The Seattle Marathon Event Resource Guide

On Sunday, November 30, 2008, the Seattle Marathon will take over the streets of the Emerald City. Whether you are planning to walk, run or crawl across the finish line, this resource guide is for you.

Event weekend officially begins at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 28, 2008. The Westin Downtown on 1900 Fifth Avenue will be hosting the official Expo for the Seattle Marathon. This free event is open to the public, but geared towards the athletes involved in the race. It is here that you will receive your race number, timing chip and ASICS long-sleeved technical fabric t-shirt. Free samples and discounted items from your favorite athletic stores will be on hand as well as over fifty health and fitness vendors. If you're in need of some extra running supplies (such as Body Glide, shoe inserts or a discounted pair of Wigwam Pro-Running Socks), race weekend is a great time to find exceptional deals. The Seattle Marathon Expo will be held from Friday, November 28^th (11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.) to Saturday, November 29^th (11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.). Getting there early will help you avoid long lines and taking the bus instead of driving will save you the headache of trying to find a parking spot.

So now that your packet is in your possession and your bib number is attached to your running shirt for the following morning and aptly laid out, it's time to head over to the Carbo-Load dinner. The Westin, once again, will so graciously be hosting this event for all athletes on Saturday, November 29, 2008. Dinner begins promptly at 6:00 p.m. so arrive early to guarantee a comfortable spot. Tickets are $29.50 per adult and $18.00 per child and can be purchased online (info@seattlemarathon.org) or at the door if there are any tickets left for sale. Family and friends are invited to attend. The Guest Speaker this year will be Dane Rauschenberg, who proclaimed 2006 as the Year of the Marathon by running 52 marathons in 52 weeks. Participating in a Carbo-Load dinner (either on your own or with The Westin) is highly recommended but not mandatory for race weekend.

The Race Day schedule is as follows:

Sunday 11/30/2008

Marathon Walk Start - 7:15am
Half Marathon Run Start - 7:30am
Half Marathon Walk Start - 7:45am
Marathon Run Start - 8:15am

Clothing and Bag Check will be available in the Memorial Stadium's north side tunnel starting at 6:30 a.m. Lost and found articles along the event course will be placed at the Clothing and Bag Check. Please note that Lost and Found clothing not claimed by the end of the day will be given to charity.

Every finisher at the Seattle Marathon will receive a medal. The medal is the same for both the half and full marathon. Awards will be given ten-deep by age group in Memorial Stadium starting at 9:30 a.m.

Spectators will be allowed on the course along Fifth Avenue, Lake Washington Boulevard, Dexter Avenue and Mercer Street. There will be a total of fifteen water stations along the marathon course and ten water stations along the half marathon course. Gatorade will be available at each station, but it is wise to also have your own fluid available in case the water stop runs out of supplies before you there.

Directly past the Finish Line, athletes will receive a space blanket and will be instructed to go into the Victory Area. The Victory Area is located within the Memorial Stadium. Hot soup, water and other recovery items will be available free of charge.

Official photographs from the Seattle Marathon event will be taken by Action Sports of America or, as it is commonly known, ASA. These photos will be available roughly one week after the event. If you've provided an email address at the time of registering, you will be notified when your photographs are ready for viewing. It is at this time that you may opt to purchase one or all of them for your possession. If you did not provide an email address at the time of registering for the event, you can visit the ASA website directly, enter your bib number when prompted and look up your photos that way as well. As a special tip, try wearing your bib number on the front of your jacket or shirt, not the back. You're more likely to be able to find yourself in the pictures when perusing the website that way!

The Seattle Marathon is pretty unpredictable when it comes to the weather and climate. Because of this, you may want to consider wearing a light, breathable shirt and jacket with a "throw-away" sweatshirt on top. This way, if you get hot during the race, you can throw away the top layered sweatshirt and, since it was purchased just for this reason, you can feel good about it going to charity later!

Now that you've read all about the Seattle Marathon, you should be all set to get out there on the weekend of November 28-30, 2008 and do your best. Break a leg!