Dream Chaser will not be returning in 2020.
COURSE
The course is a 2.55 mile loop using the paved (asphalt) trails at Pinson Mounds Archaeological Park. The course is almost completely flat. Runners will have a small out-and-back section to cover to get to their chosen distance.
You’ll pass by the main aid station multiple times, so your crew does not need to travel to help take care of you, though they are welcome to if they’d like. The main aid station will have cooked food, tables and tables of snacks and Gu and drinks and ice and first aid, and cowbells, of course.
This is not and will not be a certified course. The distance will be correct and will be measured with a wheel on the ground (we’ve never had a short course and we don’t intend to start now!) If your GPS reads long – we won’t charge you extra. If your GPS reads short, you’re welcome to keep running. Remember that every GPS watch is different and many are not 100% accurate, particularly in the woods.
AID STATION
If you’ve ever been to one of our events, you know we spare no expense at our aid stations. Since this race includes ultramarathon distance, we’ve expanded our aid station offerings even further!
The aid station will be located at the group camp dining hall. You will pass by the aid station multiple times throughout the race. This means you’ll always know what’s going to be there, and if you want something specific, we have some time to cook it for you!
FLUIDS
The aid stations will have throughout the day and night: water, Gatorade, ginger ale, Coke, Mountain Dew, Yankee Coke (Pepsi) other sodas, fruit juices, coffee, hot chocolate, and chocolate milk (as well as non-dairy chocolate milk.) We’ll also have plenty of ice and popsicles!
FOOD
Let’s be honest: we think ultramarathons are really just eating contests with some running thrown in. We also know that the food is what is going to keep you going during this race, so we will be prepared!
The following food will be available: oatmeal, bagels, potatoes, bananas, hard boiled eggs, candy bars, chocolate candy, gummy candy, hard candy, oranges, apples, grapes, fig newtons, various cookies, bacon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, cold cut sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, trail mix, potato chips (in a variety of flavors), pretzels, raisins, pickles, dried fruit, tortilla wraps (hummus and kalamata olive wraps, bean and cheese burrito wraps), muffins, cupcakes, Pop Tarts, brownies, pudding cups, and of course energy gels. This is not an exhaustive list, and our race director will likely add more than this to the aid station tables.
After noon, you can expect to see the addition of quesadillas, soups (chicken noodle, vegetable, lentil, vegetable broth), pizza rolls, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, chili and cornbread (and Fritos), baked potatoes with all the toppings, macaroni and cheese.
If you’ve ever finished a race and gotten nothing but a green banana and maybe some cold pizza, you’re in for a real treat! The aid station food is also your post-race buffet, and all runners going half marathon or further, your registration fee covers all you can eat, whether you’re running a half marathon or 100 miles. Wristbands that cover food for spectators, crew, and runners going less than the half marathon distance are available for purchase.
The aid station will also have a variety of medical aid products, including, but not limited to, Tums, Immodium-AD, Vaseline, salt tablets, band aids, medical tape, feminine products, baby wipes, and sunscreen. We cannot provide pain killers due to insurance restrictions, so please be prepared to bring your own.
Crews, pacers, and spectators may purchase wristbands for access to the aid station food and pre- and post-race food. Wristbands give access to all of the runner food including pre-race pasta dinner on Friday night, food all day on Saturday, food all day on Sunday, and on Monday until around noon.
RACE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Friday Night – 10/4/18
Packet pickup is from 5-8pm at the Group Camp Group Lodge.
Dinner will be served at the Group Lodge beginning at 6pm on Friday, October 5th. Pasta with sauce (meat sauce and vegetarian sauces), bread, salad, and dessert will be available. Water, Gatorade, and sweet tea will be available to drink.
Included for all race participants and paid pacers or spectators with wristbands. Please pre-register for dinner when you register for the race so we can plan to have enough food! Running out of food is a no-no in our book, but if you show up with your extended family, and all of Aunt Edna’s neighbors, and your best friend and her softball team, without giving us fair warning, well, we might just run out.
Saturday – 10/5/18
Packet pickup begins at 6am at the Group Lodge. Packet pickup for night races or Sunday races is available all day on Saturday.
