Grand Rapids Marathon

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Race Day Information

Race Weekend	Saturday, 18 October 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Expo and Packet Pickup at the YMCA. Saturday, 18 October 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Pasta dinner at the YMCA. Sunday, 19 October 6:00 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. Packet Pickup at the YMCA Sunday, 19 October 7:00 a.m. Early Start for the Velocity Challenged - Marathon and Half-marathon. Sunday, 19 October 8:00 a.m. Start of both Marathon and Half-marathon
Race Location	David D. Hunting YMCA 475 Lake Michigan Drive, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Take the Pearl Street exit off US-131. Go west, young man, but only for a couple blocks. Park in the DASH lots near the Y. They're not hard to find, just relax.
Start Times	7:00 early start for velocity challenged BOTH RACES. The early start is recommended if you'll be at a more-than-six-hour marathon pace, however, the decision is up to you. Note: Early start not eligible for awards other than the finisher medal. i.e. All you fast guys start at 8:00 like everybody else.8:00 Official start of Marathon - Half Marathon
Arrival & Parking	It's an easy walk from the downtown hotels to the starting line. If you drive, there are bunches of parking lots along Summer, Winter & Seward, and they're all free on Sundays. THE YMCA PARKING LOT IS FOR YMCA MEMBERS ONLY. NO MARATHON PARKING. THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER PARKING PLACES!!!
Packet Pickup	Is at the YMCA on race morning. Arrive early. Also from 9:00 - 7:00 on Saturday. Also at the YMCA.
Roads are Closed	Maynard (from Millennium Park to Vets Memorial), Vets Memorial (from Riverbend to Maynard), and Indian Mounds road (from Riverboat entrance to Market) will be closed to traffic until 2:00 p.m. Access to the Riverboat parking lot is available.
Spectators	Spectators - 1. Downtown area from the YMCA south to Wealthy. 2. Near the Riverboat (Take Indian Mounds Road off Wilson.) 3. At the east end of Indian Mounds road where they turnaround at about mile 21. 4. On Ivanrest near the Wyoming Clean Water Plant. That's really about it unless you're on a bicycle, then you might want to go to Millennium Park for a few minutes early in the race. Closed roads make it hard to get to much of the course--i.e. lousy for spectators, but great for runners because there's no traffic.
Bag Drop	You can leave your bag at our drop area sponsored by Fort Knox Box. Please tag your bag with your race number. Area will be supervised by volunteers, but ALL BAGS ARE LEFT AT YOUR OWN RISK.
Champion Chip	Wear it on your shoe. Cross the mat at the start, wherever you see one along the way, and at the finish. NO CHIP - NO TIME!!!! If it's on your wrist, it won't register on the equipment. So, don't try to experiment with different ways of wearing the chip as a fashion accessory.
Beer	Bring a bottle of decent beer or a pint glass from your local microbrewery as a gift for the race director.
Medical	Look for the guys in the ORANGE volunteer jackets. They're doctors, nurses, physical therapists, etc. All highly qualified professionals from Metro Health Sports Medicine and Life EMS. MORE MEDICAL INFO -- 2007 EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN