FINAL INSTRUCTIONS

June 17

Hello Captains, Runners, and Volunteers,

Here we are, finally, very close to the start. I'd like to thank you once again for your participation and for all the emails expressing support and appreciation for the Green Mountain Relay. We've had a great time organizing the relay and will be trying very hard to put on a good event you'll enjoy and remember.

This will be the last major communication before the start. If anything new comes up, I will send an email to the Captains and they can share the news with you. If you haven't already, please read the 45 Days to the GMR email as it has more information.

Captains, please make sure all of your team - runners and volunteers - receive this information. There is quite a bit of important information included here, so please read thoroughly. ALL PARTICIPANTS will be responsible for knowing this information - "I didn't know" will not be an excuse that will be accepted for the safety and Personal Responsibility issues.

I need every participant to understand that each of the following rules has a purpose and if we catch any runner breaking any of these rules, the entire team will be disqualified. Teams - if you see someone violating any of the following rules, attempt to get them to mend their ways. If they give you an arrogant response, then by all means, let the race director know. By communicating this to me, you are showing your appreciation and enjoyment of the GMR by helping to protect it for future years.

Here are some final items/thoughts in no particular order.

The priorities that I want everyone to keep in mind are:

1. Safety First
2. Being a Good Neighbor
3. Having Fun

Personal Responsibility and Being Good Neighbors
This is not the most comfortable topic for a race director to talk about, but experience has taught me that it needs to be mentioned.

Between runners and volunteers, there will be over 600 people on the relay route this weekend. That is a major impact to many of the small, rural areas along the route. Unfortunately, there are individuals who, because they "paid for admission," believe they can do anything they want. The GMR is only possible with the cooperation of many towns, businesses, and individuals. They have given us permission to use their property for the runner exchanges. As we are guests, it is critically important that participants act in an appropriate manner - no littering, and no "calls of nature" anywhere except in the portable toilets. The following rules are basic consideration and common sense, but it amazes me how often they are broken:

Calls of Nature - there will be potable toilets at every exchange. There is absolutely no excuse to be relieving oneself on the ground, and most especially, on private property.

Litter - have you ever noticed in a race how runners think it is okay to throw their wrappers and gel packets on the ground as if they think that someone will be covering the whole course with a broom and dust pan picking up their litter? There are trash cans at each exchange plus you have your support vehicle, so there is no need to litter.

Quiet Zones - I know you want to cheer on your team's and other runners, listen to music in your van, and are excited when you arrive at an exchange. But it is critical that you are aware of your surroundings and to respect the QUIET ZONES as noted on the Leg Maps. Better yet, between 10 PM and 8:00 AM, be courteous and cognizant of any noise you are generating (cheering, closing van doors, music, talking). Many homes are feet from the road. The last thing we need are noise complaints. There are a limited number of possible exchange locations in rural Vermont. There are many exchanges, that if we lose permission to use them, the Green Mountain Relay will be no more.

Headphones, Ear Buds, iPods - for safety purposes, and as it is the requirement of our insurance carrier, the wearing of headphones or earbuds (i.e. running with an iPod) is prohibited. The course is not closed - you will be running on the shoulders of the roads with traffic. There are wild animals in Vermont (black bear and moose for example, not to mention dogs), so running down the road with your ears shut off from reality is one of the most unsafe things you can do. Thus, as the rules state, headphones/earbuds are prohibited and violators will have their entire team disqualified.

I realize this is a controversial rule, and that many races allow headphones. But think about it - these races are all on closed courses. Triathlons are held on open roads and headphones are banned in every triathlon I have been a part of with disqualification the result if caught. Our event is similar, thus the same rule. If you have the system where speakers clip on to your shirt so earbuds are not in your ears, you are free to use those.

School Exchanges - several schools are serving as exchanges. In Vermont, ALL SCHOOLS are drug free zones. Alcohol and tobacco products are not permitted.

What does a DQ mean? It means your team is out of the race - you are no longer welcomed to continue. There will be no warnings; there will be no discussion. You break the rules, and any of the GMR staff catch you, you and your team are done - period. Captains, by checking in at the start, you are agreeing that your team will abide by ALL these rules and if caught breaking them, your team agrees to abandon the race.

Weather Forecast
Obviously the weather forecast can change, but the current forecast is for highs in the uppers 70's with showers on Saturday and Sunday, and lows in the 60s. The forecast has changed several times in the last couple of days so I won't be surprised if it changes again.

