Dear Fireside Frostbite Runner,

Thanks again for registering to run the 17^th Annual Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler on February 20, 2016.  There’s a lot of information below, and it will help you prepare for the race and enjoy the entire event before and after. If you have any questions, please bring them with you to registration, or email them to frostbite@aarclub.com.

Location: The race will start and finish at Wissahickon High School.

Registration: You can check your gender/age group information on the entry list located at the Run The Day website (www.runtheday.com). You will appear on that list only if you allowed that when you registered. If you are not listed and think you should be, please check the date at the top. If you registered after that date, check back in a few days. If you still have a concern email frostbite@aarclub.com.

Friday Night Number Pick-up: You can pick up your number Friday night, February 19th at the Ambler Theater from 5-8pm. Picking up the number the day before the race gives you one less thing to worry about race day, and will save you time on Saturday. Although there is parking around the theater, if you cannot find a spot, there is plenty of parking at the Ambler train station (or behind Act II Theater before dinner time).

The most frequently asked questions are whether you can pick up other runners' bibs (Yes) whether you can register additional people Friday night (Yes) and whether you need to have identification (Not unless you registered as a student and you look a lot older.)  BTW, while you're picking up your bib, there will be a FREE raffle at the theater Friday night for two free tickets to the theater's Oscar Party on Oscar night next week!

Saturday Race Day Number Pickup: 7:30 to 8:45am in the old gym at Wissahickon HS. Also in the gym are many of our sponsors and information tables for our race beneficiaries and other local running events. Stop by and visit before and after the race. You will be able to enter the school at the main entrance and also the side entrance near the track.

Shirt exchange- We try to accommodate everyone with his/her selected shirt size – especially those who registered before the deadline of January 20th. However, sometimes the shirt size is not available or the shirt does not fit as expected. After the race, we will have a shirt exchange table in the old gym to try to accommodate those with a shirt size issue.

Your chip is attached to your race bib. You need to wear your bib to run the race and to have an official time. If you pick up your bib Friday night, please remember to bring it with you Saturday.

Parking: Parking is available at the high school. We expect more runners than there are available parking spots. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. Once the parking lots are full, we will be directing you to on street parking, most of which is northwest of the high school. If you plan on leaving early, you are better off not parking in the school lots.

Northwest of the school is Meadowbrook Lane. If you park there, you should walk on the trail and not Dager Rd. If you park south of the school, please do not park on Knights Rd. Instead park on the side streets. We will be running on Knights Rd.

Bathrooms: There are 3 bathroom locations: 1) At the track outside (several). 2) In the corridor between the new gym and the old gym (just a few). 3) Right outside the new gym (several). Signs will be posted.

Starting Line: The start is on the street next to the high school. There will be a few very brief announcements starting at 8:55 followed by the national anthem. The race will start at 9am sharp.

Baggage check: Baggage check will be available near the start, provided again by one of our valued race sponsors, Nolan Painting.

The course: The course is 5 miles of rolling hills. The course map is on our website if you click on the course map. We will mostly likely be using the trail from mile 3.8 to 4.2. But that may change! We will let you know race day at the start.

Your Time: Remember: other than the top three runners everything is based on chip time.
For those who are running Broad Street, most runners will double their time from Frostbite for their Broad Street time. If you run 45 minutes at Frostbite, you will be around 90 minutes at Broad Street.

AARC will be entering 20 teams at Broad Street this year (that is 100 runners). In addition, we will be providing bus transportation to and from the race (for a small fee).

Finish Line: The finish is in the parking lot adjacent to the gym. DO NOT STOP UNTIL YOU ARE UNDER THE “FINISH” sign. Several runners slowed down one year as they crossed a timing mat; we’ll have volunteers there this year to direct you, just in case. Once you finish, there will be water and plenty of food inside. The Fireside Grille has once again prepared a great spread. Food is for the runners only.

Unfortunately, food is NOT allowed in the gym. Please eat your food either in the area adjacent to the gym or outside the building. Remember to return to the gym after eating, to visit our sponsors and for the awards ceremony.

Awards Ceremony: We will be starting the award ceremony shortly after 10AM in the gym. We will have a DJ (JC Entertainment) and again there will be many sponsors in the gym. Top 3 awards are based on gun time. Age group awards will be based on chip time not gun time. Race results will be posted in the far end of the gym as soon as they are tabulated. Your bib will also contain a QR-code that you can scan with your mobile phone to get your results immediately after the race. (You may need to install an app beforehand to do that.)

