baltimore marathon

BALTIMORE - Organizers of Saturday's Under Armor Baltimore Marathon are taking some additional safety precautions to avoid a possible repeat of the race conditions that sent dozens of runners to the hospital during the Chicago Marathon last weekend.

Scores of runners were hospitalized because of the heat and humidity, and the race was stopped after 3 1/2 hours.

About 14,000 runners are expected to take part in this year's Marathon.

In addition to supplies of drinking water and Gatorade, Baltimore Marathon director Lee Corrigan says a mister machine has been added spray water on slower runners in the later stages of the race and volunteers will be ready with 1,000 soaked sponges.

Temperatures on Saturday are expected to be in the mid-60s, more than 20 degrees cooler than during the Chicago race.

You can find links for more information on the marathon, along with a race map, on the left side of this article. If you missed online registration we will be taking registrations at the Expo on Thursday and Friday until the race(s) are full. As of today, there are only 100 spots in the full marathon and less than 500 spots in the 5K and approximately 150 in the kids fun run.

The waitlist process has ended. If you did not get in, we hope that you will try again in 2008. (If you are the adventurous type, you can try to come to the expo in hopes that somone drops out this week. Those spots may or may not be available and are on a first come first serve basis.)

The start line will be at the corner of Conway and Light Streets (same as last year) at the 13-mile mark of the marathon. The half-marathon will split from the marathon at Pratt Street and merge later in the race with marathon. From that point, marathoners and half-marathon participants will run the same course to the finish line.


Date: Saturday, October 13, 2007

Race Start: 9:45 AM

Start Line: Conway and Light Streets

Race Limit: 5,500

Restrictions: 1) Participants in the Half-Marathon must be at least 14 years old and 2) Participants must be able to complete the course in 5 1/2 hours.

Chip Timing: This year all Baltimore Marathon events will be timed using ChampionChip. The ChampionChip will allow for additional services like live results and printed individual results at the finish line. All registered participants will receive a Race issued ChampionChip in their race packet. This Chip must be affixed to your shoe, and records your Race time and splits. All participants MUST wear a ChampionChip in order to receive a time. At the end of the Race, your Race issued ChampionChip must be returned. Chip retrieval volunteers will be located at the Finish Line to help you remove your Chip. All participants are responsible for returning their Race issued ChampionChip. A $30 charge will be charged to participants if the ChampionChip is not returned. Participants may use their personal Yellow ChampionChip. You must provide us with your chip code during packet pickup, at the chip verification table.



Amenities:Runners participating in the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon will receive the following: Under Armour performance shirt, post-race food and beverage and massage. A medal will be given to all finishers.

For an Under Armour Size Chart, click here.

Course Amenities include: baggage check at Ravens Stadium, plenty of free parking, mileage sign at each mile, 7 fluid stations on the course (water and Gatorade), fruit, pretzels, potato chips, PowerBar energy bars and PowerGel energy gel (1 location on course), toilets at start/finish and various points on the course.



Course Map & Elevation Chart:

To view certified 2007 half-marathon course map, click here.

To view 2007 half-marathon map, click here.

To view 2007 half-marathon street-by-street description, click here.

To view 2007 half-marathon elevation chart, click here.



Prizes: The top five (5) overall male and female finishers will receive: 1st - $2,000, 2nd - $1,000, 3rd - $500, 4th - $300, 5th - $100.

Master's Division: Top three (3) overall male and female Master (40 and over) half-marathon finishers will receive: 1st - $300, 2nd - $200, 3rd - $100

Wheelchair Division: There are separate divisions for wheelchair athletes in the half-marathon. Prizes and cash awards are determined based on the number of entries and styles (crank or rim).

Age Groups: Prizes go to the top three male and female age group finishers for the half-marathon in each of the following divisions: 14-19, 20-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35- 39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69 and 70+

NO DUPLICATION OF AWARDS OR PRIZE MONEY

Prize Program:
Participants completing in marathon, half-marathon, team relay and 5K are eligible for a special drawing that includes:

1st-Place: Trip for two (2) to the Bermuda Marathon in Bermuda

2nd-Place: A treadmill courtesy of Gym Source ($1,200 value)

3rd-Place: $250 Dick's Sporting Goods Gift Cards



You must pre-register at the expo to be eligible for the prize drawings.



Mid-Atlantic Survivor Championship:



















For survivors who run, the Active Survivors Network has teamed with the Baltimore Running Festival to create a flagship competitive division for catastrophic illness survivors or people living with disease. The Mid-Atlantic Survivor Championships is the first organized running division exclusively available for survivors to compete head-to-head. Titles will be awarded for the 5K, half-marathon and marathon. Participants will run and be timed with all runners; however will be awarded titles by age and gender. Survivor eligibility includes those diagnosed or survived serious or catastrophic illness and those living with disease including heart disease, stroke, cancer, serious lung disorders, MS, AIDS, other autoimmune disorders, serious accident survivors and other illnesses. The Active Survivor Network advisory committee will address questions on eligibility. For more information on the Active Survivors Network or full details on the Mid-Atlantic Survivor Championships, visit www.activesurvivor.org.

