By the Numbers

Do you ever wonder what it takes to put on a quality racing event?  It turns out, it takes spreadsheets. A lot of spreadsheets.  Jim Chaney and I sat down over coffee and a laptop, and we crunched some numbers.  A lot of numbers.

This is EXACTLY how Jim Chaney looks when he's crunching numbers.

30  Buses used to shuttle runners from the parking lot to the start and back again and also to and from relay points.

11 Average number of minutes for one-way bus commute

7276   Runners who need to ride the buses

The explanation for all of these numbers was pretty simple when I was sitting in front of the spreadsheet and Jim explained it to me, but honestly, this isn't a simple task at all.  A race director has to calculate the number of runners, the time of the commute, and the number of seats on a bus (68) in order to figure out how to get every runner to the starting line in time to race.  What I learned from his explanation of transportation was to GET TO THE PARKING LOT ON TIME!!!  I have fear-of-parking issues anyway, so that won't be a problem for me.  I intend to be at Belden Village by 5:00.

GAAAA!  I need to get on one of those buses!!!

167,040 Ounces of fluids (water or Gatorade) needed for aid stations on the course, which come from 5 gallon bottles delivered fresh from the water supplier!  No sipping out of a hose or fire hydrant! There are four fluid ounces in each runner's cup, so Jim multiplies the number of runners by four to get this figure.  Statistically, seventy percent of runners take water, and fifty percent of runners take Gatorade.  Temperatures could change this, of course, as more runners will need more fluids on a very hot day.

Do you think this will be enough?

10,914  Bottles of water at the finish line.  Same number of bananas and cookies.

6,000  Subway subs last year at the finish line for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon and Half Marathon.  More runners means more subs this year!  Yay!

Hello, Beautiful!

48   Churches on the Pro Football Hall of Fame marathon course.  That's a lotta prayers that I don't fall, puke, or die during the race.

Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today to laugh at Stephani as she runs past us.

60%  Runners who normally take a gel on the course.  The event's gel this year is Clif Shots, and they will be at miles 8.3 and 19.2.  Why the weird points on the course?  Get this:  Jim has the water stops at the half mile mark, and he wants you to have enough time to open and eat the gel before you have to deal with the water.  He thinks of EVERYTHING!!!

160  Portapotties on the course and at the start and finish.  This does not count the bathrooms inside the stadium.  There will be five portapotties at each aid station in the first half of the course and three at each station in the second half.   This is a relief (see what I did there?) to me because besides parking, bathroom issues are my BIGGEST WORRY when I'm racing.  I'll have plenty of opportunity to go to the bathroom for my standard twenty times before the start.

There will DEFINITELY be more than four.

600-800 Volunteers for the whole event.  200 will be inside the stadium working the Start and Finish lines.  Many will be at the aid stations handing you water, Gatorade, or Clif Shots.   A special shout-out goes to the Ohio Special Response Team,who will be course monitors, ensuring the safety of runners and drivers. Make sure you thank these generous people for giving their time so that we can have a fabulous race.

19 Average hours of sleep Jim Chaney gets during race week.  Monday through Thursday of that week he is lucky to sleep about four hours a night.  Friday night he may get about two hours of sleep. Saturday night he will be lucky to get forty-five minutes of sleep, as he will be driving the course starting around 2:00 AM to make sure that it is ready to go.  His first real night of sleep will be the Tuesday after the race.

Finally, the most important numbers are the Runners and the Spectators.  That's you, Friends.  If you haven't already registered, do so today!  What are you waiting for?  Come out to Canton, and be a part of an awesome community experience!  I'm looking forward to seeing you!

Run!  Cheer!  Volunteer!

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How to Run the Relay for the #HOFMarathon

Because I've never run a relay before, and because I am a WEE BIT neurotic, I am starting to worry about the how-to's of running as a relay team.  What time should I arrive?  Where do I go?  Where do my team mates go?  What happens after my leg is over?  What do I do to pass the time while I'm waiting for my team?  How do I get my medal?

Before I could make myself crazy, I had a meeting with Jim Chaney, Race Director of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, and I made him crazy instead.  I have the answers I need, and now I'm going to explain the details to you, Dear Runner, using my own relay team, Beast Mode 5.  Does our name frighten you?  No?!

