May Update

GRR Racers,

The month of May is a busy one for us here at race HQ.  On tap we have the Kid’s Pittsburgh Marathon (which we will be contributing to) combined with the Adult’s Pittsburgh Marathon (which we will be running) in one action packed weekend.  Then the very next weekend it is the TURFF (which we will be hosting) combined with the VO festival—and the Kids Adventure Race Obstacle Course (KAROC—which we will be overseeing).  Combine this with the usual “Spring Rush” in our “day jobs” and you will understand why this update is 4 days late.

May 7—Saturday—Rosaryville MTB-O: This event is made possible due to a “reschedule” that took place because of the March rains.  There will be two courses that measure approximately 7 and 14 Kilometers.  Entry fees are cheap ($6-$15 depending on when you register and whether you are a member).  This is a great opportunity to brush up on map and compass skills. Go to Quantico Orienteering Club for more information.

May 14—Saturday—Pittsburgh Marathon Kids Marathon: Here’s a chance to get your kids hooked on fitness.  The Pittsburgh Marathon is working with many sponsors to make an event that will be exciting for you and your kids—we are expecting over 1,000.  GRR will be there with a signature event that will send the kids on a scavenger hunt trough the festival grounds searching for orienteering flags and punches.  Those that succeed in finding all of the CPs will be awarded with a GRR tattoo.

May 15—Sunday—Pittsburgh Marathon: “The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles and 385 yards), that is usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides,  a messenger from the Battle of Marathon (the namesake of the race) to Athens.” (Thank you Wikipedia) 

In Pittsburgh it is merely a matter of crossing a lot of bridges and dealing with the wrath of some fabled neighborhoods (Bloomfield comes to mind).  Bethann and I will be running in this race (as surely many of you will) and will be running as “charity chasers” for the Salvation Army.  We will both line up at the back of the pack and will then keep track of all of the runners that we pass.  We both decided to do this only one month ago and have been diligent in building up our mileage.  Frank completed a 23 mile run last Sunday and Bethann will do  20+ miles on Thursday.  We realize that we will not finish anywhere near the top (those days are long gone), but are looking for supporters that will consider standing behind us and committing as little as one penny for each person we are able to pass.  We feel that we have done much to support all of you in your race endeavors, and are hoping you will consider doing the same for us.  You can do this as an individual, or as a team, or as a group of racers.  However you decide to do it, we truly appreciate any contribution you can make toward our effort.  Simply email us with a commitment if interested.

May 21—Saturday—TURFF: This race is one of the GRR favorites.  As an urban event it is accessible to all who have either a road or mountain bike.  As a ROGAINE, it is accessible to all that can race for three hours.  This race will include running, biking, and paddling in a format that will require racers to pick a strategy to maximize their point total.  Should you focus on running?  Or biking?  Or is paddling your best option?  You won’t know until you toe the line with over 100 racers on Saturday.  To register go to TURFF and decide whether to use the mail-in or on-line registration processes.  But realize when you are there that much has changed since we made that website posting:

1)     The TURFF will NOT have a climbing prologue.  This race has grown to a place where it is impractical to have a climbing prologue within the constraints that REI has set. 

2)     The TURFF will not start at Southside Works.  The new starting line is at Point State Park.  This is also the site of the Venture Outdoors Festival. The Festival is scheduled to start at 11:00am and that is the reason for number (3).

3)     The TURFF will start at 8:00am.  It will finish at 11:00am. Those that have registered for the race and have a conflict with this start time should contact GRR immediately.

4)     As a ROGAINE racers will have total freedom to accumulate points in whatever order they wish.  The only caveat is that the paddle points can only be retrieved between the hours of 9:00am and 10:00am. 

5)     There will only be 50 points on the course.  24 points can be retrieved on bike and 26 can be retrieved on both run and paddle.

6)     The bike course is approximately 18 miles to retrieve all points.  The run course is approximately 7 miles to retrieve all points.  The paddle is approximately 1.5 miles to retrieve all points.

Anyone that has any questions or concerns regarding this race should contact us at grassrootsracing@rootsrace.com immediately. 

Hope to see you all at TURFF—and beyond!

Frank and Bethann