Tuesday, March 25, 2025
The RunVermont Pulse
In this edition of the RunVermont Pulse:
7. Sponsor Spotlight, Snacks for Course Monitors
The 2024 VCM 5-Person Relay Team, Cheaper Than Therapy, celebrating at the finish
An Update to the RunVermont Community: All About the FUN Frills
I think it’s human nature to like getting things for free, especially FUN things! My kids went to a birthday party last weekend, and you would think that they had never seen a snap bracelet the way they reacted to the snap bracelets that they got in their goody bags. They didn’t need those snap bracelets—there must already be seven of them in our house—but that they got something fun and extra made them so happy. It was reminiscent of my reaction to the goody bag of UnTapped products that I got to take home from the presentation that UnTapped gave to the RunVermont Board and M&T Bank Regional President Heidi Stumpff just a few days earlier.
And maybe we’re all just little kids at heart, because I think participants in RunVermont races feel the same way about some of the fun perks we provide at our events and in conjunction with our partners. This is part of the reason why we revamped the slogan of Half Marathon Unplugged from “No Frills, No Hills” to “Fun Frills, No Hills.” It’s a point-to-point race with shuttle bus (including for spectators), UnTapped products at the middle aid station, and a finish line party at Switchback Brewing Company, where bib tear tags can be redeemed for beverages and food from multiple vendors, including, for the first time, food from Switchback itself.
And the fun frills don’t stop at Half Marathon Unplugged! The M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon is also full of fun frills:
- M&T Bank giveaways at the Sports & Fitness Expo;
- Free cowbells at local Kinney Drugs drugstores leading up to the weekend and free professional race photographs from Kinney Drugs after the race;
- Relay team names on the custom team bib;
- A choice of one of five different items from the Athlete Appreciation Zone and medals of varying sizes based on event from the Racers’ Services Tent;
- A Pace Team helping participants reach their time goals;
- Four official cheer zones and on-course entertainment; and
- Fresh pizza from Leonardo’s Pizza, a Food Tent stocked with snacks and recovery items from Performance Foodservice, and a Beer Tent* with multiple options, where participants can get one Michelob Ultra or Michelob Ultra Zero (N/A) as part of their race registration fee.
Participants can even take a warm shower for free at the local YMCA after the race. A small-town race with big-time charm and amenities.
If you are interested in reading about all of the amenities on course and post-race, check out the Race Day Essentials Page, and if you are interested in experiencing those fun frills for yourself then make sure to register for the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon.
* Based on feedback that we received to our announcement last week about one Michelob Ultra or Michelob Ultra Zero being included with registration, RunVermont has decided, in consultation with our Beer Tent caterer, that participants will need to show proof of being 21+ to get either Michelob Ultra or Michelob Ultra Zero, or any beverage with alcohol in it, from the Beet Tent at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay. RunVermont is excited to be able to offer a non-alcoholic beer option this year, but that does not change the fact that there are hundreds of ways to celebrate finishing a race!
~ Anthea "all about fun frills" Dexter-Cooper, Executive Director
Connelly's Corner Featuring Unplugged
Hello Friends! Sorry I missed y’all last month, I got away for a rare vacation right around the time we were writing up our columns so RunVermont gave me a month off the writing assignment. Cruise week is just about my favorite week of the year. I love getting my runs in around the ship’s track and then getting home and uploading the workouts to PolarFlow and seeing where in the ocean we were when I was getting some miles in. I also get highly entertained seeing a “Pace Max” statistic of like 2:00/mile. Just goes to show, anyone can run a world record when you’re on a ship moving at 20 knots.
Saturday April 12 is our 19th annual Half Marathon Unplugged. 19 years, WOW!!! And the fact that we managed to put this one on even during covid, WOW!!! The race has sold out for the first time since 2016 and we’re looking at our highest number of runners since 2018. If you got in, we hope the race goes great for you. If not, and now you’re thinking you NEED to be at this race – PLEASE help us by volunteering. After 35+ years working on races, a lot of them as a volunteer, I can tell you nothing gets you more powerful race karma than volunteering. We need help on the course, at aid stations, at the finish. It truly takes a village for us to bring quality races to our community.
We would ask everyone’s help with spreading the word that if you’re not registered please do not come out and run without a bib. “Oh it will be fine it’s just one more runner,” sure, but it’s never just one more runner. This is a respect thing. We work hard to figure out how many racers will work on any given course and for any given race format. We want race day to be an AWESOME experience for all the racers. That doesn’t work if 50-100 or more unregistered runners show up.
A few logistics issues for Unplugged… First off, bib pickup. Make this easy for yourself, come to the Skirack on Thursday or Friday instead of picking up race morning. You can pickup for a friend at the Skirack, just have them email you a copy of their registration confirmation. We have a little under 1400 runners registered for Unplugged. Picking up your bib on Thurs or Fri when you have all the time in the world is such a better idea than stressing about how long the line is going to be race morning.
Second thing is race transportation. Those of you who signed up for a bus to the start, please arrive at 1 Main St and be ready to board the bus at least 10 minutes prior to the departure time. Have your bus pass!! If you plan to get your own ride to the start the best time to arrive is before 7:50, or between 8:10 and 8:30. There is limited parking at Airport Park. If you are driving with a friend who is going to spectate the start plan to park in the Airport Park lot. It’s a good spectator start, they will see you 4 times in the first 3.5 miles. If you just have a friend dropping you off and they’re not sticking around to spectate, please drive right past Airport Park, take a left on Buckingham Ln, and get dropped off there. Drop offs in the Airport Park parking lot gum up the whole plan.
