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| Race Participant Information
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| The Harrisburg YMCA Race Series is presented by
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| Saturday, September 12th | Sunday, September 13th
City Island, Harrisburg, PA
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Thank you for supporting the race and the East Shore YMCA! Below, you will find information regarding race day, packet pick up, parking, spectator information, and more.
Additional race updates may be sent as necessary between now and race day.
This is a rain or shine event!
Race Communications
It is our desire that every participant has a wonderful experience and is equipped with all necessary information for race day! This is why our Harrisburg Half Marathon race staff made this pre-race email as comprehensive as possible. If you have additional questions that cannot be answered within the contents of this email, please refer to the guidelines below!
Phone Calls: Due to extensive time out of the office prior to the race, we kindly request no phone calls after Wednesday, September 9th. We will not be able to return phone calls after this time.
Emails: If you have any questions, please hit reply to this email and let us know as soon as possible! Any email submissions after Thursday, September 10th may not be returned in a timely manner.
Following the race: Please note that our race staff is mostly out of the office the day after the race getting things wrapped up, so any communication may not be returned in a timely manner. We will get back to you as soon as possible!
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PACKET PICKUP TIMES AND LOCATIONS
1. FLEET FEET SPORTS MECHANICSBURG (Silver Spring Square, 6416 Carlisle Pike #700, Mechanicsburg, PA 17050)
- Thursday, September 10th - 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM
- Friday, September 11th - 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
2. RACE DAY ON CITY ISLAND
- 6:30 AM – 8:45 AM (Saturday and Sunday)
Masks must be worn covering nose and mouth to all packet pickup times and locations.
Other Information:
- Can I pick up for another person? Yes, that is fine, but only if you have signed the updated waiver (see below). If you signed up within the last two weeks, you will have signed the updated waiver. We will have a list at packet pickup of who needs to sign it. Also, if you do pick up the race bib/shirt for another person, please make sure they know. Otherwise they will come to packet pick up, not find their bib, and the race will have to assign a new bib for them.
- Finding your bib number: There will be bib charts at the race. You will find the bib number beside your last name and give that number to a volunteer, who will then get your race bib and shirt.
- Picking up on race morning: If you pick up your race bib on race morning, please arrive around 30-45 minutes prior to your corral time so you can get parked, get your bib and race shirt, and have time to get to your corral.
City Island Address: 245 Championship Way, Harrisburg, PA 17101
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COURSE
This is a USATF (United States Track and Field) Certified 13.1-Mile Course. Course certification number is PA20006NP. If you are not familiar USATF certification, this means that the course has been officially measured following procedures required by United States Track and Field. When the course is officially measured, it means that it is not too long or too short.
This course starts and ends in the north parking lot of City Island where there is room for distancing.
The majority of the course is one-way runner traffic with two sections that are two-way runner traffic (north of Maclay St to the turnaround point and south of the I-83 bridge).
The course does not close any roads and takes place on Greenbelt Path with smaller sections using sidewalk and gravel path. The last stretch across the Market St Bridge will be using the sidewalk portion of the bridge.
We will have volunteers throughout the course, so please take the time to thank them as you go by! We could not make these races happen without our wonderful volunteer crew on the course and start and finish line area.
Please note that there will be some pedestrians using the same paths the course uses. There may be some people on bikes, with strollers, walking dogs, etc.
There is no walker division this year. If you want to walk or run/walk the course, then starting in one of the earlier corrals will give you more time than usual to finish the course.
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RACE SCREENING
We will have mandatory screening for all participants at the entrance area of the starting line corrals.
This will include a temperature check and a few brief questions.
If you wake up on race morning and you are feeling sick, please do not come. We will gladly offer you a deferral to next year. Please help us and everyone in the race by staying home.
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COURSE START AND END TIME
- The first corral (Elite Corral) will go off at 7:00 AM.
- The last corral will go off at 9:20 AM.
- The course will close for all runners at 1:20 PM.
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START/FINISH LINE AND STARTING CORRAL AREA
The diagram below is not to scale, but is meant to give you an idea of how the starting line/finish line/starting corral will all be adjacent.
The starting line/finish line are the same.
The starting corral will be right in front of the starting line (more on this in the next section).
All of this will take place in the north parking lot on City Island and packet pickup will be nearby.
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STARTING LINE CORRALS
To ensure that we are able to have adequate distancing at this event, we will be using corrals that will send a max of 20 participants off every 10 minutes.
You will arrive to the corral entrance about 10 minutes before the starting time you selected.
