2020 POLE GREEN PARK 4K RUN / WALK
8:00AM

FINAL RACE DAY INSTRUCTIONS

2020 ENTRY LISTS (Men's and Women's)

RACE DAY FINAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR ATHLETES AND SPECTATORS

Thank you for entering the 2020 Pole Green Park 5K. Please see below for detailed race day procedures.

Introduction

Welcome to the Pole Green Park 4K. We look forward to a great morning of racing. First and foremost, we want to remind everyone that this race is a Private Event being held under very special circumstances and we, as a running community are responsible for its success. Please follow the guidelines below and remember one thing above all else…..this race is for the athletes!

A Few Preliminaries

Please remember that this is a Private Event
Although Pole Green Park is a county park and open to the public, the 5K race course has been rented by the Event Host and as such is a private event
This race is sanctioned under USATF and will operate under USATF rules
This race has NOTHING to do with the VHSL or the NCAA
Runners CANNOT race for or wear HS school uniforms
Reread #1…..this is a Private Event

Payment

It is preferred that payment be made by PayPal
Race day payment via cash (exact amount) or check is acceptable (made payable to: Collegiate Running Association)
Athletes will not be given a bib until payment is received (Take a screenshot or have your PayPal email receipt ready if needed.).

Race Number Pick-up

Social distance while in line for temperature check and number pick-up (at least 6 ft please).
Upon Arrival athletes must proceed to the check-in table for temperature check, pay entry fee (if not made by PayPal) and to sign a participation waiver (under 18 yo must be accompanied by guardian or coach to co-sign waiver). NOTE: anyone with a temperature over 100.3 degrees at check-in will be asked to leave the course immediately. Sorry, no exceptions. If you wake-up not feeling well and/or don’t want to sign the participation waiver please stay home. (See .pdf ABOVE)
After signing the waiver athletes will be given their race number.
Athletes will not be given a bib until payment is received

Schedule

7:30 a.m.- Course opens

9:00 a.m.- Women’s/Girls 5k (50 runner limit)

10:00 a.m.- Men’s/Boys 5K (50 runner limit)

Arrival Times and Procedures

As set by the State of VA and Virginia Department of Health, Pole Green Park is limited to 250 people per gathering. Please do NOT arrive more than 75 minute before your scheduled race…We ask athletes to please remove your race number when they finish and leave the upper cross country course area as quickly as possible after finishing the race.

For those not familiar with Pole Green Park, the 5K course is located at the very back of the facility.

Pole Green Park

Cross Country Course

8996 Pole Green Park Lane

MECHANICSVILLE, VA 23116

Once you enter the Park from Pole Green Road, drive approximately ½ mile to the back of the facility. To gain entry to the gravel parking lot, all people in each car will be counted. Each athlete is limited to 2 accompanying spectators. If possible, please limit spectators.

Families with Multiple Runners

We ask the runners entering/arriving into the park early to remain in their parked car until they are scheduled to enter and start their warm-up… We ask the spectators entering/arriving into the park early to remain in their parked car until the ~10 minutes before the start of each race. When they exit their vehicle they should social distance and wear a mask at ALL times.

Park Entry Schedule

It is critical that each athlete only enter the park when they are scheduled to enter. Athletes may enter the park 75 min before their race. Below is the entry and exit times for each group.

Women/Girls Race

7:30 a.m.- Course Opens….Women/Girls ONLY start arriving

9:00 a.m.- Women/Girls 5K Race Start

10:00 a.m.- Women/Girls should be out of the park

Men/Boys Race

8:45 a.m.- Men/Boys Start Arriving

10:00 a.m.- Men/Boys 5K Race Start

11:00 a.m.- Men/Boys should be out of the park

So as you can see from the schedule above, we will have some overlap for each race between the time when one group is required to leave and the other group is allowed to enter. We ask that you leave ASAP after your race.

