COVID -19 Updates
NO DAY OF REGISTRATION and the Race is SOLD OUT. ALL RUNNERS MUST ARRIVE 20 MINUTES PRIOR TO THEIR ASSIGNED STARTING TIME. IF YOU DON’T HAVE A CONFIRMED START TIME CONTACT ME AT
Parking –
Parking will be onsite at the Canaan Valley Resort in Canaan Valley Start Park.
Here’s a link to the Map and directions to the Resort
https://goo.gl/maps/KE6avKtroATskgCj9
MASKS ARE REQUIRED INSIDE CANAAN VALLEY RESORT
Safety and COVID-19
The health and safety of all of the runners, as well as our local community, are of the utmost importance to me. PLEASE if you have any SYMPTOMS at all or you simply do not feel well DO NOT ATTEND the race. Contact me directly and we will figure out a way to accommodate you.
We will be implementing strict Social/Physical Distancing Guidelines as well as other safety protocols to ensure everyone’s safety. Please follow the guidelines so we can have a fun and safe race.
Spectators/Guests –
Due to COVID, we are not allowing guests and spectators in the Registration/Starting/Finish/Packet Pick Up Areas in order to keep crowds to an absolute minimum.
There are locations throughout the Park where spectators may go to cheer you on within walking distance of the lodge as long as they are respectful and use proper Social distance guidelines.
Packet Pick Up –
To minimize contact, and gatherings we will not be doing Packet Pick Up. We will be doing Dynamic Bib Assignment, so you will be assigned a bib upon your assigned arrival time. Once you complete the race and are ready to leave you will be given you swag and bling prior to leaving.
If you are not staying at Canaan Valley Resort after parking you can enter the Main Entrance go downstairs and out the backdoor to the Pavilion, Pool and Start/Finish Area.
Starting Times –
Everyone has been assigned starting times. That’s not saying I didn’t miss someone, so if you have put in a request for a starting time and you don’t see your name please contact me at
6:00 AM – 6:15 AM is still kind of dark. The first ¼ mile of the course is on a trail and has limited light. I recommend possibly bringing a headlamp or we can push your start time back closer to 6:15.
Conquer the Valley Challenge Participants – Originally you were scheduled to run the 5k on Saturday and the Half Marathon on Sunday. Due to the circumstances, you may due them in whatever order you would like. Some have requested to run both races on Saturday which is completely ok as well. You NEED SEPARATE BIB NUMBERS for both the Half Marathon and 10k. When Checking in please remember to get 2 different bib numbers.
** 5k Participants – Currently I have Start times set aside for 10 am, 10:15 am. I do still have availability for 5k participants at earlier times on both Saturday and Sunday if you would like a different start time. 5K PARTICIPANTS IF YOU WOULD LIKE AN EARLIER START TIME PLEASE CONTACT ME directly at [email protected]
SATURDAY START TIMES CLICK HERE (I will be updating this document with your recent requests if it is not correct and you made a request please check it again tomorrow.)
SUNDAY START TIMES CLICK HERE (I will be updating this document with your recent requests if it is not correct and you made a request please check it again tomorrow.)
Arrival Times – This is Very Important –
**MASKS WILL BE REQUIRED DURING REGISTRATION WHILE PICKING UP YOUR BIBS**
Please arrive at the Registration 20 minutes before your scheduled start time. It is very important for you to arrive as close to 20 minutes prior to your start time as possible, please do not be too early or be more than 5 minutes late. The reason we are only doing blocks of 15 people is to keep the crowd size to an absolute minimum and be able to maintain proper social distancing.
20 minutes prior isn’t when you should arrive at the Canaan Valley Resort but when you should be arriving at the registration area. If you are not staying at the Canaan Valley Resort please give yourself 10 minutes extra to get from the parking area to the Registration area.
The Registration Area will be at the Pavillion/Ice Skating Rink behind Canaan Valley Resort. I will send out a final email next week with a complete map of all of the locations.
Restrooms –
We will be using the Restrooms at the Pool at Canaan Valley Resort. We will not have Porta-Potties on the course for safety reasons and precautions due to COVID-19. Half Marathon participants if you need to use the restroom you may use the Restrooms at the Pool on your 2nd Lap. The restrooms will only be about 50 yards from the course. MASKS ARE REQUIRED IN THE RESTROOMS.
Water Stops –
We will have 2 Water stop locations out on the course for the 10k Course, 1 water stop location on the 5k Course, and 3 water stop locations on the Half Marathon course which runners. Half Marathoners will hit each of the water stop locations twice.
