Upcoming Events
Downhill @ Dawn
The annual 1/2 marathon will run from Ridgecrest to Old Fort. You will experience some absolutely incredible views on this Downhill @ Dawn Half Marathon. The wooded mountains are majestic. You will pass some beautiful streams and rivers and The Old Geyser park. The entire experience will be a time for celebrating the greatness of our Creator God.
New for 2012 we will be offering a Team Relay, running the same course as the half-marathoners, the Team Relay consists of FOUR participants per team with each runner selecting a portion of the half-marathon course to run.
Race Packet: Pick up your race packets (whether you stay on campus or not) is Friday afternoon 3pm - 6pm or Saturday morning 5am - 5:45am in The ARC on the Ridgecrest Campus.
Pre-Race Information: Check-in for rooms at Pritchell Hall beginning at 3pm on Friday. For those who are a part of the pre-race pasta buffet, we will begin serving at 6pm. The location of the pre-race meal is the Johnson Spring Azalea Ballroom.
Join in fellowship on Friday night at the Pre-Race catered buffet accompanied by an inspirational presentation from the fastest overall thru-hiker on the Appalachain Trail, Jennifer Pharr Davis. She is the overall record holder for hiking the 2,181 mile Appalachian Trail in 46 days, 11 hours & 20 Minutes.
Race Day: The race will start at 6:01am. from Royal Gorge, between the Royal Gorge Apartments and the Maple hotel. Bagels and bananas and water will be available to all runners beginning at 5:15am. There is on-campus parking (secure) for those staying off campus. The simplest parking is near Woodland (building on campus) the ARC and parking near the start of the race in Royal Gorge. At the finish line water, bananas and bagels will be available. Shuttles will provide transportation back to Ridgecrest after the race every 15-30 minutes as needed.
Please note the race time limit is 3.5 hours, if you have not crossed the finish line at that point, you will be on your own to get back to Ridgecrest.
Course Description: This unique ½ Marathon will wind it’s way for 13.1 miles around Black Mountain, North Carolina, down the Old Fort Mountain on Old Highway 70 and finish at First Baptist Church, Old Fort, North Carolina. The first 3 miles, on pavement, will be out and back starting from the LifeWay campus at Ridgecrest. The first 1 ½ miles will be slightly downhill. The return 1 ½ miles will be slightly back uphill to the main campus. Once back at the LifeWay Ridgecrest campus, runners will be turning to go down Old Fort Mountain, the next 10 miles, mostly downhill, will offer the runner 3 of the miles on packed dirt and gravel and 7 miles on pavement. There will be a couple of places along the course where there will be some gradual uphill grades, but it is primarily a downhill run beginning at an elevation of 2700’ and ending at an elevation of 1600’. click here to view half marathon route. Water stations will be at the beginning and every 2-3 miles down the mountain. Port-A-Jons will also be provided along the route. RRCA and USA Track and Field Certification code for our half marathon is: NC-08044-PH This certification expires on Dec. 31st, 2018 - Certificate -
Emergency Medical Care: Since we will run through two different counties (Buncombe and Mc Dowell) we have enlisted the support of both counties to provide EMS and police services to help ensure that our runners are as safe as possible and to make sure that we have Medical services available.We will also provide water stations at various locations along the course.
Awards: Awards will be presented at the finish area in Old Fort as soon as race results can be certified. All finishers will receive a medal and the award categories include:
1st place Male and Female
1st place Masters, Male and Female
1st place Teen, Male and Female
1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards for the relay teams
1st, 2nd and 3rd place awards for both men and women in the following age brackets: 19-24, 25-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65 and up.
Ridgecrest DOWNHILL @ DAWN Registration:
On-site Accommodations Click Here - $79-$89 per room, per night
Pre-race Buffet - $19 per person, $9.50 for 11 years to 6 years old, $0 for 5 years and younger.
If you have any pre-race or race day questions, please email me at ed.barnes@lifeway.com or feel free to call me, Ed Barnes, 828.669.4844.
These free downloads are available to help you promote this great event with your church and friends. Downhill @ Dawn Promotional Poster 11x17
Downhill @ Dawn Promotional Poster 8.5x11
Posted in: Recreational Adults
