TMC Saguaro 2010 Updates: Labor Day Registration and more details on the race

We are super-excited about the 41st TMC Saguaro National Park Labor Day Run scheduled for Labor Day Monday.  All indications are that this will be the most popular Saguaro ever, with over 1,000 registrants.  It should be a blast, so come on out!  Below are some details for the weekend.

Registration
You can still register for the race on Monday morning at Saguaro National Park East from 5:00-6:00 am. If you have not paid, you will need to pay at the front gate and take a ticket to the maintenance yard to pick up your bib number and t-shirt.  If you have already paid, walk through the main gates, head to the maintenance yard, and the team of volunteers will take care of you. 

•      We’re giving away Zorrel technical shirts, the same given away at the Cinco de Mayo 10k (the planned New Balance shirts were out of stock).  The race shirts are a poly-blend designed to wick moisture; unfortunately, as with almost every clothing item these days, they run on the small side.
•      Remember: put your bib number on the front of your shirt!

Monday Parking and Travel
Please try to car-pool and please do not park in driveways or on the bike lanes.  Pima County Sheriff deputies will be on hand to ensure safety, so be considerate of others, obey traffic laws, and be safe when traveling from your vehicle to the race site.

Coming from Phoenix or elsewhere?  Check out the race hotel, JW Marriott Starr Pass, for discounts.  See the race page for details.

Event Day Schedule
•      5:00-6:00 am Registration
•      6:20 Announce winner of the 2010 Spirit of Rob Bell Award, presented by Performance Footwear
•      6:23 National Anthem
•      6:27 5k start
•      6:30 8-miler start
•      8:30 Kid’s Race
•      8:45 Begin Spirit of Rob Bell Award, Raffle Prizes, and Awards*
* Raffle prizes have been donated by REI, the Running Shop, Worldly Soles, and Ben’s Bells, plus a few free entries to upcoming SAR races.  We’ll have awards for both races - no double-dipping, so overall age group winners will be pulled out from the age group awards.

Miscellaneous
The race starting area will be crowded, so please line up according to expected pace per mile, with 5-minute milers at the front of the line.

No dogs are allowed so don’t bring the pooch!  For safety sake, strollers are OK in the 5k, but not the 8-miler.  Wheelchair athletes are welcome—but please no bikes, roller blades or anything else with wheels. Headphones are discouraged - if you must wear them, please leave one ear free for safety.

Culligan has donated plenty of refreshing water, with aid stations at approximately 2, 4, 6, and 7 miles.  Thanks to Sahuaro High School for handling 2 and 4, Santa Rita High School for handling marker 6, and the Tucson Tri-Girls for handling the 7-mile mark and the 5k turn-around.  St. Augustine High School Cross Country team will also be on the course, and we’ll also have the Ham Radio Society of Tucson on course, plus a dedicated ambulance from Rural Metro at the finish line.

Thanks to Waste Management, we have more port-o-johns than ever before, including one around the 4 mile mark.Please do not use the desert to relieve yourself: the Park Service may fine you - and a snake may bite you!!

After the race, enjoy Muscle Milk, XOOD, and plenty of snack food from Sunflower market.  Grab a free massage from the massage therapists at the Cortiva Institute, and visit with The Running Shop, REI, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Watershed Management,  Ben’s Bells, and event partners.

In particular, please be sure to visit the Tucson Medical Center tent and snag some give-away plunder - TMC has become a leading sponsor of SAR events and their commitment to the health and wellness of our region is to be commended.

The Park Service will also have two areas to visit, so check them out - cool skulls, skins and other fun things. . . .

Weather: The Weather Channel claims it will be around 75 at race start, with a daytime high of only 91.

Questions?  Email or call .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), SAR race director at 520-991-0733