09/24/2024
This will drop in your email on Thursday!
Race Day Instructions
We can't wait for the first edition of the Go For The Gold Runfest weekend! We have got a ton of festivities ready for you and are excited for you all to enjoy the first year of a great lineup of events.
Packet Pick-up
Sublett Pointe Challenge
Tortora's Dinner
Parking
Restrooms
Schedule of Events
Aid Stations
Hydration/Fuel
Food Vendors
Finish Line Friends and Family Options
Medical
Weather
Course Marking
Drop Bags
Cut Offs
Awards
Driving Directions
Our Sponsors
Course Maps
Packet Pick-Up
Packet pick up will begin at Fleet Feet Huntsville from 10-1 on Friday Sept 27th.
We will continue packet pick up at the McMullen Cove Commons Clubhouse from 3:30-5 prior to the Sublett Point Challenge race start at 5 PM.
25K/50K, 5K, and 1 mile fun run packet pickup will also be available on the morning of the races on Sept 28th from 6-8 AM.
Sublett Pointe Challenge
We will kickoff the weekend with a king of the mountain style race. This race will have about a half mile of slow ascent before about a mile of vertical climbing begins, followed with a quick decent down the mountain back to the finish line. This is aptly named a challenge for a reason. Feel free to try your hat at the mountain road race or take it easier for the races that follow on Saturday morning.
Tortora's Dinner
Dinner will be provided buffet style free for all those that are participating in the Sublett Pointe Challenge, and 50kK/25K trail races. We will have pasta options with both white sauces and red sauces, bread, salad, drinks, and dessert! Do not miss this. Going to be a fun night of carb-loading before a tough race!
Parking
There has been quite a few obstacles to overcome with parking with the continuous construction work going on in the race area. We have isolated a few areas of parking that will be available in and around the McMullen cove Commons clubhouse and will have volunteers on site to direct you into the correct areas for parking. Though there are different areas for parking, they will all be within short walking distance of the the start line. If we do happen to need overflow parking, we will adjust the plan accordingly and let everyone know ASAP. Plan to follow the volunteers lead and all will go well!
Restrooms
We will have port-a-potty's from Tate's Services located near the start/finish for the racers as well as restrooms in the McMullen Cove Commons clubhouse available. Please only use the clubhouse bathrooms with clean shoes!
Schedule of Events
September 27th:
Packet Pickup 10-1 PM at Fleet Feet Huntsville
Packet Picku 3:30-5 PM at McMullen Cove Commons Clubhouse
Sublett Point Challenge start at 5 PM
Tortora's Dinner at McMullen Cove Commons Clubhouse 6 PM
September 28th:
Packet Pickup 6-8 AM at McMullen Cove Commons Clubhouse
Go For the Gold Runfest 25K/50K start at 7 AM
Go For the Gold Runfest 5K start at 8 AM
Go for the Gold Runfest 1 Mile Fun Run start at 9 AM
Go For the Gold Runfest 5K Race
This race will be a flat and fast road race that begins at 8 AM and races through the neighborhood. there will be no on course aid stations but the finish line will be fully stocked with hydration and food for once you finish.
Aid Stations
The Runfest 25K/50K aid stations are going to ones to remember! They come at the perfect times. After long climbs that feel like they won't end and just in time for the next challenge of the course ahead. All aid stations will have PBJ, Lays, Candy, Gummies, Prezels, Tailwind, Gu gels, Coke, and a cooler of water.
Aid Station 1 at Watson Grande (4 miles)
Aid Station 2 Blake's Cabin (6.3 miles)
Aid Station 3 Indian Tree/Lower Tucker (8.8 miles)
Aid Station 4 Sublett Point (11.5 miles)
Aid Station 5 Silo Hill (13.2 miles)
Aid Station 6 Start/Finish (15.5 miles)
Aid Station 7 at Watson Grande (19.5 miles)
Aid Station 8 Blake's Cabin (21.3 miles)
Aid Station 9 Indian Tree/Lower Tucker (23.8 miles)
Aid Station 10 Sublett Point (26.5 miles)
Aid Station 11 Silo Hill (28.2 miles)
Aid Station 12 Start/Finish (31 miles)
With potentially warm weather, please use the aid stations to refuel and refill water bottles!! We would not put out this many if this were an easy course. Plan to go through hydration quickly and grab as much fuel as you will need until the next stop.
Hydration/Fuel
We are sponsored by Gu Energy Gels and Tailwind for this years on trail race hydration and fuel. Plan to use these products to help you run hard and keep pushing to a fast finish and a great day in the woods.