All water will be in PRE-PACKAGED containers, little bottles of Gatorade, and water. There will be no consumption of water or Gatorade allowed within 50 feet the stations and they will be self serve. Once you grab your hydration of choice and you are 50 feet away you are welcome to consume. PLEASE put your trash in the receptacles that will be placed within 100 yards of the water stops.
The Courses –
5k Course –
https://onthegomap.com/s/89hgbofr
10k Course
https://onthegomap.com/s/cs16fanq
Half Marathon Course ***COURSE CHANGE***
The Half Marathon Course is a looped course and I break it down into Loop 1, and Loop 2.
Half Marathon Course Loop 1
https://onthegomap.com/s/teksj8vn
Half Marathon Course Loop 2
https://onthegomap.com/s/np9hseub
Post Race –
The finishing area near the finish line, we will have an opportunity for post-race snacks, and a place to cool down after your race. In order to keep crowds to an absolute minimum, we ask once you have cooled down and grabbed a snack you move on to the Swag Pick Up and Photo area on your way out.
Packet Pickup/Swag/Bling Pick Up –
After completing your race on your way out we will have a designated area for your packet pickup/Bling and Post Race Photo opportunities. MASKS REQUIRED WILL PICKING UP PACKETS
Awards –
We will be giving awards to the Top Overal All Male and Female in all 4 Events
5k, 10k, Half Marathon, Conquer The Valley Challenge
Also prizes for Male/Female Age Group Winners
19 – Under
20-29
30-39
40-49
50-59
60 & Over
Due to the fact, the race is taking place over 2 days and safety guidelines. All prizes will be mailed and you will be contacted the week following the race between August 24-28.
As I have said before I’m sure I’m missing something. Please contact me directly if you have any questions.
Thank you for Joining!!!
Update Canaan Valley Half Marathon scheduled for August 22-23, 2020.
July 13, Update
#MotivationMonday Keep Pushing Forward!!!
Course Announcement and other stuff…
The situation once again is changing quite rapidly and I’m still moving forward to produce a great, socially distanced safe race. That being said I take COVID-19 very seriously and the risks associated with it. I don’t have a spleen, which protects your body against pneumonia, which comes with COVID so I don’t want to push my luck, because I’m in that at-risk group. That being said I truly feel we can create a safe race environment that’s at least as safe as any grocery store or box chain if not more. West Virginia just announced more restrictions on group sizes back down to 25 and has canceled all fairs and festivals but not sporting events.
You can still switch to a VIRTUAL version or defer for a fee until 8/1. Email me at [email protected] and put VIRTUAL in the subject line if you would wish to switch events. As for our Virtual Participants, I have processed almost all of your requests and will be processing the remainder tonight. You should receive an email once you have been moved over to the virtual event. I will also mail out instructions on how to upload your finish times by the end of the week.
💥💥We will officially be offering the Half Marathon and 10k on Saturday 8/22 in addition to Sunday 8/23. 💥💥 I will be emailing all Half Marathon and 10k participants tomorrow asking if you would like to switch your day from Sunday to Saturday. If you don’t want to switch that is fine, but I would love some volunteers so we can really spread runners out over both days.
Runners will take off in 1-minute increments beginning at 6am on both Saturday and Sunday is the plan as of now. If you are with a small group that is traveling together and wants to run together, you will be allowed to start together. Please let me know when I email you. We will have runners arrive in groups about 30 minutes prior to your start time. I will be sending out more information on the exact details as we get closer to August. Rooms are going fast at Canaan Valley Resort so I would call them if you want to walk to and from the race.
The course has changed dramatically and will now be a looped course on the back half of Canaan Valley State Park. the 10k will do one loop and the Half Marathon participants will do 2 loops. We will start and finish behind the Canaan Valley Resort. The course will utilize much more of the golf course which is an absolutely beautiful run! Please see the map below and I will have more information on the course soon. It was impossible with Social Distancing guidelines, and traffic control to have a larger course logistically it just would not work.
I know there are a few things I missed and I would be happy to answer. In the meantime, I’m going to keep pushing forward with trying to plan, replan, plan again, and plan again this race.
Robby
July 1, COVID-19 Update
Good News – Next Monday will officially be Medal Reveal Monday! Beyond looking cool, there’s something else about these medals that I can’t wait to share!