Once the previous corral is cleared and all participants are off, we will do a brief screening of each participant to enter the starting line corral.
We will have cones set up in the starting line corral that are 6-feet apart. All participants will stand by a cone until we fill the chute and start sending participants off.
Participants must wear masks the whole time until they are at the very front of the corral and ready to go off.
We will send one person off every 15-20 seconds.
There will be volunteers on site to guide you through the whole process.
What if I miss my corral time? If you miss your starting line corral time, we will fit you in where we can. Many corrals are full with the maximum of 20 people. All participants were to select their corral time prior to race day, so you will be placed in the next corral where there is an opening if you miss your assigned corral.
Below is a diagram (not to scale) for how the starting line corrals will work.
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STARTING LINE CORRAL TIMES
Corral times will be every 10 minutes and will have a max of 20 participants. This will allow us to accommodate a max of 250 participants per day. Remember, you had to select your corral prior to race day and show up at the screen area at the entrance of the corral about 5-10 minutes before your selected starting time.
- 7:00 AM – Elite Corral
- For participants competing for the overall male and female open and masters awards.
- There will be lead bikers for this corral.
- 7:10 AM
- 7:20 AM
- 7:30 AM
- 7:40 AM
- 7:50 AM
- 8:00 AM
- 8:10 AM
- 8:20 AM
- 8:30 AM
- 8:40 AM
- 8:50 AM
- 9:00 AM
- 9:10 AM
- 9:20 AM
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HALF MARATHON COURSE NOTES
Water Stations: There will be three water stations on the course (map below).The distance markers for the water stations are located approximately at miles 3.6, 4.6, 7.8, 10.3, and 11.7.
All water will be served in 8oz bottles. You will need to pick up the bottles, take off the cap, and dispose of the bottle in trash cans that will be set up past the aid station. You will have to pick the bottle up from the table as you go by. Water bottles will be placed on paper towels to avoid repeated contact on the table.
If you think you will need more water than what is at these available water stops, please carry a hydration pack and self fuel.
We will not be serving Gatorade or gels. There will be no open cups being served.
This is what the water station tables will look like below. When you go past, you will grab a water bottle and take it with you. The water station volunteers will replace the water bottle and paper towel for the next participant.
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Course Marking: There will be arrows signs throughout the course. The arrow signs will be yellow signs with black arrows. Some course signs will be just arrows and others will have specific details. The course it pretty simple to navigate, but please pay attention to signs and instructions. There are not as many people in the race as usual and much of the course is one-way runner traffic, so you won't always be able to follow someone in front of you. We will also have volunteers at most turns to guide you.
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PORTA-POTTIES
There will be porta-potties at the starting line area and throughout the course. Mile markers for porta-potties are 1.2, 1.9, 3.6, 4.6, 7.8, 9.9, 10.3, 11.7, and 12.1. We will place hand sanitizers in each unit.
There are several units around the Greenbelt Path in Downtown Harrisburg that are always available. Please note that any of the units there specifically for the race will have the sign below on them.
If you see the sign below on a unit, it means that it is for you as a race participant. We are working to deter others from using them, so we will be zip-tying the units before and after the race.
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MASK POLICY
It is imperative that all participants wear a face mask at all times, except while running their heat. If we work together, we can stay healthy together! You must maintain appropriate social distance at all times; please be aware of your surroundings.
- Participants must wear a mask up until they reach the starting line area.
- Masks can be taken off while running.
- After crossing the finish line and going through the finish line chute, masks must be put on prior to exiting the finish line chute.
- Spectators must wear masks while at the event.
What should I do with my mask while running?
We will not have a bag drop, so please wear shorts with pockets so you can put the mask in your pocket while running and access it again prior to exiting the finish line chute.
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AWARDS AND CHIP TIMING
Chip Timing: The race is being timed using a disposable chip system and we will have both a starting line mat and finish line mat in place. Please make sure you cross both mats during the race. There will be another set of timing mats on the course for the purpose of ensuring full completion of the course for accurate awards. Your time will not start until you cross the start line mat and will stop when you cross the finish line mat.
AWARD INFORMATION
- All awards will be aggregated for both Saturday and Sunday.
- All awards will be scored by chip time, so essentially it is a time trial race for each person.
- Normally we have this race on one day and all awards are gun timed, but we have had to take new measures this year due to the parameters we have to operate in.
- All awards will be mailed.
- Final age group awards will not be available until results are finalized after the Sunday event.
- No duplicate awards.