If the lights are on in the Group Lodge, you are welcome to come in. In this case, if the lights are on, it usually means somebody is home. We’ll have coffee going and breakfast foods out by 6am and they’ll be available throughout the morning. Please don’t come into the kitchen unless you are a volunteer who is cooking.
Runners of any distance are invited to hang out all day at the group camp after finishing your race. Runners going half marathon distance or further, as well as anyone with a wristband, are entitled to food all day long.
Sunday – 10/6/18
Waffles and french toast will be available at the Dining Hall on Sunday at 7am. We’ll keep the food going until the last runner finishes!
Food will be available at the group camp dining hall all weekend. We ask that runners and spectators stay out of the kitchen area for safety reasons.
Monday – 10/7/18
Still at it? We’ll still be cooking!
Time Limit
The time limit for the Saturday morning races is 55-ish hours. All 100 mile and 100 KM runners must start on Saturday morning. Sunday morning runners have roughly 36 hours to complete the course. As long as you are upright and moving forward, we won’t tell you to stop. Walkers are welcome! We are notoriously back of the pack friendly and that’s not going to change. We love slowpokes! The park closes at sunset on Monday, so we can crew you out of a vehicle until they tell us to get out!
Drop Bags
Drop bags will be allowed along the race course within the group camp limits. We’ll have most of what you’ll need on hand, but bring things like rain jackets, head lamps, favorite flavors of Gu, change of clothes, etc. You’re welcome to bring a chair to set up with your belongings if you’d like, put up a pop up canopy, the sky is the limit. Per park regulations, you may NOT sleep in a tent, under a pop up canopy, or anywhere else outside.
Please label all drop bags with your last name and your bib number.
Any drop bags or other items left at the group camp when the last person finishes will be discarded.
Medical
There will be no medical checks before, during, or after the race. We will have volunteers available who are trained in CPR and basic first aid. Each participant is responsible for knowing his or her own physical limitations.
If, in the opinion of the race director or aid station captain, your physical or mental condition has endangered your safety and/or the safety of others, you will be withdrawn from the race.
Crews and Pacers
Crews are welcome to assist you.
Pacers are allowed after you reach the 30 mile mark. Pacers are required to wear a pacer bib and must purchase a pacer wristband, which gives them access to food and drink at the aid stations. Muling is allowed.
Crew members and pacers may NOT use bicycles to accompany or crew runners on the course at any time.
Timing
Runners are responsible for checking in with lap counters and finish line timing staff during each lap. If you do not check in, we cannot guarantee that we will have accurate split times or a finish time for you. Runners who do not check in with the timing table when they finish will not receive a finish time.
You may drop down to a shorter distance mid-race and receive a finish time, or you may move up to a longer distance if you’re feeling good, but you MUST inform the main timing table staff at the start/finish. If you move up to a longer distance, you will be required to pay the difference before you will receive your medal.
There will be no awards ceremony. There are no age group awards.
TRAVEL INFORMATION
LOCATION
Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park is located at 460 Ozier Rd, Pinson, TN
Once inside the park, follow the signs to the Group Camp.
Runners traveling via air – Memphis and Nashville are your best bets. Pinson Mounds State Archaeological Park is just south of Jackson, Tennessee; about 100 miles east of Memphis; about 140 miles west of Nashville.
LODGING
There are 24 twin-sized bunk beds in three cabins available for runners, crew, and spectators. Beds are reserved by the BED, not by the cabin. If you would like an entire cabin (8 beds total), for fewer than 8 people, you will still need to reserve all 8 beds. Linens are not provided. Cabins will be co-ed and space will be filled as it is reserved. We will be happy to match up runners who would like to bunk together as space allows.
Showers are available for all runners; bring all the shower supplies you need, including a towel.
Per park regulations, camping of any type is prohibited. Please do not bring tents with the intention of sleeping in them. Please do not plan to sleep in your vehicle. RVs are not permitted. We realize that this is not how things usually go at our weekend-long races, but it is what we agreed to when we requested to use this park for our race. We are giving up the convenience of camping for a very flat course!
There is plenty of lodging available in nearby Jackson, Tennessee, about 11 miles away from the race location. Camping is available approximately 13 miles away at Chickasaw State Park.
Questions? Email us at runawesomesauce@gmail.com