RunVermont Opens Unprecedented 2nd Wave for Half-Marathon
From our friends at RunVermont:
In response to the very strong demand for RunVermont’s Half Marathon Unplugged, the organization announced today that registration for a second wave, capped at 350 participants, will open at 6 a.m. on Thursday, February 23 on a first-come/first-served basis. Wave 2 of the Half Unplugged will begin at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 14.
Registration for the 6th annual Half Marathon Unplugged opened on Wednesday, February 15 with a cap of 625 participants and filled just 15 hours later. “Response to the Half Unplugged has been growing steadily, but we were surprised by the very quick rate at which registration filled for this year’s event,” said RunVermont Executive Director, Peter Delaney. “We considered several options for meeting the needs of runners who had been shut-out of the event and determined that a second wave, starting two hours after the first would be most successful.”
In a trend that mirrors other half marathons across the country, the Half Unplugged has filled faster each year, even as the field has grown to accommodate demand. In 2010 the Half Unplugged reached capacity with a cap of 550 runners in 9 weeks; that rate dropped to 17 days in 2011 (cap 600).
Any runners currently registered for Wave 1 who wish to transfer to Wave 2 will have the opportunity to do so March 5-8. No transfers from Wave 2 to Wave 1 will be allowed. Runners in both Waves will have access to the same services including bus transportation to the start, three water stations and post-race food.
RunVermont witnessed exceptional interest in another of its events early in 2012. Registration for the 24th annual FirstRun Burlington nearly doubled the prior year’s numbers with registration topping out at 848 adults. Registration for RunVermont’s signature event, the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon on May 27, 2011 is on pace with prior years.
RunVermont is a not-for-profit business focused on the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. The organization offers competitive and educational programs for adults and children including the KeyBank Vermont City Marathon and Relay, the MVP Health Care YAM Scram , FirstRun, Ready, Set, Run! and the Half Unplugged. For more information, visit www.runvermont.org.