Food Vendors
Marcos Pizza
Coke Trailer
Pancakes and fruit before noon– the Fleet Feet Special
Panera Bread
Hustle and Pop Popcorn
LMNT
Burgers and hotdogs in the afternoon
Finish Line Friends and Family Options
We will have a great start/finish line and plenty for the family to do while waiting on your runners. There is a playground right beside the finish line for the kiddos. There will also beTV's set up with gameday football available on the Veranda at the McMullen Cove Clubhouse Commons TV's. If you'd like to catch your family at a few of the aid stations there are a few places that you can meet them. They can drive to aid stations easily at Silo hill and Sublett Pointe. We will have tracking checkpoints for you to see up to date placement of the runners as they make their way along the course via a live TV by the finish line.
Medical
We will have medical support onsite throughout the race and an AED device will be resent at the start/finish.
Weather
We will know more as the days pass by but the forecast looks to have rain in the 3 days leading up the event as of now. Lucky for us, the trails have been bone dry and a little rain might do us some good. Even if it rains, it will likely just get soaked up by the ground and remain very runable. Look for low's in the 60's and high's in the 80's on both Friday and Saturday.
Course Marking
All races will be marked with flagging on the right for all turns. The pink fleet flags with be used for the trail races. If you have not seen a flag or a trail seems to be unmarked and unmaintained, continue to check for flags on the right. If you don't see a flag on the right for a 1/2 mile, turn round and back track to the last one.
The 5K will be marked with turn arrows and will have sentries giving direction along the route.
Drop Bags
If you are in one of the longer races and would like to store a drop bag for personal aid and supplies, please let the packet pickup personnel know and we can set it aside under the Fleet Feet Tent adjacent to the finish line for you. We will have a quasi-aid station here with recovery tools, chairs, and a tent so that you can change shoes, hang out for a bit, or stop by to get what you need.
Cut Offs
We should have ample time to finish the race with the time of year that this race is taking place. However, there are still going to be rules in places that allow for a cutoff time at given aid stations so that volunteers are not expected to stay until dark, and more importantly, so that you are not stuck in the woods after dark!
We will have specific cut off times for the 50K only.
The first cut off will be at Blake's Cabin at 7 hours (2 PM).
The final cutoff will be at Sublett Point at 9 hours (4 PM).
The cutoff will be strictly enforced and you will not be included as a finisher beyond these times.
Again, these are meant to keep you safe most importantly, and ensure safety from our volunteers and everyone involved.
Awards
The awards for these races are incredible!
We will have overall awards that are custom made for the overall winners and masters winners for the Sublett Point Challenge, 25K, and 50K.
We will also have Fleet Feet gift cards awarded for age group awards in the Sublett Point Challenge, 5K, 25K, and 50K.
All finishers will receive a finishers medal and shirt.
25K/50K finishers will receive a Runfest Boco hat, custom Runfest Altra jacket, SPC T-shirt, and a finisher medal.
Driving Directions
McMullen Cove is a gated community that is nestled up to the mountains. We will have unrestricted entry into the races on Friday starting at 3 PM thru Saturday evening. All you need to do to gain entry to the race is stop at the gate house and tell the guard you are her for the Runfest events.
McMullen Cove is only about 5 minutes from Hwy 431. Plugging in the exact address of the clubhouse will take you to exactly where you need to go and ensure any mishaps on race morning.
The address is 38 McMullen Lane, Gurley, AL 35748.
Our Sponsors
We have a ton of sponsors that we thank for taking part in making this event happen!
Our title sponsors are:
Fleet Feet
Return 2 Sport PT
Swift Recovery
Superfeet
Altra Footwear
Marcos Pizza
Gu Energy Gels
Tailwind
Swiftwick
Oofos
Therabody
Jenny Massage
Hustle N Pop
Panera Bread
Coa Cola
LMNT
Course Maps
This is a new course to most everyone a little prep and understanding of the layout goes a long way! Do your R&D and make a race day plan. Here are the course maps for each of the courses.
25K/50K Route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3270730023974727846
5K Route:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3270524403464417360
Sublett Point Challenge:
https://www.strava.com/routes/3255714982717426114
Dr. Dylan Glass, PT, DPT, SMTC
Return 2 Sport PT
www.Return2SportPT.com
256-513-9525
Discover how Return2SportPT helps runners recover from injuries and get back on their feet with expert therapy and personalized care.