The relay covers the whole marathon course, and it's divided into five legs.  Runners will pass a slap bracelet, which has an embedded timing chip, at each exchange.  That sounds very James Bond-ish, doesn't it?

I am Leg #1, 10k or 6.2 miles:

Hello, Friends!

All team runners should be at the start of the race (specifically to cheer for me, of course).  The roads will be closed, and the last shuttle will leave Belden Village Mall at around 6:30 am, so all runners must be present at the beginning.  When the gun goes off, so do I, and I plan to run my little heart out until I get to the first exchange, 6.2 miles later.  When the race starts, the other team members can get into position; of course, some will have more time than others.  Runner #2 will need to take a shuttle to the first exchange.

Runner #2, 5k or 3.1 miles,  is Brad:

As you can see, Brad took his picture from his spread at GQ.

Brad will take the shuttle (which is about a ten minute ride) to meet up with me.  Since I am the slowest runner on our team, he may need to wait a while.  Sorry, Brad!  If the weather is a bit chilly, as it can be in April in Ohio, Brad can wear his cast-off clothing (He can even rent it for a buck at the Expo!) and discard it when I pass the bracelet.  Volunteers from Refuge of Hope will collect the donated clothing, so Brad doesn't have to worry about littering.

When I arrive at the exchange point, there will be water, Port-o-Potties, and my Finisher's Blanket, for which I will be super-grateful when my core temperature starts rapidly dropping.  I will then take the shuttle back to the stadium to wait for the other members of our relay team.  I'll have to do it quickly, though, because Brad's a speedy runner.


Runner #3, 5k or 3.1 miles, is Michael:

If you see this runner coming up behind you, GET OUT OF THE WAY!  He WILL mow you down.

Michael will walk a block or so from the stadium to the exchange point where Brad will pass him the bracelet.  I will have sufficiently recovered by then (I hope), so I will welcome the opportunity to stretch my legs a bit and cheer on Brad and Michael.  Brad will get some water and collect his Finisher's Blanket when he arrives at the exchange point, and we will have just enough time to complain about the weather and then walk to the next exchange point to witness Michael passing the bracelet to our next runner.

Runner #4, 12.2k or 7.6 miles, is Mandy:

I LOVE this pic.  This is Mandy as a badass trail runner.

Mandy will only need to walk a block or so from the Stadium  to meet up with Michael, and he will be there lickety-split because 5k's are HIS THING.  We will all be there to cheer him in and send off Mandy.  Mandy's course will take her to Perry High School, so our Runner #5 will have to take the shuttle to the exchange point to meet her.  When Mandy arrives at Perry High School, she can get some water and she will receive her Finisher's Blanket.  Then she needs to take the shuttle back to the stadium for our Grand Finish.

Runner #5, 10k or 6.2 miles, is Joy:

In this picture, Joy is high-fiving a ghost.

Joy will take the shuttle to Perry High School and then tear up the road on the way back to the stadium, where we will all be waiting for her.  Run, Joy, run!

Something new this year, and something I really appreciate, is that Relay Teams will be allowed to finish together.  This way we can join Joy as she crosses the finish line.  Maybe we can hold hands and sing "Kumbaya"  or something.

When we finish the race, Joy gets her Finisher's Blanket, we all collect our medals, we grab some food and water, and we bask in the glow of a collective runner's high.

Some things to remember:

Get to the parking lot in plenty of time.

There will be water and Port-o-Potties at all the exchanges.  Do not worry.

You will collect your Finisher's Blanket at each exchange.

You will collect your medal at the end of the race (26.2 miles).  If you choose not to run in with your team, the last runner receives all the medals to distribute to the team.

Hello, Beautiful!

I'd like to thank Jim Chaney for explaining all of this to me.  He was so patient, especially when he would pause so I could type this info into my phone using only my index finger.  I have Fred Flinstone thumbs.  Don't judge.

What would you like to know about the Pro Football Hall of Fame race events?  Leave your questions in the comments, and I'll be glad to find the answers for you.

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[Don't] Throw It Away!