Sunset/Sunrise
The sun sets at 8:40 PM on Saturday and rises at 5:07 AM on Sunday. If you start a leg an will not be at the next exchange before sunset, you must START wearing a reflective vest and flashing red light on your back, and carry a headlamp or flashlight. If you start a leg before sunrise, the same applies.

The Start
It is recommended that teams show up an hour before their starting time to begin their check-in process. The entire team is not required to be at the start.

Forms & Paperwork
Each team is responsible for downloading the appropriate forms and handbooks from he Captain's Resources page. Rather than create waste by having extras at the start that go unused, if each team prints what they need .Thanks!

There are 4 parts to the check-in process:

Step 1 - Waivers & Team Runner roster order - waivers for ALL runners AND your volunteers, as well as your Team Roster/Running Order will need to be turned in (Helter Skelter teams need to only hand in a list of their runners - the running order does not matter). If you have a non-running driver, they will also need to sign a waiver. A volunteer will be checking off each waiver that you turn in against the roster of your teams as of the day the database closed. If there are any changes to your team, a substitution form along with a $10 fee (cash or checks made out to Timberline Events) will be required - no exceptions. To speed up the process, have all waivers and substitution forms filled out before you show up. These forms can be downloaded from the Captains Resources page. If a team shows up without all their signed waivers, the team will not be permitted to start. No excuses, no exceptions.

Step 2 - Safety Equipment check - the following will need to be shown to the volunteer:

• 2 flashlights or headlamps, extra batteries; from sunset to sunrise, runners must carry a lighted flashlight
• 2 reflective vests, required from sunset to sunrise and recommended at all times
• 2 flashing red LED lights - one required to be worn on the runner's back from sunset to sunrise (these will be available for sale at the start for a nominal fee if you need them)
• Vehicle signs "CAUTION-RUNNER ON ROAD" (minimum 17 x 22 inches) to be attached to the rear of each teams two vehicles. These can be hand made but they must be legible) – 1 per van
• First Aid kits for blisters, abrasions, etc. - 1 per van
• Trash bags – 1 per van
• Relay Handbook – 1 per van
• Leg Map Book – 1 set per van

Don’t forget that there is a minimum size to the CAUTION – RUNNER ON ROAD signs. If your vans do not have a large enough sign, or if it is not legible, you will not pass the safety inspection or be permitted to start.

Step 3 - pickup your Tech Shirts and goodie bags. To eliminate the chances of a team saying they are missing a shirt, the team representative will be asked to review the shirts for correct amount and will sign for them verifying that all shirts were received.

***As the tech shirts I ordered this year, and the unique printing process used, are much more expensive, only shirts for those in the database were ordered. Shirts for all substitution runners will be ordered after the relay and mailed to that individual. All information (mailing address and email) must be filled out and legible please.

Step 4 - Once Steps 1 through 3 are completed, you can continue to the Packet Pickup table and pick up your bib numbers and baton.

If your category has changed – please alert the staff person checking you in so your results in your category will be correct.

Late to the Start?
Each wave will start ON TIME. If your team is late for their assigned starting time, the team will still have to go through all the processes listed above. The team will then have to skip one or more legs (depending on how late they are) to get to a point to where they would be caught up to where they would have been if they had arrived on time. Once running, one or more runners are then welcome to run at the same time so that every one gets in their three/six legs. The team will also be reclassified to the non-competitive Helter Skelter category. The reason for this is to keep the exchange opening/closing times on schedule – we can’t expect the volunteers to stay longer than initially scheduled.

Maps and Signs
Our events are known for having excellent route signage. In addition to directional arrows, there are “One Mile to Go” signs placed before the exchange. Please understand these signs could be off by a couple of tenths of a mile. This is a rural remote route and as such, there is not a landmark exactly one mile from each exchange. To assist the people putting out all the signs, landmarks were used to assist them in placing the signs rather than some indistinguishable point that is exactly one mile from the exchange.

At night, blinking lights are used to identify the signs. Red is used for directional arrows, yellow for the “One Mile to Go” signs, and green for the exchanges.

