2026 RUNNERS GUIDE
POTTIES (three locations)
STAND (for spectators, friends and family members)
Think Spring!
Springtime in Lancaster County is best spent outdoors! Fields are getting ready for crops, animals are enjoying the fresh air, cowbells are ringing, and cheering crowds will welcome you at the finish line. We hope you have a fantastic day on our campus and a successful race!
ThiS iS A roAD Apple
AwArD rAce
Run our 1/2 marathon and the Bird-in-Hand 1/2 Marathon in the same calendar year and you will be presented with the Road Apple Award.
You do not have to do anything special to apply for the Road Apple Award. We send our official finishers list to Bird in Hand and they cross reference with their finishers list to send them out.
Running the virtual race will NOT qualify you for a Road Apple Award.
Pretzel City Sports, a highly respected, wellknown local timing company, is our official timer. Your bib includes a “disposable” chip. The starting line and the finish line are at the same spot this year.
locATion: The easiest way to access Race Central is through our main entrance off S. Kinzer Avenue. For GPS directions use: 435 S Kinzer Ave New Holland, PA 17557
Telephone: 717.355.6000
pAckeT pick-up: FriDAy, April 10 From 2-7pm
When you turn onto the Garden Spot Village Campus, event signage will direct you.
DiSconTinueD pre- rAce DAy meAl
We will NOT host a pre-race day meal this year. Instead, we invite you to enjoy dining at The Harvest Table, conveniently located inside Garden Spot Village.
The Harvest Table is open daily from 11-1:30pm for Lunch and 4:30-6:30pm for Dinner.
View the menu: gardenspotvillage.catertrax.com
pAckeT pick-up The DAy oF The evenT: Starts at 6:30am on Saturday, April 11. Parking Attendants will be available and can direct you to registration.
The back of your bib has a form for emergency contact information. We hope not to use it, however, as a safety precaution, please fill it out.
Please pin your bib to the front of your shirt. DO NOT pin the tear-off tag to your shirt and do not remove the tag. The tag serves as a backup for chip timing and may be pulled off at the finish line.
BiB colorS mATch your r Ace:
MUSTARD 1/2 Marathon TEAL 10K
If you switched from 1/2 marathon to 10K or vice versa after bib numbers were assigned, your bib will have a piece of tape on it representing the color of the race you are running. Please do not remove it. It serves as a signal to our volunteers at the finish line so that you get the proper medal.
chip-TimeD rAce: Timing chips are part of your runner bib. Your race begins when you cross the start line! The start and finish are in the same place. Runners line up on Kraybill Avenue.
There are no road closures this year. PLEASE RUN TOWARD TRAFFIC, KEEPING TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. There will be cones with directional signs on the course. Where the course overlaps, cones will be on both sides of the road.
You will be running through 3 different townships and they have all been very gracious in accommodating our race. Please help support our good relationship with the townships so that we can continue to offer this opportunity to you and other runners in the future.
Our farming neighbors are also very gracious. They have allowed us to set up water stations and porta potties in their fields and on their property. Please be respectful of their property.
SAG vehicles will be continually monitoring the course. They will have cell phones and radios if you need assistance. They will also be picking up clothing and other items you may discard along the way. Anything we pick up is held at clothing check until after the race, and you are welcome to look for your discarded items.
If you have a MUSTARD (1/2 marathon) bib, DO NOT make a U-turn at mile 3.1. You want to run past all the activity and continue on the 1/2 marathon course.
If you have a TEAL (10K) bib, you will make a U-Turn when you reach mile 3.1.
The 10K turnaround point will be well-marked, and volunteers will be there to direct you.
openIng ceremonIeS
Our 10K runners will line up first for an 8 am start, followed by our 1/2 marathon runners.
Opening ceremonies will begin at 7:45am at the starting line
WELCOME: Emma Coward, Race Director
THANK YOU: GSV Resident
INVOCATION: Karyn Nancarvis, GSV Campus Chaplain
“GOD BLESS AMERICA”
7:55am: 5 Minute Countdown Begins 8am: Race Starts
12pm: Finish Line Closes
wATer STATIonS
Water Stop #1 is at mile 2. Water Stop #2 is at mile 4. Water Stop #3 is at mile 6. The next Water Stop circles back to Water Stop #2 and it is about 3 miles. Please plan accordingly. The final Water Stop is back to Water Stop #1 and it is 2 miles from Water Stop #2. Tables will be stocked with cups of water, bananas and snacks. There will be no gatorade at water stations, so please plan accordingly. Minor first-aid supplies like Band-Aids and Vaseline are available.
wATer STATion pArTnerS:
AccompliShmenT Alley
Runners crossing the finish line will proceed down Accomplishment Alley, which is a runner-only chute in which you can get your medal from the Finisher’s Wall, Mylar blanket if needed, water, and first aid.
runner recovery
Following the race, the Recovery/Medical area will be located in Parking Lot 9 on the opposite side of the Packet Pickup and Registration Tent. You need a runner’s bib to enter.
recovery TenT menu (for runners only): Oatmeal, soup, trail mix, bananas and oranges, ice cream. Runners, stop in to see what other yummy recovery surprises we have in store for you!
For spectators, Garden Spot Village will provide a Concession Stand with different breakfast and lunch options to purchase as you cheer on the runners!
AwArD ceremonIeS
10K – 9:30am at the stage in Race Central 1/2 Marathon – 10:30am at the stage in Race Central
We do our best to honor these times. We ask your patience if the ceremonies start a few minutes late. Ensuring accurate results is a top priority and requires a significant amount of verification.
meDicAl TenT, AmBul Ance & emergency FeeS
As the waiver you signed indicates, we expect that you have trained for the race and that you are healthy. There is a medical tent. We hope you don’t need it, but if you do, please ask one of the volunteers in the chute for help and they will get you to the tent. Once there, your condition will be assessed and help provided. There is no charge for a visit to the medical tent. If in the unfortunate circumstance you need to go to the hospital there will be an ambulance on-site. If you use the ambulance, there is an ambulance fee that you are responsible for and either you or your insurance company will be billed. You will be asked which hospital you wish to visit. WellSpan, in Ephrata, is supporting the event and is closest. Alternatives are Lancaster General and Reading Hospitals.
rAce SwAg volunTeerS
We are excited to gift all our runners a very soft cotton tee this year. If you registered before March 1, 2026, we ordered the shirt size you specified and it is pre-packed with your race bib and other goodies in your packet. You will be able to exchange the shirt size if you don’t think the one you ordered will fit. We do our best to order extra shirts and guess as to how many we’ll need for race day.
You will be presented with your finisher’s medal in the chute after you cross the finish line. There are plenty of medals. Please make sure you have the correct medal before you leave the campus.
Our volunteers are invaluable and provide incredible service to our runners! It’s a long day, so they help us by working in shifts. We monitor the course and close the water stations as our final runner passes them. There will be water and food but there may or may not be volunteers at the water stations as time passes.
We have wonderful volunteers! Please be courteous and thank them for their service. As runners, we all know there wouldn’t be events like this without the volunteers.
virTuAl run
To participate in the Virtual Run you will complete your preferred distance in any location between April 3-19.
Submit your time at https://gsv.run/post-your-time/
You can run outside or on a treadmill, but the distance must be completed all at once just like it would be on race day.
Virtual Runners are not eligible for age group awards or the Road Apple Award.
Race packs will be mailed out in May.
HOSTED BY
GARDENSPOTVILLAGE.ORG
Thank you to our sponsors for sponsoring this year’s race!
Warfel Construction | WellSpan Health | Goodville Mutual
Everence Financial | Ben & Sylvia Kauffman
Groff-High-Eckenroth Funeral Home
Thank you to all of our community partners: Police, Fire Police, EMTs, Municipalities & Townships