You stamp the ground nervously in the starting corral of your race.  The temperature is more than chilly, but you are warm from a combination of adrenaline and the oversized hoodie you are wearing.  The gun goes off; you peel off the hoodie and throw it to the side of the road. . . What happens to the hoodie?

The Akron Half Marathon was my first half marathon.  It was such a special occasion; you always remember your first, right?  I had spent eight months training, learning about running, and learning about myself, and it all came down to that one moment.  My coach, Sheila Avsec of the Towpath Turtles, had advised us to bring a piece of throwaway clothing because in late September Ohio temperatures can be a bit cool, especially at 6:00 am when you're waiting for the start.

This is the starting line of an Ohio race in September.  Just kidding.

For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about (because you live in Hawaii or something), runners need to dress as if the temperature is at least twenty degrees warmer than what it is because of rising body heat from exertion.  Waiting around at the starting corral can get very chilly if you are dressed in a racing singlet and shorts in forty degree weather, so runners wear clothing they can peel off at the start of the race.  Sometimes if they don't have clothing, they wear trash bags.

This is EXACTLY how I look waiting at the start of a race.

I didn't want to wear a trash bag on the day of my big race, and I wanted everything about my first half marathon to be meaningful, so I searched through my old clothes to see if there was something I wanted to throw on the side of the street.  Then I spotted it:  an old, oversized button-down shirt from my days as a server at a chain steakhouse.  I was so glad to leave that job, and I knew that this was the best way to throw off that part of my life.  When the fireworks went off at the start of the race, I peeled off the shirt and threw it to the side of the street with a loud "HA!"  It felt awesome.

Since then, I have run many races, and I have never had another emotional moment when it came to the throwaway.  In fact, I usually forget to go to a thrift shop to buy a shirt, so I end up huddling under grungy towels I have to dig out from the trunk of my car, cursing myself for my lack of planning.

So, what does happen to all the clothing we throw to the side of the street at the beginning of a race?  The story I've heard is that volunteers pick it all up and donate it to a local charity, but I've always wondered about the specifics of the throwaway.  Who picks up the clothing, and what do they do with it?

This year the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon is working with Refuge of Hope Ministries in Canton, Ohio, which supplies shelter and hot meals to the homeless.

From their webpage: Through our Meal Ministry, we provide well balanced, hot, nutritious meals for the hungry and hurting. We serve six meals per week, the most of any such social service agency in the county. The number of meals we serve has increased dramatically, from 14,500 in 2008 to 73,322 in 2013.

The volunteers from Refuge of Hope are going to make runners' starting-line planning much easier by offering to Rent a Throwaway at the Expo on Friday and Saturday, April 24-25.  For a dollar, you can "rent" clean, donated clothing for the starting line shivers, and Refuge of Hope will even pick up the dropped clothing in the first mile and a half of the race.  Think about how great that is:  Most of us are still warming up for the first five minutes of a race.  Now you can shed the clothing a little later than the starting line.

The Rent a Throwaway program is a way to give to the community while including all members of the community.  For runners throwaways are a temporary convenience; for Refuge of Hope, throwaways are an opportunity to help those less fortunate.

Baby, it's cold outside!  Don't bother agonizing over the weather and your starting line warm ups:  Let the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon and Refuge of Hope Ministries take care of it for you!

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Walk, Jog, Run, or Compete

Psst.  I have a secret about the Pro Football Hall of Fame races.  Wanna hear it?  Come closer.  I'll only share this with you if you promise to tell everyone you know, ok?

Let's talk about the Gold Jacket 5k series.  For those of you who are football-vocabulary-deficient, the name comes from the Jackets worn by enshrinees to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Honestly, I'd call this color "Mustard," not "Gold."

By the end of 2016, there will be a Gold Jacket 5k in every NFL city plus Canton!  You, Runner-Friends, are getting this scoop before the official announcement!  This year the schedule includes the following cities:

​​Canton - April 25th

​Detroit - May 17th

Cleveland - June 7th
Cincinnati - June 14th

Pittsburgh - June 28th

Baltimore - July 12th
Chicago - July 19th

Buffalo - August 9th
Championship Race - Canton - September 13th

Anyone can participate in the Gold Jacket 5k.  You can walk, jog, run, or compete--whatever makes you happy.  The winners of each Gold Jacket 5k will get a free entry and free travel to the Championship race on September 13th.  Participants will wear a bib with the name of the NFL team for their cities.  Canton's bib will be for the Canton Bulldogs.  I am already registered for the Canton Gold Jacket 5k because when Jim showed me the medal (He THUNKED it on the table--that's how big it is!) I lost my mind.  You, too, can earn this, and you can earn one for every Gold Jacket 5k!

