On Sunday, May 1, the 28th Great Train Race was held as an in-person event in downtown Fredericksburg. The event included three races, one mile, half-mile, and quarter-mile runs for kids 18 years old and younger.
After a COVID cancellation in 2020 and a modified course and format for 2021, the race returned to its original route on the first Sunday in May.
There were about 1400 registered runners. This amount is back up to pre COVID levels. We’re still working on getting kids active and would like to boost the number to its peak years of 3500 participants.
Organizers made a few changes to the traditional timetable. We reduced the number of heats in the mile from 14 to 11. The waves started 10 minutes apart, reduced from the past 15-minute spreads. This format allowed for seven half-mile heats increased from 2.
Additionally, we held an Ainsley’s Angels mile heat. Participants in this heat were included in a Wheelchair Assist category or special needs runners.
The half-mile race was timed with age group awards for the first time.
The caboose run brought up the end of the train with kids five and younger.
The event started at 7:30 am and was finished by 11:20. The city allowed for closed downtown streets, and we had limited impact on the Sunday morning church crowds.
For the second year, I was responsible for coordinating the course marshals and cyclists. I had 26 great volunteers to help keep the runners safe. Some took the early shift starting at 5:15 am, to help direct traffic through the setup process.
Though a little chilly, we were fortunate to have dry conditions. A storm came through about 2 hours after we were complete.
Hopefully, the pandemic is behind us. Let’s keep the little ones active and running to make a Greater Train Race in 2023.