Course Marshal
Your job on race morning is to direct the runners. Be our eyes and ears on the course. See the PDF below for all the locations we need to cover!
Police and trained traffic guards are covering high traffic intersections, so we hope your job is easy.
In your email, you will receive your location on the course. See the specific instructions for YOUR ASSIGNED location here.
TRAINING
There will be a zoom training on Wednesday, November 6th @ 6:30 PM and then Saturday, November 9th @ 8:30 AM. If you've attended training before, you do not need to attend again. All marshals should email courtney@princetonhalfmarathon.com to confirm they have completed training or specify which date they will attend.
11/6 at 6:30 pm https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84033131784
11/9 at 8:30 am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81037939667
SHIRT / LANYARD PICKUP
All volunteers are required to wear our volunteer shirt which designates them as a race official. You will also be provided with a lanyard as a quick reference to the emergency protocols reviewed in training. Your volunteer packet can be picked up at Fleet Feet Princeton (formerly Princeton Running Company) during our packet pickup hours. If you cannot pick up during the times below, you can pick up at Victory Village on race morning. Alternatively, please email courtney@princetonhalfmarthon.com for other arrangements.
Fleet Feet (Princeton Running Company), 108 Nassau Street, Princeton
Thursday, November 7th, 10:30 AM to 7 PM
Friday, November 8th, 10:30 AM to 7 PM
Saturday, November 9th, 10:30 AM to 5 PM
RACE MORNING ARRIVAL TIME
For your planning purposes, you will be expected to be at your location on the course no later than 6:30 AM on race morning. Even if you have a location further on the course, you need to be in your spot by 6:30 AM as roads will be closing for the race.
Upon arrival you will text our Volunteer Coordinator. It’s best to text them your location number and crossroads since they will be getting 40 texts at the same time. Once they know you are all in place, we will start the race.
Course details can be found here. The PDF at the bottom of this link shows expected runners times and will help you know how long your volunteer detail will be. For example, if you are at mile 10, you would not expect to see runners until 7:50 assuming the fastest runner is going 5-minute pace. Your last runner would come by about 9:20 assuming the cut off time for runners is 14-minute pace. Participants are required to run a 14 minute per mile and we have 3 locations on the course where we will be stopping them if they’ve fallen far behind. Our fastest runner to date was 5:11 pace. Again, even if you won’t see runners until 7:50, you need to be in place at 6:30 so we can start the race. You can stay in your car until about 15 minutes before you anticipate runners.
KNOW YOUR LOCATION & PARKING
Please review and understand the details of your location.
You should also review the course map so you understand directions that runners will be coming and the times.
It’s always helpful to understand the locations around you as well so you can best direct motorists. In the event that you were familiar with your location but not the course, the last thing you would want to do is redirect a driver into another stop point.
This is important for parking too. You want to do your best to park off the racecourse.
GENERAL THOUGHTS
Never put yourself in danger in this role. If a car decides to ignore your direction after you’ve told them not to go, there is nothing you can do. There is a story of a race in Princeton where a well-meaning volunteer threw themselves in front of the car. We are not asking you to do that!
Remember you are a representative of the race. People might be annoyed that their Sunday morning plans are impacted. Be understanding and receptive. Avoid comments like coming out today was a stupid idea. Many of them are trying to get to Sunday morning church and that’s really important to them.
If there is an altercation or an upset motorist, please note the license plate and description of the car by texting yourself or brining a notepad with you. I promise you that Princeton PD and my Monday morning will be much better if we know what complaint calls are coming our way.
As mentioned, you are our eyes and ears across the 13 miles. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, please call the Princeton PD at 609-921-2100. For example, an unattended backpack that seems out of place or something that just doesn’t feel right.
EMERGENCY PROTOCOL
Participants should be mindful of the “See Something, Say Something” campaign. This is a public awareness campaign that encourages people to report suspicious activity to law enforcement authorities. If you see something concerning race day, please call 911.
All volunteers are invited to register for Princeton Nixle Alerts by texting Princeton's zip code 08540 to 888777. This will register you for Nixle alerts which would be the messaging platform we would use for any mass communications to all race participants. If you are not a Princeton resident, please feel free to opt out of the Nixle alerts after the conclusion of the race so you do not receive any unwanted communications or notifications.
In the event a runner is injured or ill, secure the runner to the side of the road and off the course if you can. Determine to the best of your ability if the incident is minor in nature or requires a first responder notification. For example, if a person has a blister and needs a band-aid, this is not a life-threatening situation, and can be advised to stop at the next aide station.
In the event of an emergency or incident requiring a first responder, we are asking you to call the direct police line at 609-921-2100 or 9-1-1 and report an incident on the Princeton Half Course. We will have emergency response teams on the course, and this will allow for the fastest response time.
As soon as you are able, return your attention to the race. Should a runner come by and complaining of something but decides to keep going, note their bib and description when possible… either by texting yourself or bringing a notepad with you. That allows us to follow up post-race.
There are 7 stations on the course that all have first aid kits. There is also a sweep van following the race which has a paramedic on board
RACE DETAIL
The order of cars will be….
Lead PD Car
Lead Bike
First Runner
Pack of Runners
Last runner
Bus with paramedic
Sweep Police Car
When the sweep police car goes by, your shift is done or almost done. Please see instructions as sometimes you will be asked to remain at your post for additional time so that traffic does not end up directly behind the race.
See example: #7 – Maxwell & Einstein - Please remain on your post for an additional 5 mins to prevent any vehicles from proceeding east onto Einstein Drive while runners and trail vehicles are still present upon the same while en-route to Olden.
If you arrive at your location and there are barricades or cones, please use them to help you in your role. Once your role is finished, please place them how you found them upon arrival.
CYCLISTS
Traffic cyclist will meet and park at the Princeton YMCA (59 Paul Robeson Place) which is close to the start / finish at 6:30 AM. New riders will be briefed by repeat cyclists. We are suggesting that the middle of the pack riders head out to Maxwell prior to the start of the race and fill in around the 8-9 min pace runners and 10-11 minute pace runners. If the road is crowded, cyclists should stay back and wait for the pack to thin so there is no risk of hitting a runner. Ride to the left keeping runners to the right.
DEFER
All volunteers who had registered for the 2024 race but are deferring to the 2025 race have been marked as deferred in RSU but please plan on reaching out to me when we open registration in 2025 to be sure you are all set.
ABOVE & BEYOND
Should you feel so inclined, we welcome you to bring a trash bag with you. We appreciate that Princeton lets us host this critically important fundraiser for HiTOPS. We make our best effort to leave the town as clean if not cleaner than it was before our event.
QUESTIONS?
Please review your location. Ask any and all questions as race morning is NOT the time to ask.
Click the icon below to download the attached PDF.
