NCR Marathon & Half Marathon
Updated Runner Information
Saturday, November 26
Marathon Start: 8:30
Half Marathon Start: 9:00
The Baltimore Road Runners Club is proud to present the 33rd running of the NCR Marathon. Our all volunteer organization hosts a variety of events throughout the year – track meets, trail races, fun runs. More information can be found on our website and we encourage everyone to run with us.
Race day is quickly approaching! Here is all the info you need to know:
Packet Pickup:
Come see us the day before the race, grab your hoodie and pick up some last minute nutrition or other goodies from Falls Road Running Store. We’ll have packet pickup there on Friday, 11/25 from noon to 5:00pm – 6247 Falls Rd., Baltimore, MD 21209. Falls Road Running will be having Black Friday deals of $60 shoes and more and giving away free NUUN samples while supplies last.
Also, be sure to bring any of your old shoes to donate. Clean out the closet! Shoes go directly to programs for homeless people, in need, living in Haiti.
If you can’t make it Friday, we’ll have race day packet pickup starting at 7:00am in the gym at Oldfields. We recommend stopping by to see us at the running store if at all possible. Race day can be hectic and we want to make sure you’re all cool, calm, collected and ready for your run.
It is okay to pick up someone else’s bib.
Be sure to bring your QR code for a more streamlined check-in process:
Race Day Parking:
Parking will be at a satellite lot on York Road behind Anytime Fitness (14630 York Road, Sparks Glencoe, MD). It is less than 2 miles from Oldfields. We will have buses taking runners to the school from 6:45 to 8:00. There will be portable restrooms there for your convenience and we have a bag check at Oldfields. Spectators are welcome to park here and take the shuttle as well. Buses will not run between 8:00 and 9:00 to allow for both races to start.
There will be limited parking at Oldfields for volunteers and runners with carpools of 3 or more. Please do not plan on parking at the school if you are not carpooling. We cannot accommodate an abundance of vehicles there – especially with rain in the forecast.
There is absolutely no parking on Glencoe, Upper Glencoe or Lower Glencoe Roads. During the race, before the race, no parking ever. This means spectators too. Do not park in the grass. This is private property. We are visitors – let’s be respectful.
Bag Check:
Yup, we’ve got one. Feel free to bring some warm stuff with you. It’s coat check style – your bag will stay in the gym and await your return.
Bathrooms:
We do not have use of the bathrooms inside at Oldfields. There will be a Spot-a-Pot village just up the hill from the gym by the indoor riding ring. Please use these facilities and please don’t relieve yourself elsewhere on the grounds. We are visitors at an all girls boarding school – let’s be respectful.
Course:
Maryland DNR has been gracious enough to allow us to use the incredible resource of the NCR trail for the past 32 years. Please don’t litter. Please put your energy gel packets in a trash bin at a waterstop. Please keep your cups close to our waterstops and not a quarter mile down the trail. We are visitors – let’s be respectful.
The NCR Trail is not closed to the public during the race. There will be other runners, hikers, cyclists out there. Let’s be respectful here too.
There are no “official” race potties on course but there are some that live on the trail. There are restrooms in Monkton (mile 3.5) and in White Hall (7ish) – there is a portable restroom at Dairy Road too (9.6 in the marathon). You will pass by these on the way back too.
Marathon Waterstops:
All waterstops will also have lemon-lime Gatorade. Energy gels will be available at the waterstops labeled with GU.
3.5 Miles – MONKTON ROAD
5.3 Miles – BLUE MOUNT ROAD
7.4 Miles – WHITE HALL (GU)
9.6 Miles – DAIRY ROAD
11.8 Miles – BENTLEY SPRINGS (GU)
15.3 Miles – BENTLEY SPRINGS (GU)
17.5 Miles – DAIRY ROAD
20 Miles – WHITE HALL (GU)
21.6 Miles – BLUE MOUNT ROAD
23.75 Miles – MONKTON ROAD
Half Marathon Waterstops:
All waterstops will also have lemon-lime Gatorade. Energy gels will be available at the waterstops labeled with GU.
3.5 Miles – MONKTON ROAD
5.3 Miles – BLUE MOUNT ROAD
7.4 Miles – WHITE HALL (GU)
9.5 Miles – BLUE MOUNT ROAD
11.3 Miles – MONKTON ROAD
Turnarounds:
The races are on an out and (almost) back course. The marathon and the half marathon will turn around on the trail at different points. Both races finish at the same place.
The turnarounds are marked and neither is halfway – they are each past the halfway point in your race. The marathon turnaround is well past mile 13.1 and the half marathon turnaround is near the White Hall waterstop around mile 7. We will have signage and volunteers to direct you. Please pay attention and please don’t turn around early.
After the finish:
Grab your Finishers Blanket and enjoy a bus ride back up to the school. You can always go for a cooldown walk/jog too!
We’ll have some decent eats in the gym after your race. Warm soup from Panera Bread with some baguettes, chips, cookies.
Race Tracking:
You can set up participant tracking. This will give you real time finishing results with overall and age group standings. Just go to participant tracking on our RunSignup page. There you can search for any runner you’d like to receive notifications for.
Awards:
We will have an awards ceremony for our top 3 male and female overall winners along with our first male and female masters winners. These runners will earn handmade NCR mile marker replicas. Run fast guys!
We will hand out awards to our age groups winners as the morning continues. Due to the overall duration of the event, there will be no official ceremony. The awards are 5 year age groups ranging from under 19 to 80+. Charm City Run will have a table set up inside so you can check out your race standings. If you finish first or second in your age group, stop by the awards table to pick up a custom coffee mug award.
Spectators:
Spectators, family and friends are quite welcome to greet their runners along the course and at the finish line. However, there is physically no parking at the finish line. There is absolutely no parking on Glencoe, Upper Glencoe or Lower Glencoe Roads. Spectators are welcome to park at the satellite lot and take the bus to the school. From there it’s just a short walk down to the finish line. Buses will be running from 6:45 to 8:00 and then again from 9:00 through the duration of the event.
Volunteers:
There are over 100 of us. We’re there because we love running, we love our club and we want to see you accomplish your goals. Please be nice to us.
Cutoffs:
Our finish line closes at 2:30.
The marathon has a time limit of 6 hours. There are two cutoffs: you must reach the 12 mile mark in 2 hrs 45 mins and the 15 mile mark in 3 hrs 25 mins. These two points are at the Bentley springs waterstop. Please be mindful of these.
The half marathon has a time limit of 5.5 hours.
Switching races:
If you need to downgrade your distance please do so with a volunteer at pre-race packet pickup or in the gym on race day so the correct race bib can be assigned to you. This helps ensure results are produced quickly and accurately. We can also do this beforehand for you: just send us an email – ncrmarathon@brrc.com
Photos:
John Roemer IV has taken the absolute best race photos over the years. He will be out on course once again this year. Pictures will be posted on the BRRC Flickr page for free download soon after the race.
See you Saturday! Happy Thanksgiving.
