Packet Pick-Up will be in the heated festival tent in the Bay Area Civic Center parking lot, from 12NOON-9PM. Admission and parking are free. If it is not possible to pick up your packet on Friday, October 13, registered participants may do so in the heated festival tent in the Bay Area Civic Center parking lot on race day, Saturday, October 14, see the time schedule below.
Address for the Bay Area Civic Center is 320 4th Ave West Ashland, WI 54806
THE PASTA FEED IS BACK!
The Knights of Columbus are taking over the WhistleStop Pasta Feed as a fundraiser!!! 4:30-8PM. This Pasta Feed is not just for our race participants, it’s also your family and friends and anyone else who would like to come down to the tent and see what it’s all about! WhistleStop Full and Half-Marathon registrants will receive a $3 discount for the Knights of Columbus Pasta Feed, coupons will be in your racer packets. The Knights of Columbus Pasta Feed is ready to meet your night-before-the-race food-wise needs, leaving you satisfied, nourished and relaxed. Enjoyable conversation will be one of the highlights of your Pasta Feed experience as you take advantage of this opportunity the night before the race to talk over marathon stories and shop the WhistleStop merchandise. Dinner & Conversational Music Performed by area musician “Russ Darwin” from 4:30-7PM.
Packet Pick-up
Packet Pick-Up for the Full/Half-Marathon/5k/10K will be held in the festival tent located in the parking lot of the Bay Area Civic Center. 320 4th Ave West, Ashland.
- Friday, October 13, from 12noon-9PM.
- Saturday morning October 14, 6-7:15AM.
The Memorial Medical Center WhistleStop Marathon provides shuttle service, for runners only, from the Bay Area Civic Center to the Race Start lines on the morning of the race, October 14. You must have your official race number visible to board the bus. Buses will be marked Marathon, Half-Marathon, 5K or 10K – make sure you are on the correct bus. There will be no shuttle service back to the start lines after the race.
Bus schedule is as follows:
The bus pick-up for the Full and Half-marathon is on Depot Drive to the east of the Depot building. There will be no parking allowed on Depot Drive. Buses for the 5K/10K will depart from the north of the Bay Area Civic Center (Associated Bank side). Please load buses as soon as possible. DO NOT WAIT until the last bus! This could delay the race start time, we only have so many buses.
- 6:15AM for the Half-Marathon with last bus leaving at 7:30AM
- 6:30AM for the Full Marathon with last bus leaving at 7:30AM
- 7AM for the 5K & 10K with last bus leaving at 7:30AM
Click here for a map of shuttle bus pick-up
Race Start Times
- WhistleStop 5K & 10K begins at 8AM
- WhistleStop Half – Marathon begins at 8:30AM
- WhistleStop Marathon begins at 8:30AM
Post-race Party 9AM to 5:30PM. Music by Ashland High School Jazz Band, Acoustic Relapse and Russ Darwin, in the heated festival tent near the finishline.
Awards Ceremonies:
- Memorial Medical Center WhistleStop 5K & 10K at 10:30 AM inside the heated tent.
- Memorial Medical Center WhistleStop Marathon & Half-Marathon at 2:30 PM in the heated tent.
Blues & Brews Fest - 6-8 PM. Listen to the blues music of “MilkBone” while sampling scores of microbrews (You must be 21 years of age or older to attend this event). Pre-purchased tickets for the Blues and Brews Fest are $10 with the brew sampling and $15 at the door. $5 without brew sampling and $10 at the door. Click here to purchase tickets.
Then following MilkBone, The WhiteCaps take center stage, 8:30-11PM . (You must be 21 years of age or older to attend this event)
RACE INFORMATION
6 Hour Clock
The WhistleStop Marathon runs on a 6 hour clock. If you cannot finish your desired race within the 6 hour clock please transfer to a distance that you can finish in 6 hours.
Bag Drop at Start Lines
Trucks will be provided at the start lines of the Full/Half-marathon/5K & 10K for racers to deposit warm-up bags. Bags and orange stickers with your bib number on it will be provided in your race packet, which you will pick up on Friday night. Verify that the number on the orange sticker and your bib number match. Affix the orange sticker to the white bag in your packet. The bags will be brought to the Bretting Community Center, 400 4th Ave West and will be arranged in order according to your race number. Volunteers will be on hand to assist you in locating your bag. Please do not leave valuables in your bag and make sure your bag is closed and tied. Race officials are not responsible for loose clothing or clothes dropped off along the race course. Clothing dropped along the course will not be returned until the sweep vehicle has returned, after 3PM on race day. Lost and found will be held for 2 weeks after the race.
Energy Drink on the course:
Blue (Berry) powerade will be served on the course.
Race Course Courtesy
Each participant should consider courtesy on the course. Please keep the following in mind:
- At the starting line and along the course, be respectful of residents’ property. Please use the portable toilets provided, rather than private yards or gardens, and use discretion along the course in this respect.
- Please hang on to energy bar and gel wrappers until you can drop them at a water station.
- Remember Emergency vehicles have the right of way at all times during the race. The police and traffic Control volunteers have YOUR safety in mind and deserve to be treated respectfully by runners and spectators alike.
- Runners who have finished the race are to be considerate of their fellow runners when leaving the finish area by avoiding interference with those runners approaching the finish line.
- Walkers are asked to use racer etiquette, this includes: Please line up after the runners at the start Line. Please DO NOT walk 3 or 4 abreast on the trail. Stay on the right side of the trail. Make sure you allow runners to pass on the trail many are trying to qualify for Boston.
Finish Line Area:
All finish line food and liquids will be under a special tent immediately adjacent and to the south of the finish line. Finish line food is for runners only. The medical tent will be located to the north side of the finish line. Volunteers will be on hand to assist you to the med tent if necessary. Marathon & Half-marathon finisher’s shirts will be in the large festival tent, with concessions and souvenir merchandise for sale. For a map of the finish area please click here.
Memorial Medical Center WhistleStop Marathon & Half Marathon Finisher Shirts:
We pride ourselves in having the ultimate finisher item. This year is a quarter zip long sleeved shirt that you can wear running or to a social event. It’s made of heaver wicking material, and, a picture of Lake Superior on the back! So Cool! Marathon & Half-marathon finisher’s shirts will be in the large festival tent, with concessions and souvenir merchandise for sale.
Memorial Medical Center WhistleStop 5K/10K Finisher Shirts:
5k/10k participants will receive their shirts at packet pick-up on Friday night in the festival tent.
Awards for the Full/Half-Marathon/5K/10K - click here for more information on awards.
While there is ample parking within 2 blocks of the Bay Area Civic Center and available on the side streets in Ashland, we ask that you not park on Main Street. Please leave this for shoppers. Parking is available at the following spots after 5pm on Friday, October 13, and all day on Saturday, October 14:
- BMO Harris Bank Parking Lot, Ellis & 3rd Street, 2 blocks east of the finish line
- Select Benefits Parking Lot, Ellis & 3rd Street, 2 blocks east of the finish line
- Superior Credit Union Parking Lot, Ellis & Depot Dr., 2 blocks east of the finish line
- Ashland County Courthouse Parking Lot, Lake Shore Drive between 2nd & 3rd Ave.1 block north of finish line
- Northern State Bank Parking Lot, Hwy 2 and 4th Ave West (behind bank & Bob’s Factory Outlet), 1 block north of finish line 3rd Ave West & 3rd St.
- Anich, Wickman & Lindsey S.C Parking Lot, 220 6th Ave West, 3 blocks west of finish line
- Corner of Main Street & 6th Ave West, 5 blocks west of finish line.
Click here for a map of available parking areas.