One of the most common comments after a relay is how people found themselves off the course. The signs are put in place many hours before runners appear. Therefore, anything can happen to them – the wind could blow them down, or some idiot could move or steal them. It is impossible for a GMR staff person to know the condition of every sign at all times. Relay Races are adventure races. We paid a mapmaker over $1000 to design the maps that are online and available for download. Therefore, if you get off the route, especially if you were not carrying a map, you will receive no sympathy.

The Course
This is a form of adventure race, so please understand that any hazards on the course HAVE NOT been marked. So please run with caution.

UPDATED LEG MAPS - depending on when you downloaded the leg map book, there may be some minor map changes. Each of these leg maps (7, 8, and 12) are listed separately so you don't have to download the entire book again. These maps are listed on the Captain's Resources page. The most recent update is Leg 7 as the van route had to be changed.

Legs to pay special attention to:

Leg 3 - there are a couple of sections where the road is windy, with blind curves, and the narrow shoulder is against a cliff. We will be placing large caution "Runner on Road" signs for oncoming traffic. Exercise extreme caution.

Leg 6 - to avoid heavy traffic on RT 100 entering Waterbury (and going past the entrance to Ben & Jerry's), the runner's route follows some back roads as well as some short sections of trail next to a golf course, through a field, and through some trees. The most confusing section could be where the road curves but the route goes straight next to the right side of a house's garage. There will be multiple signs in the section to reinforce to that runner that he/she is going the right way. But to be sure, review the leg notes carefully.

Leg 7 - The van route departing the exchange is different than the runner's route. Shortly after departing and running through the Green Mountain Coffee complex, runners cross a railroad track. A gate has been installed that now blocks traffic. There are pedestrian openings for runners to cross, but van must get to RT 100 a different way. See the Leg 7 map for details.

**VERY IMPORTANT** Exchange 11 - Exchange 11 is at the end of a leg through the Granville Gulf, one of the most scenic legs of the race. Exchange 11 is also one of the smaller exchanges in terms of van parking space, and is located at a time when teams are becoming closer together creating a bit more congestion. Therefore, it is very important to minimize the time vans are parked in this exchange so please follow these instructions:

Along this leg, there are numerous pullouts. Please take advantage of these pullouts and stop and cheer on your and other runners. A little bit more than a mile BEFORE the exchange is a larger pullout on the right with a beautiful waterfall. ALL VANS MUST STOP HERE AND WAIT UNTIL THEIR RUNNER PASSES. There will be two volunteers at this location and ALL VANS ARE REQURED TO STOP AND CHECK IN WITH THE VOLUNTEER. Once your runner passes, then proceed to Exchange 11.

Leg 30 - Towards the end of the leg, the route turns right on to US 30. DO NOT CROSS US 30 TO THE LEFT SHOULDER. Runners need to stay on the wide right shoulder as the entrance to the exchange is not that far. Incoming and Outgoing runners will be sharing the same shoulder.

Emergencies
Teams are self supporting - there are no aid stations or paramedics stationed on the course. As explained in the Relay Handbook, if you encounter a medical emergency, decide the best course of action. Are you near a phone or do you have cell coverage? If so, dialing 9-1-1 may be your best option. If not, strongly consider loading the person in your van and transporting them to the nearest medical facility (see the Relay Handbook for maps). Due to the rural nature of the relay route, the injured person could receive faster care if you transport them to the hospital rather than waiting for an ambulance.

Food at Exchange 12
The length of the legs is based entirely on where exchanges could be found, and where large enough exchanges could be found for the Van Exchanges. An interesting fact about the GMR is the mileage of the the first 12 legs is 44% of the total distance. Some people appreciate their later legs being shorter, but this does affect the amount of rest vans get in between their legs. It also affected where teams would be around dinner time - which in this case is in Hancock. There is only one small restaurant in Hancock - THE Old Hancock Hotel - located at the intersection of RT 125 & RT 100 about 1/4 mile before you get to the exchange. Please understand it is a small place with limited seating and a small kitchen. If it is a burger or sandwich that you want and you decide to eat there, please show patience as they can only go so fast.