Race Weekend – So there’s a lot of uncertainty with rising cases of COVID-19, and reopening so to err on the side of caution I’m going to move forward with an extremely conservative race plan. However, this too could change.
- We will not be using our originally planned course this year due to concerns with shuttles and COVID19. The start and finish line will both be at the Canaan Valley Resort. I’m currently working on finalizing the courses and will hopefully have those for everyone in the coming days.
- I plan on sending out a survey to Runners next week about the option of running the Half Marathon and 10k on Saturday as well as on Sunday. Also allowing runners to do the 5k on Sunday as well as Saturday. If there is enough interest I would like to give the option to runners to pick their day which would allow for the best spacing.
- I’m also planning on pushing the first gun time on Saturday and Sunday to 6 am. Once we postponed because it’s a warmer time of year in theory, I would like to give runners the option to start earlier. We can have some really cool misty mountain mornings that time of year that can make for optimal running weather. By pushing the start earlier it also allows us more time to spread runners out.
- I’m planning on starting runners one at a time as a time trial instead of a mass or group starts.
The goal is 1 runner every 20 seconds – 1 minute, depending on restrictions. Don’t worry if you are running as a group or small group we will let friends who travel together run together in groups of 2-4 if needed. I’m still working on logistics for arrival times for runners, packet pick up, etc… By late next week, I’m hoping to have our executable plan finalized.
- Virtual Runners – By this Friday, 7/3, you will be transferred to a new event with instructions on how to log your time and other information. I will also be sending an email to you to confirm your participation in the Virtual Race. In the email, I will also remind you to confirm your mailing address to make sure your SWAG is delivered to the correct address.
- Virtual Options – Given the uncertainty surrounding the unprecedented circumstances I will extend the option to participate VIRTUALLY through the month of July ending on July, 31 at midnight. So if you are not comfortable with participating in person you may opt to participate VIRTUALLY if you let us know by 7/31. Please email us at [email protected] and put VIRTUAL in the subject line and we will transfer you to our Virtual event.
- Deferrals – Our complementary Deferral period is over. You may still defer at any time for an additional fee before 8/15. Here are instructions
https://help.runsignup.com/support/solutions/articles/17000062915-defer-registration-claim-deferral
This is only if you want to defer from this point on for a fee. If you have already deferred through email we will take care of this for you and you don’t need to do anything at this time.
I hope this helps everyone and really looking forward to seeing everyone at the starting line! Thank you for bearing with us in this unprecedented time! Stay healthy, Keep Running and we will see you soon!
Best Regards,
Robby McClung
Looking for additional lodging options? Check out and use our Booking.com link for an extensive list of local lodging options.
Friday, March 20, 2020
We did sign a new contract with Canaan Valley Resort for the weekend of August 22-23, 2020. We will still have the Canaan Valley 5k on Saturday, 8/22 and the Half Marathon & 10k on Sunday 8/23. We are beginning plans to start working towards making that the best race weekend we possibly can and helping everyone enjoy our beautiful surroundings here in Tucker County. Given all of the setbacks with COVID-19, many of our partners are closing or their staff is working remotely for the next couple of weeks, planning will be on hold for 2 weeks and we will have more updates as soon as possible. We understand the new race date might not work for everyone below the options for runners if you can’t make it that weekend.
1. Participate in our New Race Date – If you would like to run our new date you don’t need to do anything simply show up and have the Racecation of a lifetime! We urge runners to please join us for our new date, this event is very important for our community and once everything passes everyone will need a good runcation and some crisp mountain air.
2. Run Virtually – If you can’t make the new date and you let us know by June 15, 2020, we will mail you all your swag. If you would like to run virtually please email us at [email protected] and in the subject of the email put VIRTUAL to help us to organize your request. It is only me processing all the requests so please allow time for a response.
3. Defer your Registration – If you can’t make the new race date you may defer your registration to 2021, 2022, or 2023 Free of Charge. If you would like to defer your registration please email us at [email protected] and in the subject of the email please put DEFER to help us organize all of the requests. As I mentioned above please be patient it is only me processing everything so allow time for a response.
4. On May 15, we plan on reopening registrations to new participants. So, if you haven’t signed up yet and want to join us you will have an opportunity to sign up and join us.
Thank you, everyone, for your support and I can’t wait for finish line smiles, high fives (maybe air high 5’s) and that race day energy! In the meantime, stay healthy, be smart, keep exercising, practice social distancing and try to maintain some normalcy! Next week I plan on getting back to posting pictures of beautiful local vistas and race day energy.