Prev Next

RESULTS

INTRO

We've all heard of Punxsutawney Phil, the little furry guy in Pennsylvania who comes out, sees his shadow, and declares six more weeks of winter. Then there’s Augustus T. Groundhog, better know as Grand Rapids Gus. He’s Phil’s much more interesting cousin. Unlike Phil, who it seems can only see shadows, Gus has much better eyesight and can look at a calendar on February 2 and know that spring doesn’t start for six weeks. Gus suggested that instead of lamenting over six more weeks of winter, we should EMBRACE the cold and snow and do something fun. And so, the Groundhog Day Marathon was born.

The Basics

It's a running event, in Grand Rapids Michigan. February 2, GROUNDHOG DAY, 2013 It's more fun than a person should have while wearing clothing.

Our Events

Full Marathon:: Like the movie, you'll feel like you're repeating the same day over and over. A beautiful, snowy (we hope), approximately 4.4 mile course. Splits every 1/6th of a marathon. 8:00 a.m. February 2. 500 Runner limit combined for full and half marathons
Half Marathon:: For those of you who couldn't stay awake through the whole movie. Only three times around.
Moonlight 1/6 Marathon on Groundhog Eve:: Hey, we're going to be set up anyway, no sense in just long-distance people having all the fun. 6:30 p.m. February 1. 500 Runner limit.
Moonlight Snowshoe Race:: Part of the West Michigan Snowshoe Series. Information at Michigansnowshoe.com. A moonlight run on Groundhog Eve. 7:30 p.m. February 1.

Course

Ever see the movie? The course will give you the opportunity to relive the same day several times. A total of 6 loops of approximately 4.4 miles on a CERTIFIED course (Yes! You can qualify for Boston!) will have you feeling just a little case of deja vu. Plans are to have two aid stations plus the finish line area. Map is here. Don't plan on the course being free of snow. It's paved, which means no underlying rocks and roots, but that's about all we're promising.

Race Day Information

LOCATION 1700 Butterworth St SW, Grand Rapids. (It's the Park HQ just west of the Coke Plant) AID STATIONS Aid stations are about every 1.5 miles. Water and Gatorade at all 3, then a little bit of food (pretzels, cookies) at the third one. We aren't supplying any energy gel, so bring your supply or pick some up from Striders at the race site. AWARDS Overall winners (Male & Female) in the full and half get an amazing piece of Groundhog art by local chainsaw artist Jack Eppinga. Other than that, pint glasses for age group awards (3 deep) and of course, finisher medals for the full or half marathon. FIVE YEAR AGE GROUPS FOR FULL AND HALF. TEN YEAR AGE GROUPS FOR 1/6th. COOLEST GROUNDHOG CONTEST We'll be picking the best dressed Groundhog at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. Check out the details below and see if you are the Groundhog of the Year. HEADLAMPS The Moonlight events on February 1, which include the 1/6 marathon and the Snowshoe Run HEADLAMPS ARE REQUIRED. Striders will be on site with Black Diamond headlamps for sale prior to the event, but please come prepared. HOODIES To guarantee a hoodie size will be available on race day, please get registered ASAP. Everyone will get the swag, but we don't wish to have tons of them left over. If you sign up on race day, you'll have to wait until after the full and half start to make sure we have the right size for you. If we run out, we'll get you one afterwards. (Oh--there are no XS hoodies--that was supposed to be taken off the registration thing--SMALL is the smallest size we have.) PACKET PICKUP is at Striders on Wealthy Street, Thursday night, January 31 from 5-8PM, and at the race site (1700 Butterworth) from 4PM - 8PM on Friday, February 1 and then beginning at 6:30 a.m. PARKING The race venue will be limited with parking, (somewhere less than 200 cars). Alternate parking at John Ball Park, and we're running a shuttle from 6:30 - 8:00 Saturday morning so you won't have to walk from your car to the race site. START TIMES 6:30PM Friday for the 1/6 marathon. 7:30PM Friday for the Groundhog Eve Snowshoe Run. 8:00AM Saturday for the full and half marathon. SWAG Hoodie for each runner in the 1/6, Full, and Half. For those running the 1/6 on Friday, then the full or half on Saturday, you'll get a hoodie and an embroidered stocking cap. Those finishing two events will get a pint glass as well. Finisher medals for all full and half marathon finishers. SWITCHING RACES It is allowable to switch from the full to the half (or vice versa if you're feeling really frisky) but you need to make sure the timers from Classic Race Management know that BEFORE the race. Switching mid-race isn't cool, but if you happen to do that, you better go up to Jeff from Classic and talk REAL NICE to him, and maybe he'll include you in the results anyway. WAVE START Because the trail is not as wide as we might like, and also because we're using chip timing, we're going to start about 100 runners at a time with about 30 seconds between waves. Competitive runners will start in the first wave, then we'll go with sub-7, sub-9, and then all the rest. It'll go really fast, but it will also keep us just a little safer at the start.

Sponsorship Opportunities

Interested in being a part of the Inaugural Groundhog Day Marathon? Of course you are! Grab an event summary CLICK HERE, then jump over to our contact page, fill out the form, start your message with "SPONSOR," and we'll be in touch shortly!