The Delaware Running Festival was started in 2004 to provide those runners who were seeking to complete a marathon in every state a way to check Delaware off their list. Over those 15 years, the event has added other distances, tweaked the course and changed the benefits. But the one thing that has always stayed constant is the strong and loyal support of the community and the runners who participate.
In 2019, we look forward to continue to grow the Delaware Running Festival to include runners of all levels and age groups while remaining the best option for future members of the 50-State Marathon Club to check “The First State” off their bucket list. Here is how we plan to do it:
THE COURSE– Most runners rave about the beauty of the course and how it takes them through some of the most scenic parts of Wilmington. We will continue to highlight these landmarks but plan to tweak the course to remove some of the sharp turns and unclear course features that sometimes cause confusion amongst the runners. While doing so, we will unify the full, half and relay courses so everyone uses the same routes. We will use buses to shuttle relay runners of legs 2 & 4 to an exchange point on the course. The full marathon will likely remain a double-loop course as the infrastructure of Wilmington and its city services are not conducive to a 26.2-mile layout.
ONE RACE DAY– As a way to better celebrate all the participants’ accomplishments and increase the excitement that a larger crowd brings, we will hold the 5K and Kids Fun Run on the same day as the full marathon, half-marathon and 4-person relay. We are exploring our options so we can continue to offer the Dare Devil Challenge as a race option. We hope that bringing everyone together will fill the park and add to the buzz on race day.
EXPO– We received some very positive feedback on the indoor expo that was added in 2018. Next year we have secured a larger room in the same hotel that will allow us to include more vendors and provide more space for the race logistics.
BENEFITS– We will continue to offer some of the best premiums in the business with the high quality, name brand race shirts, free race photos for all finishers, finisher medals for every race and other amenities. We willl also make adjustment to the pricing schedule to keep costs down. Runners who commit early can take advantage of our preferred early bird rates and register at a discount.
DATE– We know the Spring race calendar in the Mid-Atlantic is a busy one. With races in Philadelphia, New Jersey, Maryland and the coastline all competing for participants, there is really no “perfect” time. We did feel it was important for the long-term success of the event to move off of Mother’s Day. We have decided to remain the last weekend in April and run on Sunday, April 28.
We appreciate all those who took the time to complete the survey. Your feedback is instrumental in the continued success of the Delaware Running Festival. We know that runners have lots of options these days and we hope we remain your race of choice.
Registration will open soon for the 16th Annual Delaware Running Festival. We will send an email once it available. Stay tuned!
Sincerely,
Lee Corrigan
President