Look at it!  LOOK AT THIS HUGE RING!!!!

I've got my eye on either the Pittsburgh, Chicago, or Baltimore Gold Jacket 5ks because I think my husband and I should take a short vacation to run one together.  We'll leave the kids at home; they are old enough to open cereal boxes and peanut butter jars.  What could go wrong?  (Before you go all nuts on me and I have to respond to Child and Family Services, I have to tell you that I'M JUST KIDDING about leaving the kids by themselves with just some cereal and peanut butter.  We have plenty of frozen pizza, too.)

Anyway, I am excited to treat some of these 5ks as race-cations, and hopefully you will join me.

This is EXACTLY how I look when I'm showing off my race swag after running a 5k!

Wanna join me?  Click here to register for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.   Remember; you can walk, jog, run, or compete.  Be daring; try something new. This year I am running a relay for the first time, and I'm really excited.  Plus,  of course, I'll be running for that huge ring in the Canton Gold Jacket 5k.  If I run the Gold Jacket in all the cities this year, I can use the rings as weapons during cafeteria duty.  I'M KIDDING!  I wouldn't want ketchup on my rings. Look for the national announcement of this series just after the Super Bowl during the week of February 2nd.

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Get It Now: Pro Football Hall of Fame 5k

Well, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Gold Jacket 5k has sold out.  Wow, that was quick!  Are you upset that you didn't register?  Never fear:

You can still get this!  

The Powers-that-Be (you can call him Jim) have decided to give you until midnight January 31 to sign up for this fun 5k.

Why would you want to sign up for this 5k?  So glad you asked:

1.  LOOK AT THE RING!!! Holy cow!  When Jim plunked this ring down on the table to show it to me, it almost SPLIT THE TABLE.  I'm not exaggerating.  Much. It weighs 13 oz. More than a steak. More than a can of soda / pop / juice / adult beverage.

2.  The 5k is the day before the marathon, half-marathon, and relay, so you can do two events if you want.  I am running the 5k and a leg of the relay.

3.  It's totally fun.  You can walk, jog, run, or compete--completely up to you.  Why not take the whole family?

4. There will even be a real life Hall of Famer or two at the finish line giving you a high five!

5.  The price point is right on--$35.00 for this awesome ring and a chance to finish at the 50-yard line of Fawcett Stadium.

Join me by clicking here to register for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, Half Marathon, Relay, and/or Gold Jacket 5k.  Remember, you only have until midnight January 31 to get this ring!

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Let's Play!

"Why does it take a year to plan a race?" I asked Jim Chaney, race director for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon.  "What do you do all day?  It's just one day, right?"

"How long did it take you to plan your wedding?" he countered.  Touche.  My wedding had MAYBE 50 people involved, and it took months to plan.

This is EXACTLY how my wedding looked.  I got the dress at a discount.  Just kidding; this is Kate and William.  They copied off my wedding.

"The Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon is like a wedding day for thousands of people, with a wedding hall that spreads out over 26.2 miles,"  Jim explained.

I wanted to know what Day 1 Planning looks like.  Initial stages of planning a wedding are the most exciting and fun because anything goes, and you don't feel bound by budgets or rules.  According to Jim, this is NOTHING like the first day of planning a running event:

"Day 1 is the worst day of the entire year. The focus is to identify everything that did NOT go according to plan the previous year. The bulk of what goes wrong is generally not visible to the runner, but critical to resolve for future success.  Day 1 actually happens 5 days after the event. We ask all of our volunteers to document what they feel could be improved, what went wrong, what went right, and anything unexpected."