Pre-Race Warm up

We ask athletes DO NOT warm up on the entry road to Pole Green Park. Aside from the fact that the road is busy with cars entering and exiting the park, it is best if we stay to ourselves towards the back of the park. Since the races are scheduled 1 hour apart, the Pole Green Upper course will provide enough space for runners to warm up. The Pole Green Lower course is also available. PLEASE DO NOT run on the road or near the Soccer fields. There are two other events going on at Pole Green Park (a soccer and baseball tourney) so please stay away from those separate gatherings.

Pre-Race and Race Procedure

15-minutes prior to the start of each race, the start area will open. Runners are REQUIRED to have their face covering on when they enter the start area. During this time, runners may remove their face covering for strides ONLY! Please social distance during strides.

15 Minutes Prior to Start

Starting area opens
Runners must report directly to a starting box
Runners must keep masks on except for strides

5 Minutes Prior To Start

Final instructions from the Starter and warm-up gear should be removed.

1 Minute Prior To Start

Runners remove mask and give to accompanying parent or spectator behind the start area
Runners report directly back to starting box and MUST STAY THERE to await starting commands
Runners leaving starting box at this point may be subject to disqualification

Start Commands

2 Commands….On your mark….followed by the gun

Post-Race - Immediately following the race

As soon as possible after catching their breath, each runner should go to the edge of the finish corral to retrieve their face covering from their parent or coach. All runners should exit the finish area immediately once they have their face covering and social distance. Athletes will not be allowed out of the corral without a face covering.

There will be no awards ceremony, however the top 3 overall in each race will receive a Collegiate Running Association camping tin following the finish of the last participant. Once the race is complete we will announce the top 3 finishers. Once we announce the top 3 finishers, all people will be asked to leave the park.

Post-Race Cool Down

We ask that runners leave our gathering to cool down if we approach the maximum number for our gathering. Pole Green Park is a large facility and there are two locations to use for cool down. We ask that after each race, runners go to their car and either drive to Pole Green Elementary or the Dog Park. Once you arrive at these locations you are no longer a part of our gathering. Please remove your bib so you are no longer associated with our group.

Tents

Tents are allowed but discouraged. Tents tend to encourage people to hang around and we really need folks to leave once they are done racing. The weather looks like it will be nice so tents should not be needed.

Bathrooms

The bathrooms at Pole Green Park will be open. No other facilities will be available. Please exercise proper hygiene by washing hands for 20 seconds.

Face Covering and Social Distancing

As stated in the opening, the success of this event is up to us as a community. There are several more 5K events scheduled at Pole Green Park and Hanover County will not hesitate to cancel these events should we fail to follow the guidelines. There are 3 specific guidelines that we MUST follow:

Limit the event/gathering to 250 people at any one time
All athletes and spectators are required to wear a face covering AT ALL TIMES. The only time an athlete may remove their face covering is while running during warmup, the race, and cool down. Put another way, if an athlete is not running, they are required to wear their face covering. This includes stretching!
Maintain 6 ft. social distancing when possible Points of Emphasis

Additionally, we note the following:

The more we spread out around the course the better we are social distanced.
Depending on the mood of the volunteer, you may or may not be warned should you choose to remove your face covering. You may be asked to leave without warning.
Even when you are with your family unit, you must wear your face covering. For the safety of our volunteers, please put your face covering on in your car as you enter the park. Do not remove face covering until you are in your car leaving the park.
Even with 6 ft. of separation, athletes and spectators are required to wear face covering.

Final Word on Face Covering

As you can see following the rules placed upon us by Pole Green Park and Hanover County are very important, not to mention athlete safety. We simply cannot be any more clear…..Pole Green Park will shut us down if we do not comply. If wearing a face covering is uncomfortable OR if you claim you cannot breathe OR you disagree with the effectiveness of face coverings in general OR if you simply just don’t want to wear a face covering…..please exercise your right to stay home. This may sound harsh but at the end of the day, we all just want the participants to race in a safe environment!

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to the race director.

Steve Taylor

804-349-3367

Steve.Taylor@CollegiateRunning.org

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2020 POLE GREEN PARK 4K RUN / WALK 8:00AM