2020 Rosaryville Veteran’s Day 50k

Runners, welcome to the eleventh annual Rosaryville Veteran’s Day 50K.  Please read these instructions carefully as we have added many new protocols and procedures this year on account of the Covid-19 pandemic.

General:

• Please wear a mask or face covering, i.e., buff, whenever you are not running on the course or eating/drinking.
• This will be a cup-less race. Please bring your own hydration container.  We will refill it for you at the aid stations, but cups will not be available. (see Aid Stations below).
• This year we ask that you do not bring a pacer, crew, or spectators.

Arrival at Rosaryville State Park:

• Please arrive between 6:45 and 7:30 but at least 30 minutes before your assigned wave start (more on that below).
• Wear a mask when you arrive at the entrance to the park.
• A volunteer will check your temperature with a forehead thermometer and ask you a set of Covid-related questions.
• If your temperature is above 100.4 F, you will not be allowed to race.
• You will not need to pay for entry to the Park; however, please tell the volunteer at the entrance if anyone in the car is a veteran, former military or active duty, and we will not have to use one of our pre-paid parking passes.
• You will be directed by parking attendants to the parking lots and to the race start at the Pavilion.

Packet Pickup:

• Packet pick-up will be contact free. Packets will be laid out on picnic tables for you to retrieve.  Your packet will contain a timing chip, bib, pins, a custom buff, and a drop-bag ticket.

Drop bags:

• New for this year, drop bags will be on the course very near the start/finish.
• You will put your bag in the dropbag area yourself so please remember where you put it!
• You will have access to your bag at about 5k, 20k, and 35k.
• This area will not be covered. If wet weather is forecast, please plan accordingly.
• Attach your drop-bag ticket (included in your packet) to your dropbag.

Start:

• New for this year we will be using timing chips. The chip will be in your bib.
• We will have several wave starts this year. A few days before race day, wave assignments will be emailed to you, including wave start times.  Runners will be assigned to waves primarily by UltraSignup rank.  Fastest runners will be in the earliest waves.  The first wave will start at 8:00am, we hope to start the last wave NLT 8:30.
• AT NO TIME CAN WE HAVE MORE THAN 25 PEOLE GATHERED AT ONE PLACE.

Aid Stations:

• There are two aid stations on the perimeter trail about 4 1/2 miles apart, with a porta-pot at each one.
• Volunteers will refill your bottle. Water and Gatorade will be provided.
• Unfortunately, this year we must scale back the food and only serve individually wrapped items. Aid station food will include gels, waffles, and bananas.
• Hand sanitizer will be available.

Cut-off Times:

The cut-off times at the aid stations are a half hour later than last year on account of the wave start:

• On Lap 3, runners must depart Aid Station #1 by 1:30 p.m.
• On Lap 3, runners must depart Aid Station #2 by 3:00 p.m.

Check point:

• We have changed where we will be checking runners on each loop. Instead of Aid Station #1, we will check runners at the drop-bag location (5k, 20k, 35k).  Please make sure that your number is visible when you enter the drop-bag area on each loop.

Finish:

• The 4^th time you enter the drop-bag area/checkpoint, you will exit the perimeter trail for the short dash to the finish at the Pavilion.
• Only go through the finish once! In past years, well-meaning runners, who had already finished, helped their buddies, or celebrated with their buddies, by running them through the finish line. Please don’t do that!

Post Race:

• Individually wrapped burritos from Chevy’s will be provided for post-race refueling. Please social-distance while eating.
• There will be no awards ceremony, but we will try to get awards to award winners before they leave.
• The 25-person rule is in effect throughout the day, so unless you think you are eligible for an award, please do not linger around the finish area.

Note from the race directors: We deeply regret not being able to put on the relaxed, sociable post-event gathering that we have enjoyed in year’s past. We hope to get back to that next year. This year, we are grateful to put on an event at all. Please help us by supporting the Covid-required procedures, described above.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

The course is basically three loops run in a counter-clockwise direction around the 9.5-mile perimeter trail. It runs mostly in deep woods, though there is some meadow also. The trail is largely single track, but not very technical. The start (also the finish) is at the Pavilion picnic area about three quarters of a mile from where you enter the single-track perimeter trail. The course is marked with white pie plates and white confidence ribbons. There are other markers on the course that have been put there by other people for other purposes. Look for the white markers only.  After completing 3 full loops of the perimeter trail, you will continue on the trail (as if you were doing a 4th loop) but will exit the trail next to the Pavilion picnic area about 2.2 miles later for the finish.

Note for first-time ultra trail runners: This isn’t a technical course, but admire the scenery at your peril. Roots, rocks, and stumps all nestle in the leaves, which in early November will be plentiful.

DIRECTIONS:

From Baltimore: (Travel time approx. 1 hour.) Take Route 97 to Route 3 south. Route 3 will cross Route 50 and become Route 301 south. Follow Route 301 to Upper Marlboro. The State Park is located approximately 15 miles south of Route 50 and 4 miles south of Upper Marlboro. The park entrance is on the right. 

From the Washington Beltway I-495/95: (Travel time approx. 1/2 hour.) Take exit #11, Route 4 East. Follow Route 4 to Upper Marlboro. Exit on Route 301 south for approximately 4 miles. The park entrance is on the right.

From the south: Travelling north on Route 301, after you pass Rosaryville Road, the park entrance is on your left in about a mile. Coming from the south, it is easy to miss the entrance to the park. If you pass the Osborne Shopping Center you have gone too far. Turn around.

WARNING: There are two ways to enter Rosaryville State Park, from Route 301 (Yes!) and Rosaryville Road (No!).  You must enter from Hwy 301.  From the Rosaryville Road entrance, you cannot get to the start of the race!  The entrance to the park off Hwy 301 is just south of Osborne Road and Osborne Shopping Center.