- All awards will be scored according to chip time. The whole event is a series of time trials and awards will be finalized following the Sunday event.
- We will not be issuing prize money for this event this year.
CATEGORIES
Overall Awards
- Overall male
- Overall female
- Overall male masters (40+)
- Overall female masters (40+)
Age Group Awards (first, second, and third place for male and female categories listed below)
- 19 and under
- 20-24
- 25-29
- 30-34
- 35-39
- 40-44
- 45-49
- 50-54
- 55-59
- 60-64
- 65+
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FINISHER MEDALS
All participants who complete the race will receive a finisher medal!
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PHOTOS
All photos will be free to download!
Please allow 1-2 weeks to process.
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RACE TRACKING
We will not have a race tracking option this year.
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RESULTS
Results will be uploaded as soon as possible following the race.
Remember, overall results and awards will be finalized following the event on Sunday. We are aggregating awards over the course of both days.
Our race timer will be updating results throughout the morning via the links below. After you finish, check the links and your official time will be up shortly.
Please do not go to the race timer tent to inquire about your race time, they will be updated on the website quickly!
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POST-RACE
After you cross the finish line, you will go through the finish line chute on the outside area of the north parking lot on City Island. You will go past the EMS area and then receive a bottle of water, a finisher medal, and a bag of food to take with you.
Post-Race Food: There will be post-race food catered by Karns Quality Foods available for participants following the race. This food is available to participants only. Spectators or anyone without a race bib will not be permitted in the food line. Please do not take food for anyone but yourself.
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PACING TEAM
At this year's Harrisburg Half Marathon, we have Pacers starting at designated times on both Saturday and Sunday. They will be holding a steady pace and if you are starting at or close to their start times you are welcome to use them as a guide in your race. Read more about the Pacers and their lineup.
The Pacers will not be at packet pickup this year so you can direct any questions to Jim@MarathonPacing.com and he will be able to provide advice regarding your race plan.
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SPECTATORS
In order for us to keep crowds to a minimum and keep everyone safe, we ask that all participants limit their spectators as much as possible. This way, everyone can have someone cheering them on!
There is going to be a lot of spectator room in the parking lot area. The final stretch of the race will take place around the perimeter of the parking lot, so there will be plenty of room for spectators to space out!
Spectators must wear masks while at the event.
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MEDICAL ASSISTANCE
EMS utility vehicles will be available along the course. EMTs will be available near the finish line on City Island. EMTs will be in contact with each water station in case of emergency.
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BAG DROP
There will not be a bag drop option at the event this year. Please keep your belongings in your car during the race.
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HALF MARATHON HOMEPAGE
Click here to visit the Harrisburg Half Marathon page on YMCARun.com
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HARRISBURG YMCA RACES FACEBOOK PAGE
Click here to visit the Harrisburg YMCA Races Facebook Page.
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| FAQ
Can I wear headphones?
Headphones are permitted.
Can I run with my child in a baby jogger or with my dog on a leash?
No. Unfortunately, we do not allow baby joggers or animals on the course for safety reasons.
Will there be food trucks?
We will not be having food trucks this year.
Will there be an awards ceremony?
There will not be an awards ceremony at the event. All results will be updated on the results page of the Falcon Race Timing page for the Harrisburg Half as soon as they are ready. Awards will be mailed to participants following the race – LIKE AND FOLLOW to stay in touch!
Can I register in-person?
No, there will not be any in-person registration this year. The deadline to participate online was Monday, September 7th, by 11:59 PM.
Can I stick around to watch the race after I finish?
As much as we love to have everyone hang out and watch the race like we do every year, we need to keep our overall crowd size down and kindly ask that once you finish, you head out and make room for the next finisher.
What do I do after I finish the race?
We'll miss you! Once participants have finished running, we ask that they exit through the finish line chute and proceed to leave City Island. This will prevent overcrowding, encourage social distancing, and make room for the next finisher!
After the race, we will have a finish line chute where you can get water, your finisher medal, food, and see some of our vendors.
After exiting the finish line chute, we respectfully ask our participants to head out so we can keep our crowd size down.
Are awards chip-timed or gun-timed?
All age group awards are chip-timed. This is because we are utilizing a corral format and not a gun-time format like usual.
Thank you for your support and good luck on race day!
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Over the last decade, more than $600,000 has been raised from the Harrisburg YMCA races, including the Harrisburg Half Marathon. The money raised benefits the East Shore Branch YMCA, which, in turn, awards scholarships for youth, childcare, membership and other programs.
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