USAA Armed Forces Challenge (AFC):The top male and female finisher with military experience in the half-marathon will be crowned champions of the USAA AFC and receive a trophy coutesy of USAA. Military personnel (active, reserve or retired members of the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marines and Navy) are eligible for prizes and a $5 discount for online entry. Please call the race office at 410.605.9381 to receive the password for the discount.

USAA, a company dedicated to providing the military service members and their families with everything from insurance and banking, to investments and financial advice, is the sponsor of this race. This year, USAA is offering 500 Finisher tee shirts on a first come, first serve basis; pick up your shirt at the USAA tent near the Finish Line.

USAA and the Baltimore Running Festival are proud to support our men and women in uniform, and to extend a warm welcome to you and your family on race day.

Walkers:
Walkers are welcome to participate in the CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Half-Marathon. Please be advised of the following:

1) Walkers will start at the back of the field. There will be designated pace group signs for walkers.

2) Walkers must complete the course in the 5? -hour time limit.

3) As a courtesy to marathon participants, we ask that walkers NOT BE MORE than two abreast so marathoners can easily pass. Please be mindful that some marathon participants are trying to qualify for other marathons. Thank you.




Medical Support:
For the fourth year, Johns Hopkins Emergency Medicine will provide medical support on the course and in the finish line area. The Hopkins staff will include certified doctors, registered nurses, physician assistants and EMTs and will provide the necessary medical attention to any patient in need. We are grateful to have one of the world's finest institutions associated with the event.



John Itati, 33, Kenya: Itati set the course record in 2004, winning the marathon in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 51 seconds. Now residing in Philadelphia, Itati placed fifth in the 2006 Houston Marathon and was ranked No. 5 by Runners World in 2001. He also participated in the World Championships trials at Nyayo Stadium in Kenya.

? Sammy Nyamongo, 31, Kenya: Nyamongo brings impressive credentials to Baltimore. A resident of Augusta, Ga., he placed first in the 2004 Memphis (Tenn.) Marathon with a time of 2:20:52. A year later, he took first place in the Rocket City (Ala.) Marathon in 2:23:54 and placed second in the Memphis Marathon with a personal best of 2:18:33.



Related links
Festival's growth keeps organizers on the run
Street closures for Baltimore Running Festival
Sun coverage: Baltimore Running Festival

Information
When: Oct. 13, 2007
? Marathon map (PDF)
? Official Web site

? 2006 men's winner: Yirefu Birhanu
? 2006 women's winner: Rima Dubovik

2006 Baltimore Marathon Photos
2005 Baltimore Marathon Photos
2004 Baltimore Marathon Photos
Marathoning: Effects on the body Multimedia
? Zintu Meaza, 28, Ethiopia: Meaza is hoping to recapture the magic he found in 2004, when he won the Mystic Places Marathon with a time of 2:20:59 and the Hartford (Conn.) Marathon at 2:18:50. He placed seventh in the 2005 Baltimore Marathon (2:26:24) and third in the 2006 Hartford Marathon (2:18:56). Meaza, who stayed with the leaders in the Baltimore race three years ago before tiring late, knows the course well.

Three women to watch:

? Rima Dubovik, 43, Ukraine: It's always smart to keep an eye on the defending champion, which means Dubovik will draw lots of attention. She set the course record last year with a time of 2:35:45. And there are no indications that she's slowing down. Dubovik last year became the first nonelite runner to win the women's title in the race's history by overcoming a one-minute deficit at the halfway point.

? Maria Portilla, 34, Peru: Portilla could be first in line to upset Dubovik. She led for the first 22 miles of last year's race before placing second at 2:36:23 - the second-fastest time in the race's seven-year history. She won the 2007 Salt Lake City Marathon (2:40:46), took second in the 2006 Grandma's Marathon (Duluth, Minn., 2:38:20) and placed third in the 2007 Phoenix Marathon (2:35:00). She also captured the 2005 Akron (Ohio) Marathon (2:39:09). Her personal best is 2:35:24, set in Los Angeles in 2004.

? Tatiana Titova, 42, Russia: Now residing in Gainesville, Fla., Titova ran a personal best of 2:29:36 three years ago. She took third in this year's Grandma's Marathon and has placed sixth at the Boston Marathon.




Gatorade:
Gatorade Endurance Formula (Lemon-Lime flavor) will be served at each aid station along the course of this year's race. Gatorade Endurance Formula is a specialized sports drink that contains approximately twice the amount of sodium (200 mg per 8 ounces) of Gatorade Thirst Quencher, along with chloride, potassium, magnesium and calcium to help sustain hydration by more fully replacing what is lost in sweat. Gatorade Endurance Formula also contains a 6% carbohydrate solution (14 grams per 8 ounces), just like Gatorade Thirst Quencher, which research shows is optimal to help speed fluid back into the body and fuel working muscles. Gatorade Endurance Formula is available in 34 ounce and 24 ounce sport bottles at major grocery and convenience stores nationwide