During the awards ceremony one pair of Saucony running shoes, courtesy of Jenkintown Running Company valued at $120 or less, and three (3) $100 gift certificates to The North Wales Running Company will be raffled.

Bring your old shoes: As in the past, we will be collecting old running shoes to recycle or reuse. This is a good time of year to get some new shoes for better weather ahead. Bring your old shoes to the race and we'll find a good home for them.

Volunteers: Remember that races cannot exist without volunteers. Many of the volunteers are members of the Ambler Area Running Club. Many more are from our race beneficiaries. The Ambler Police, Lower Gywnedd Police and Fire Police are integral with traffic control. Thanking a volunteer is always appreciated.

Race Beneficiaries: This year we have 3 race beneficiaries; Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, Aid for Friends and Play and Learn. Race beneficiaries are nominated by active AARC members.

Photos: Photos will be taken during the race by Jack McCoy photography, and you should receive a free professional photo of your running in the race if you can be identified by your bib number from among the pictures taken. You will also be able to purchase additional photos from an email after the race, or you can visit the website www.jackmccoyphotography.com.

More Photos: If you or your family and friends take any pictures at the race, please post a few to Instagram using the hashtag #ff5m2016. We'd love to see candid shots of runners and others before, during, and after the race! Look for our penguin mascots AARCky and AARCkette - they love to pose for photos with you!

The Ambler Area Running Club (AARC): The purpose of AARC is to develop and promote local running and racing, to provide running-related information and social activities, and to enhance training opportunities in a supportive atmosphere for runners of all abilities. AARC provides these activities in a way that promotes the well-being of the community. We have several weekly fun runs, weekly track workouts, many social events and compete with several teams in all the major local road races. In addition to using race proceeds for our beneficiaries, we also donate scholarships to 4 area high schools.

Membership information is at www.aarclub.com.

New members can get a discounted rate from 2/20/16-3/14/16. Use code RUNFROST2016

Grand Marshall: This year the Grand Marshal will be Sarah Baicker.
A Philadelphia native, Sarah Baicker is a co-host of Breakfast on Broad, The Comcast Network's flagship morning sports and entertainment talk show. In addition to being the show's social media expert, her focus is the Philadelphia Flyers and the NHL, which means she's no stranger to winter sports. Sarah has been a part of the Comcast SportsNet/Comcast Network family since 2009, and has covered events ranging from the Winter Classic to the Taney Dragons' improbable run to the Little League World Series. As a hockey player, Sarah isn't much of a runner herself -- but is full of admiration for those who race, especially in the middle of February!

 

Shoe Raffle: During this year’s registration, we raffled off 3 pairs of Saucony (courtesy of Jenkintown Running Company) and one pair of Hoka One One. One more pair of Saucony will be raffled on February 17. So far the winners are Annika Huffman, Sean Driscoll, Erik Haggblom and Chris Lee.

Race Dedication: The 2016 Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler is dedicated to Bob Gamburg. Bob passed away in 2015 at the age of 86. Bob was a huge presence in the Philadelphia running community. He founded Fleet Feet in Elkins Park which eventually became The Jenkintown Running Company. He also helped to start several of the other Running Companies. He was on the committees of several local races, and made countless contributions to the running community.

Results will be accessible through the club website within 48 hours of the race and at www.runtheday.com within 24 hours. You can scan your bib on your smart phone for immediate results.

The race is held regardless of weather, unless deemed unsafe by the police department. In the case of questionable weather or road conditions, check the website for updates - www.aarclub.com.

Facebook: We are also on Facebook and will continue to be there yearlong. Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/#!/aarcFiresideFrostbite.

This year, as in the past, a post-race survey will be emailed to all runners. Your feedback is necessary for us to provide the best race that we can for you. So, please fill out the survey!

Have a great race!

Ira Meyers, DPM

Race Director, Fireside Frostbite 5 Miler

P.S. If you aren't already a member of AARC, considering joining. In addition to putting on two races a year, we have several weekly Fun Runs, seasonal social events, and two meetings a year with informative and entertaining programs. Our members participate in teams (e.g., Broad Street) and some adventurous road relays - involving runners of ALL abilities.  We often provide great accommodations at major local races. (We’re planning to have a bus again this year for Broad Street, and last year we rented a boathouse for The Philadelphia Marathon.) By supporting AARC as a member, you also support our contributions to local community organizations and activities – including our race beneficiaries and scholarships to graduating athletes at four local high schools.

 

 

Thank you to all the sponsors of this year's race: