“1/2 Sauer 1/2 Kraut”

supports Pennypack Park & HCM Foundation

 Pennypack Park, Philadelphia, PA

13.1 & 26.2 Miles (really?)

Our Mascot, as seen on all the swag.

This year some big city Marathons will cost you more than $150 to enter. You probably have to fork over another $200 to get a hotel room that is within 10 miles of the start at best. By setting your alarm clock to 2:00 AM you get a shot at a parking spot somewhat close to the start and you get to “warm up” for another 3 hours until you finally get out of line for the Porta John’s. The ½ Sauer ½ Kraut offers a somewhat different experience. You can park at the Cannstatter Volksfest Verein German Club and hop onto a free bus shuttle. You will be running on a mostly shaded & (mostly :-)) flat bike trail alongside the Pennypack Creek. You will be supported by 15 aid stations ( 7 for the half), including Oktoberfest Aid station. Heidi, the Bavarian waitress will hand out gels, and we will invite you (yes, first beer is on us) to beer and brats at the post race festivities, while “Hans” will entertain you with his accordion. Find out who else is crazy enough to run a race like this in the summer and rehydrate properly at the German club afterwards. You will dramatically increase your chances of winning something by dressing in Lederhosen or Dirndl (traditional bavarian dress). A portion of your entry fee will be used to support the park as well as the HCM Foundation, a local charity supporting families affected by cancer.

Uberendurancesports is teaming up with the HCM Foundation to raise funds for this wonderful charity, helping local cancer patients and their families. A portion of the proceed will go to HCM, but we are also looking for runners raising funds for HCM. Uberendurancesports will provide free entries to the half and full marathon for every "Fund Racer". Please go to www.hcmfoundation.org/charitypartnerprogram.html to find out more about the program.

1/2 and full marathon (13.1 & 26.2 Miles), yes we are serious! Might become the hottest race in town, literarily

Need options? Not sure if you want to/able to run the full marathon? Sign up for the marathon (only $5 for the option), and decide during the race, if you are going to run the half or full. If you decide before mile 13 that you had enough, simply cross the finish line, get timed for the half (and officially compete for the awards in the half) and receive a finisher medal.

Along the Pennypack Creek within the limits of Pennypack park. Course is basically a lollipop course. Course utilizes the paved bike path along Pennypack Creek. No traffic at all. It's actually pretty neat , that you run miles and miles within the city limits of Philadelphia without seeing a house or a car at all. The midsection of the course features a bunch of short but steep roalling hills along with a trail section (Mount cuckoo). Some have refered to our course as an Achterbahn ("rollercoaster"). It's certainly not an easy race, but doable, a good challenge for the experienced runner.  Beautiful course along the Pennypack creek. No traffic, no cars, just trees, nature and views of the creek.
Is this a Boston Qualifier? Hell no!!!!! !!!This is a summer race, there is a good chance that high temps will make this harder than you anticipate!!! I recommend running the marathon only if you are an experienced runner, who can handle all kinds of  adversity. You have been warned :-). No wining on race day.

Not to make this any more difficult than it already is, but around Mile 6 you will have to conquer MOUNT CUCKOO. Mount cuckoo is a 1 mile trail section that might feature minor roadblocks like rocks, dirt, possibly horse poop and some short rolling hills. This section is relatively easy by trailrunner standarts, but the surface is definetely different from what you usually discover during a (half)marathon. This might just slow you down enough to miss your PR even if the weather cooperates. On the positive side, once you conquered Mount cuckoo, you will be running downstream towards the finish line and you get to see Heidi at the Oktoberfest aidstation for a 2nd time.

Starts around 10AM. Musical entertainment by Don Bitterlich (aka Uber Hans).
Don is a very talented accordion player and former NFL football player. Award ceremony will take place at the Cannstatter Volkfest Verein , a german club in Philadelphia. Your entry fee includes a beer and meal ticket, that you can use to redeem at the beergarden. Dress up for the run and post race party, we always have extra awards for stuff like " Fastest Lederhosen" , best looking bavarian ...