Watch for an info email race week with more details.
March Maple Mudder Was a Success!
We had over 60 kids from all over Vermont join us on Saturday for our March Maple Mudder to celebrate Maple Open House Weekend! As you can see from the photos above, the roads were muddy, but we were able to have an awesome event, with plenty of smiles and sugar to go around!
We want to wish a big thank you to our partner, Sleepy Hollow Inn, for hosting us, and providing all the delicious maple syrup, donuts, and even smores!
60 Days Until Memorial Day Weekend Youth Events!
The Mini Marathon includes of a 1/2 mile and 1 mile fun run for children ages 4-14, as well as the mascot dash, where we cheer on the mascots while they get the chance to run!
NEW THIS YEAR, we are offering the Vermont City Two Mile run for kids ages 9-14. This timed run includes its own unique tech shirt and overall awards (M/F/NB).
Don't miss out on our inaugural Vermont City Two Mile!
A Bit About Bibs
by Moe Brown
Long before chip timing there were race bibs. As running events grew in popularity, particularly in the mid-20th century, the need for a more structured identification system became apparent, leading to the prevalent use of bibs. An internet search on bib history references The New York City Marathon, which began in 1970, as one of the earliest examples of a race where participants wore bibs with numbers. Although, I’ve seen photos of the Boston Marathon from the 1930’s with runners donning primitive bibs of various sizes that have just a number, and nothing else.
I remember when I started doing road races back in the mid-1980s the bibs were your basic white with the race name and bib number printed on it. While the use of bibs is of course still standard, there is now much more diversity in the look of the bibs. Sometimes the basic bib is all that’s needed. This may be a white bib with black print or one with some color. Other times you’ll see races with a customized design to provide a unique look, like the bibs for our Freezy Cheeks winter 5k series. Regardless of the style of the bib, it’s not uncommon to see race sponsor logos on them as well.
Now you’ll sometimes even see a QR code. What’s that all about?! The QR code is an alternative to looking up a person’s name and pre-assigned bib number and filing through the bibs to locate it. In some races, it’s advantageous to assign a bib number at the time the runner picks up the bib, as it can streamline the process. By scanning the QR code the bib number can quickly be identified and assigned to the runner on the spot.
This QR code scan system works best at small-to-moderate-sized races. At larger events with thousands of runners, such as the Boston Marathon or even our M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay, pre-assigned bibs typically work best, as the bib can be included with the runner’s packet or “swag bag,” which is prepared in advance of the race. Also, the larger races will often have seeded participants who need a specific number.
The race bib has also become more than a source of runner identification, but also a very important piece of memorabilia. I don’t think there is a runner out there who hasn’t saved the bib from their first race, first marathon, or from a PR performance.
The look of bibs may have changed, but I can’t imagine they’ll ever disappear. A race just isn’t the same without one.
By the way, are you aware that relay teams can have their team’s name printed on their tagged bib (the one that gets passed between teammates) at this year’s M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay? When it comes to ordering bibs, we need to do this typically 6-8 weeks in advance of race day. Printers these days do a good job at getting the job done quickly, but we need to ensure time to review and approve proofs, as well as allow time for shipping.
Therefore, if you’d like to have your team’s name on your bib, the deadline for submitting it is April 1st (no fooling!). This can be done through your team page. Instructions can be found here. Team names must be 20 characters or less. If your team’s name is over 20 characters, feel free to get creative and condense it in a way that it will fit.
Please contact registration@runvermont.org with questions
Invited Runners
There are some incredibly talented runners who will be toeing the line at the M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay this year, and it is quite possible that the male event record of 2:17:03 set by Michael Khobotov in 2001 will be broken this year. Five male runners have run between 2:17:03 and 2:17:54 on the streets of Burlington, but is this the year that we'll see 2:16:XX on the finish line clock!
Check out the profiles of the majority of our Invited Runner Field here. And if you are a female or non-binary runner who meets or is close to meeting our Invited Runner Program qualifying standards and might be interested in running the 2025 M&T Bank Vermont City Marathon & Relay as an invited runner, then please email Invited Runner Coordinator, Greg MacGowan. We'd love for those fields to be as robust as the male Invited Runner Field.
Marathon Merch
The RunVermont Shop is now live and can be perused here.
Whether you are looking for a brag item that announces that you are a finisher, or a spectator that collects hats from different states, there are lots of options. If you aren’t ready to commit now, then make sure to check out the merchandise booths at the Sports & Fitness Expo and under the Racers’ Services Tent in Waterfront Park.
Sponsor(s) Shoutout: Course Monitor Provision Sacks Providers
Course Monitors—the volunteers on corners in neon reflective vests and maybe with a neon flag—are integral to the safety of participants, spectators, and the general public.
They are also usually unable to leave their posts for extended periods and volunteering solo. But this is not a thankless task and, if you play your cards right, you can probably get more than 100 high fives. While high fives are not guaranteed, Provision Sacks with local goodies provided by our wonderful sponsors are guaranteed for all Course Monitors.
Sign up here and help RunVermont meet its goal of getting 60 more Course Monitors.