Jim gave me some examples from 2014: Runners felt they needed better signage to mark where the marathon and half marathon split.  (I know from running other half marathons in marathon events that this is very confusing to runners.  It shouldn't be difficult--it's not rocket science, after all--but it is very difficult when your head is in a certain place and you don't know the course.)  What Went Wrong: The entire gear bag volunteer team did not show up (It was a high school group - should have considered this possibility!), so Jim had to scramble and cover that activity quickly. What Went Right:  Almost everything went according to plan....awesome!  What Was Unexpected: A very nice family provided orange slices to the marathoners but left a quarter mile trail of orange peels with no one to clean them up.

From that session, the team establishes the game plan for the coming year. Yes, they indeed have a "playbook" that documents all of the facets of the race.  

 Just when I thought our conversation was going to be about more Day 1 details, Jim took a different turn:   "Also, my job involves more than just race-day planning.  I want this event to be more than a fun day for runners.  I want to involve families, and I want to connect them through a love of play and movement."

This is where I snapped to attention.  As a high school teacher and a mother of two, I worry about the lack of play and movement our children have, both in and out of school.  I thought Jim said he was planning a marathon--why is he bothering to think about playtime and family?  Also, my kids can't run a marathon. . . yet.  How are they going to have fun at a marathon event?  What can my family do if they can't run the marathon or even the half marathon?  This is where the YMCA Football Combine Experience in Fawcett Stadium and the Gold Jacket 5k Series come in.

During the Canton races, families can hang out in Fawcett Stadium, where there are activities for children such as a timed 40 yard dash, agility drills, jumps, obstacle courses, passing drills, and a touchdown dance competition (Boy, my son and I would tear that up!).

This is EXACTLY how my son and I look in a touchdown dance competition.

I'm excited to get the view from the sideline for this family-fun weekend.  Wanna join me?  Click here to register for the marathon, half marathon, relay, or Gold Jacket 5k. 

I have lots of questions for Jim about what he does to plan for these events.  I'd love to get answers to your questions, too.  Tell me in the comments what you would like to know about planning for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon Weekend.  I'll do my best to snoop around (quarterback sneak, anyone?) and write about what I learned.

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An Armchair Quarterback Comments from the Sideline

Have you ever wondered what it takes to put on a marathon?  How do you plan the route?   How much water should you stock? Do you know how many Port-a-Potties you will need?

Hint:  This is NOT enough!

These are questions many runners probably never even think about, even in the daze of mile 18 of 26.2 miles (unless said runner was searching for a toilet--ahem).  

Jim Chaney is the race director for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon, which also offers a half marathon, team relay, and 5k race. Anyone involved in the running community in Ohio (and even outside Ohio) knows Jim for his active participation in every running group around these parts. He has timed races, organized races, and volunteered at races.I think I’ve seen him at every local race I’ve ever run. Of course, I’ve seen him from WAY BEHIND because he is a pretty fast runner.

Most impressive (to me), he has paced the marathon for Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Try telling this guy he's only got another 5k to go. . . Yeah.

Just think about that for a second: Somebody who is zen enough to guide a rocker known for being somewhat crazy on- and off-stage must have the capacity to maintain ultimate calm in the midst of race directing. This is my impression of Jim Chaney.

This isn't my impression of Jim Chaney. . . this is actually Jim Chaney.

Who am I? I am a typical, middle-of-the-pack, recreational runner. My name is Stephani. I am a mother, wife, teacher, and runner. . . not necessarily in that order. I blog at Run away from Trouble.  Normally I write about what I’ve learned about myself through running (and how it saves my sanity), but this year I want to learn more about what happens behind the scenes of a race, and that’s why I contacted Jim.

This isn't my impression of me. . . this is actually me.

In the hour I spent drinking coffee with Jim, I learned so much about organizing a race that my head is still spinning, and that is without the details. In the weeks leading to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Marathon events (April 24-26), I plan to sneak a peak behind the scenes of this race. I want to know what a race director does, why this race is even important (Why bother with all the work? Yeesh!), and finally, how a race director calculates Port-a-Pottie needs. What? I'm not joking.

Follow me on this journey, Friends. It starts with one click--register for the Pro Football Hall of Fame marathon, half marathon, or team relay, and we will train together. I'm going to rock the relay (a first for me!), and I expect you to rock your race.

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