In addition, this year we've made arrangements with American Flatbread Pizza to bring their portable oven to Hancock and to set up shop there. They will be offering a stomach friendly meal to all participants:

$10.00 per person includes a salad, 2 slices of flatbread and a cookie

Evolving Salad - Organically grown sweet leaf and mesculan lettuces with tossed with organic shredded carrots & celery and toasted sunflower seeds With VT Honey Dijon Apple Cider Vingerette

The Flatbreads…a sampling only! - All natural pizza baked in a primitive wood fired copper domed oven

• Medicine Wheel ~ Our wood fired cauldron organic tomato sauce with cheese and fresh garden herbs
• Sundried Tomato & Mushrooms ~ Our house cured dried tomatoes, baked with mushrooms, caramelized onions, cheeses and herbs
• Pepperoni Za ~ All natural nitrate free pepperoni baked with cheeses and our homemade organic tomato sauce
• Cheese & Herb ~ Fine Vermont mozzarella, Blythdale Farm Asiago, Italian grana padano, garlic oil and fresh herbs

Ala Carte menu:

• Whole Flatbread Ala carte $14.00
• Sweet Treats ala carte ~ $1.25: Chocolate Chip or Oatmeal Raison Cookies, Chocolate Chocolate Brownies
• Beverages ala carte~ $2.00
• An assortment of natural style sodas

Cytomax
We will have water coolers with Cytomax Energy Drink available at all of the Van Exchanges.

Unstaffed Exchanges
If an exchange is not staffed with volunteers, look for a clip board and pen hanging from one of the two runner exchange traffic posts (weather permitting). Please sign in and note the time of your team's exchange. If the exchange has only one volunteer, please help them out by looking for your incoming runner.

Exchange Closing Times
Here are the closing times of the exchanges based on the required maximum 10:30 pace - this usually is not an issue until the last half of the race:

If you find your team bumping up against these times, you have a couple of options:

1. If you want to continue to run the entire courses, you can withdraw from the race and continue to run unofficially understanding that exchanges will be closing and you will not have any support.
2. You can skip a leg or two and drive ahead and start running again - two or more runners can run at the same time so that everyone gets their runs in. Your team will be credited with finishing with an asterisk.

Garbage & Recycling
Each exchange will have a garbage can. If the can is getting full, mention it to the volunteers so they can replace the bag it won't overflow trash starts blowing all over the place.

Help make the GMR green! Backpackers have a motto - "Pack it In, Carry it Out." With your vans, you can practice the same behavior. Bring an extra garbage bag for recyclables. Better yet, rather than purchasing cases of individual plastic water bottles, have every member of your team bring a water bottle and purchase gallon or 2.5 gallon jugs of water. We WILL NOT have paper cups for the Cytomax, you will need to fill up your own water bottle.

We will have recycle bins (plastic bottles and aluminum cans only) at the van exchanges but please help us out and do as much recycling on your own as you can. You will be able to tell the recycling bins as the ARE NOT TRASH CANS and THEY WILL HAVE BLUE GARGAGE BAGS. please don't put garbage in the recycling bins as then they will become garbage. We will not go through each bag and sort out the recycle from the garbage, so it is up to each individual to help the event be green!

Volunteers and Volunteers With A Purpose
Thanks to your generosity, $11,070 was raised and will be distributed to the following participating Vermont non-profit organizations:

Barre Tones, Inc.
Bennington Cross Country Ski Team
Cambridge Greenway
Center for Valley Youth
Fraternal Order of the Eagles
Habitat for Humanity Bennington Chapter
Habitat for Humanity of Central Vermont - Camel's Hump Chapter
Hartland Winter Trails
Health Connections of the Upper Valley, Inc.
Manchester Lions Club
Safeline
Woodstock Union High School Cross Country Team

Volunteers have the final say. They have been instructed on where you are to park and where the running exchanges zones are located. Any reports of not following the volunteer's instructions could result in a time penalty or being disqualified. Be sure to thank ALL the volunteers for their time.

The Finish
A wonderful tradition with relays is for the entire team to cross the finish line together. Teams can run the last quarter mile or the last few feet together.

After a team finishes, they need to hand in a copy of their Team Time Sheet. You may want to make two copies so you have one you can keep. Then your team will then be awarded their finisher medals.

The BBQ (burgers, chicken,and veggie burgers, salad, fruit, drinks) will be available starting at 10:00 AM

Since most teams are planning to drive home after they finish, there will be an award ceremony (weather permitting) at 4:00 on Sunday afternoon. Awards will be handed out to the top three teams in each of the competitive categories. If winning teams are not present, your award will be mailed to you.

Thank you once again for being part of the 4th Annual Green Mountain Relay! We look forward to seeing you at the start!

Paul Vanderheiden
Race Director

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