamsport, Maryland. Shuttle Buses will be on hand to bring participants back to Boonsboro Education Complex beginning at 3:15 p.m. and will run regularly until 7:30 p.m. Spectators and handlers should park at the adjacent Williamsport High School parking lots.
PACKET PICK-UP INFORMATION: Race numbers and packets can be picked up at the FOUR POINTS BY SHERATON on U.S. Rt. 40 (on East side of Hagerstown) from 3:00-7:00 p.m. on Friday, November 21, 2008 or at the Boonsboro High School Gymnasium on racing morning between 5:20 a.m. — 6:20 a.m. SPECIAL NOTE: THOSE PARTICIPANTS ACCEPTED INTO THE 5:00 A.M. START, MUST PICK-UP THEIR RACE NUMBERS AND PACKETS FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2008, UNLESS OTHER SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH THE RACE ORGANIZERS. NOTE TO ALL PARTICIPANTS: NO NUMBERS WILL DISTRIBUTED AFTER 6:20 A.M. ON RACE MORNING. MAKE SURE TO ALLOW ENOUGH TIME IF YOU PLAN TO PICK-UP YOUR NUMBER ON RACE MORNING!
PRE-RACE BRIEFING MEETING: A mandatory pre-race participant briefing meeting will be held on race morning in the Boonsboro High School Gymnasium at 4:20 a.m. for those using the 5:00 a.m. start. The mandatory pre-race briefing for the 7:00 a.m. starters will be held at 6:20 a.m. in the Boonsboro High School Gymnasium.
BAG TRANSPORT: Participant bags will be transported from the start staging area (outside the Boonsboro High School Gymnasium) to the finish line area (the south inside wall of the Springfield Middle School Gymnasium). Make sure identification (include name, mailing address and telephone number) is attached to the bag. DO NOT LEAVE VALUABLES IN THE BAGS.
PERSONAL LISTENING DEVICES: Personal listening devices are illegal in sanctioned USATF and RRCA events. Any one caught (or photographed) using a personal listening device will be disqualified and their names/results removed from the official results.
AID STATIONS: This year's JFK 50 Mile will have a minimum of 14 fully stocked Aid Stations on the course. Provisions at these stations will include: colas, Gatorade, water, sandwiches, salted items, sweet items, energy gels, energy bars and basic first aid supplies. Some later aid stations may have hot drinks. The tentative locations are at approximately the 4, 10, 16, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30, 34, 38, 42, 44, 46 and 48 mile points.
PERSONAL HANDLERS: Personal Handlers are still "tolerated" at points designated by race organizers on the course. These locations are: Gathland Gap (9.3 miles), Weverton Cliffs exit (15.0 miles), Antietam Aqueduct (27.1 miles), Taylor's Landing (38.0 miles) and Downsville (46.0 miles). Due to heavy congestion problems along the course –causing major concerns from the local police and National Park Service—the race organizers plea, that if at all possible, please leave the "course support" up to the race officials and volunteers (more that 350) out on the course. If you do decide to use personal handlers, make sure they only meet you at the aforementioned race designated points and that they are instructed to yield "right-of-way" at all times to Park Service Personnel, officials, volunteers, participants, vehicles and pedestrians on the course. SPECIAL NOTE TO HANDLERS: Vehicle traffic on the JFK 50 Mile's final 8.4 mile road section will be limited to only race organizers, law enforcement vehicles, and local traffic between the hours of 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on November 22, 2008. Handlers in automobiles or on bicycles will not be allowed access to the final 8.4 mile section of the JFK 50 Mile course. Violators of this request will subject their participants to disqualification.
PACERS AND/OR COMPANIONS: Pacers and/or companions are greatly discouraged, but will be allowed for the "general field". However, any male runner hoping for a top-ten finish, or female hoping for a top-five female finish, should compete unaccompanied by a pacer/companion on foot or by bicycle at all times during the event. Those "contenders" failing to abide by this rule could subject themselves to disqualification and exclusion from overall awards, age-group awards and prize moneys.
COURSE DESCRIPTION: The first 2.5 miles are on a well-paved road that climbs up 500 feet to meet the Appalachian Trail. The next 13.0 miles basically (except for two miles of paved road between 3.5 and 5.5 miles) follow this rolling and sometimes very rocky section of the famous North-South footpath. At approximately 14.5 miles the course goes down a series of steep "switchbacks" that then crosses under Rt. 340 and connects with the C&O Canal towpath. The "Canal" section of the JFK 50 Mile is 26.3 miles (from 15.5-41.8 miles) of almost totally flat unpaved dirt surface that is free of all automotive traffic. The JFK 50 Mile route leaves the C&O Canal towpath at Dam #4 and proceeds to follow gently rolling paved country roads the last 8.4 miles to the finish.
TIME CUT-OFFS FOR 5:00 A.M. STARTERS:
9.3 Miles (Gathland Gap) 3 hours and 30 minutes (8:30 a.m.)
15.5 Miles (Weverton Aid Station) 5 hours and 30 minutes (10:30 a.m.)
27.1 Miles (Antietam Aid Station) 8 hours and 00 minutes (1:00 p.m.)
34.4 Miles (Snyder's Landing) 9 hours and 45 minutes (2:45 p.m.)
38.4 Miles (Taylor's Landing) 11 hours and 00 minutes (4:00 p.m.)
41.8 Miles (Dam #4) 12 hours and 00 minutes (5:00 p.m.)
46.0 Miles (Downsville) 13 hours and 00 minutes (6:00 p.m.)
50.2 Miles (Finish Line) 14 hours and 00 minutes (7:00 p.m.)
TIME CUT-OFFS FOR 7:00 A.M. STARTERS:
9.3 Miles (Gathland Gap) 2 hours and 30 minutes (9:30 a.m.)
15.5 Miles (Weverton Aid Station) 4 hours and 30 minutes (11:30 a.m.)
27.1 Miles (Antietam Aid Station) 6 hours and 45 minutes (1:45 p.m.)
34.4 Miles (Snyder's Landing) 8 hours and 00 minutes (3:00 p.m.)
38.4 Miles (Taylor's Landing) 9 hours and 00 minutes (4:00 p.m.)
41.8 Miles (Dam #4) 10 hours and 00 minutes (5:00 p.m.)
46.0 Miles (Downsville) 11 hours and 00 minutes (6:00 p.m.)
50.2 Miles (Finish Line) 12 hours and 00 minutes (7:00 p.m.)
IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to insurance regulations, no participants can be allowed access to any part of the course after 7:00 p.m. --the time cut-off for both the 5:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. starters. Any participants still on the course after 7:00 p.m. will be picked up by official sweeper vehicles and transported to Springfield Middle School. No times will be recorded —or medals awarded—after the official 7:00 p.m. finish line time cut-off. Participants missing any time cut-offs along the course must withdraw. Any participant not abiding by this request will be denied entry to future JFK 50 Mile events.