Learn more about Uberhans

Once again, this race may become the hottest race in town. Running a marathon in temperatures in the 70ies and 80ies is exponentially harder than running one in November. We only recommend the marathon to experienced runners, who have ran long distances in the summer before and understand how to pace themselves in the heat, and how to stay hydrated properly. We do not recommend the marathon for first timers or PR seekers. This race is not about your finish time, it will be about how to deal with the course and the temps. You may be able to beat runners, who are usually faster than you, because you can handle the temps better, or because or manage your water intake better. We make you earn your beer, and we will make sure, that it will be cold :-)

7:30 AM

Entry to Pennypack Park at 3098 Rhawn Street, Philadelphia,PA 19136. There are about 120 parking spots in the Park, once filled up you need to find a parking spot in the surounding neighbourhoods. If you pick your number up day of definetely park at/around German Club and use shuttle bus.

View Larger Map

Race Package Pickup:

6/14/2013 4:00 PM-8:00 PM at the Cannstatter Volkfestverein, 9130 Academy Road, Philadelphia, PA and on raceday from 5:30-6:45 (we recommend picking up your number the day before)

View Larger Map

2013 Fees: 

$65 for the full, $60 for the half till March 14th
$75 for the full and $70 for half till May14th
$80 for the full and $75 after May 15th and at the "EXPO"  if not sold out.
(food/beer coupons will be distributed to preregistered runners first, limited supply for day off)

Race is limited to 967 runners, this race will fill up ,don't prograstinate

Refund policy:

Till 5/25/2013:
Mail us a self-addressed envelope to receive a refund minus $10
UES
c/o 1/2 SauerRF
2137 Old Lancaster Pike
Reinholds, PA , 17569

after 5/25/2013:
all entries are final, no exceptions

Awards:

Every half and full marathon finisher will receive a finisher award.

In addition awards will be given to:

1st & 2nd overall , Winner Masters (age 40+)  male and female
will receive a cuckoo clock sponsored by www.finecuckooclocks.com

Top 3 in 5 year age groups starting at 14
Agegroup awards are quite unique (pic shows 2011 award). These awards come from the Black Forest of  Germany.  They are german weather houses. They can predict future weather  pretty much as reliable as "Glen Hurrican Schwarz" . Here is how they work:              There is a gut string inside which reacts to all changes in air humidity. Depending on wether the air is dry or humid, the gut string changes it's position and twists more or less, so that the female turns outside when it is dry (predicting nice weather) and the male, when it is humid.

Time Limit:

6h 30 min for full  
Not recommended for walkers. In order to make it in time, you have to maintain
a 14:53 per mile pace. This can be accomplished with a jog/walk strategie, but would require a very brisk walking pace if walking only. Depending on the weather, conditions might get harder after 11AM. Higher temps can slow you down by a minute per mile and more. Racedirector reserves the right to limit the race to a half marathon based on the temperatures.

3:30 for half
Walkers welcome for the half. If you make it to the 9 Mile mark within 2:45 hours, we will
not sweat it, if it takes you a little longer, since the last couple of miles of the half and the full marathon are the same, and needs to be staffed by volunteers anyways.

Temperatures:

Last years race features temps in the high 80ies and very high humidity.  This years race will take place 2 weeks later, so temperatures might climb into a similar range again. The course is mostly shaded, but please note, the race director reserves the right to defer all the runners to the half marathon.

Timing:

This year we will use a disposable chip timing system.Milemarkers will be placed along the course.

     
Spectators:

The course runs through Pennypack park. There will be few spots that are easily accessible by spectators. You might want to check the coursemap for access points to the bike trail. We think the best spot is at Mile 6.5 Pennypack Park entry at 8500 Pine Road, Philadelphia PA 19115

Fluid Stations:

Most Fluid Stations are within 1.5 Miles of each other and are staffed by local runners. Gatorade will be available at the Fluid Stations. 

Energy Gels:

Gels will be available at the O-fest Aidstation (hit twice per loop) locations. We recommend bringing your own (the one you are used to, and trained with) and use ours as a backup.

Medical Support:

EMT ambulance on location.

Lodging:

Click on link to view hotels nearby the race.

There is a casino and an amusement park nearby, so these hotels fill up quickly, therefore we recommend making reservation early.