AGENDA #3(a)6
Proposal for “March to Madness Half-Marathon” event
not just another race – this is an EXPERIENCE!
MEMORANDUM TO:
The Town Council of Chapel Hill – January 3rd, 2007
(with the intent of discussing at the January 8th Town Council Meeting for approval)
REGARDING:
A new health and fitness event to support the Chapel Hill/Carrboro YMCA Strong Kids Campaign and to further promote the benefits of an active lifestyle to the Chapel Hill/Carrboro community.
EVENT SPONSOR:
Endurance Magazine
EVENT CONTACTS:
Kim Kobes/Event Director, Steve Lackey/Publisher
6815 Fayetteville Rd Studio 201 – Durham, NC 27713
919-321-2662 / 919-321-6680
www.endurancemag.com
DESCRIPTION/ EVENT OVERVIEW:
“March to Madness Half-Marathon, 5K and 1 mile fun run” - a rolling course that starts and finishes near the Chapel Hill/Carrboro YMCA on Martin Luther King Drive (formerly Airport Road) 5K to finish on/near Franklin Street near mile 3.1 of Half Marathon course.
PROPOSED DATE AND TIME PERIOD:
DATE: Saturday, March 24th, 2007
TIME PERIOD: From 8am (race start) until 11am (Finish/Course closed)
Rain or Shine!
(any participants on the course after 11am will be instructed to use sidewalks and obey all traffic signals and signs).
THEME
The “March to Madness” theme is based on the focal-point for most of our community during this time of year – The NCAA Basketball Championship. We hope to leverage this theme to create excitement about the event and encourage participants from across the state and beyond to come to Chapel Hill for the event.
We plan to literally run excitement through Chapel Hill and Carrboro with sponsored costume contests, school spirit awards, basketball dribble challenge, and more. This will be much more than a race – it will be an EXPERIENCE for all participants and spectators.
BENEFACTOR
In line with Endurance Magazine’s mission to empower all members of our community to achieve a sustainable healthy lifestyle, we are thrilled to partner with The Chapel Hill/Carrboro YMCA as they embark on their annual Strong Kids Program Campaign. The Strong Kids Program provides scholarships for families in need to attend and participate in after school programs, camps, and events provided by the YMCA.
The Chapel Hill/Carrboro YMCA kicks off their Strong Kids Program scholarship drive in April each year and this new event will be the catalyst to increasing awareness of the community as they approach their biggest fund raising effort of the year.
THE COURSE:
Proposed course route is attached [3.3MB PDF]. Half of this course is in Chapel Hill and the other half is in Carrboro. There are several variations available for this proposed course to increase community exposure and/or decrease traffic impact. The attached represents a balance of these. Please note that we have designed the course to provide exposure and excitement along the Franklin Street/Rosemary Street area while minimizing the overall impact to the traffic pattern. Runners will go through this area within the first three miles of the course – with the first runner expected around 8:18 and the last runner through near 8:36 (less than 20 minutes of traffic impact and there are logical detours available in ALL directions).
Link to an interactive map of the proposed course:
http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=615946
ECONOMIC IMPACT
Endurance Magazine owners live in Chapel Hill and look forward to growing this event into a showcase for the Chapel Hill/Carrboro community. After our inaugural event (2007), we plan to market the event nationally to attract more participants from outside our community which will create further benefit of economic impact to the businesses/hotels/restaurants in the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area.
We expect to draw 1000 participants in 2007 and grow that participation over the subsequent years based on the success of our overall management and promotion of the event:
2007: 1,000 total participants (+ 1500 spectators)
2008: 2,000 total participants (+ 3000 spectators)
2009: 4,000 total participants (+ 6000 spectators)
2010: 6,000 total participants (+ 9000 spectators)
2011: 7,500 total participants (+ 11000 spectators)
2012: 10,000 total participants (+ 15000 spectators)
We anticipate adjusting the event to accommodate growth and look forward to making a significant positive impact on the businesses and overall community in Chapel Hill/Carrboro.
APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF PERSONS TO ATTEND EVENT:
For the inaugural 2007 event we expect 1000 participants as well as several hundred spectators along the course including friends, families, and volunteers.
SPECIFIC SERVICES REQUESTED OF THE TOWN:
Traffic Control and use of streets within Chapel Hill. We are open to suggestions and modifications of our attached course proposal and look forward to creating a route that maximizes the value of this event to the community.
CLOSING
Please contact us in advance of the January 8th meeting with any questions or concerns so that we can make any adjustments necessary to the proposal prior to the January 8th discussion.
This event will become a landmark event for recreational runners and fitness enthusiasts and will bring avid sports fans to Chapel Hill in late March year after year. We look forward to creating an experience that complements the goals of our community, and represents our collective lifestyle.
Steve Lackey 919-321-6680 | Publisher, Endurance Magazine, LLC
Kim Kobes 919-321-2662 | Event Director, Endurance Magazine, LLC