Hi there Winterman entrants!

We want to thank the 1100 of you who have entered Winterman so far. We anticipate there will be an additional 3-400 others toeing the starting line with you by race morning, February 20th. It is going to be one great winter and Winterlude event at the Canadian War Museum.

There is Still Time to Enter
That’s right, if your friends haven’t entered yet, they can enter Winterman online at www.wintermanmarathon.ca. If they enter by Monday February 7 at midnight, the regular entry fee is still in effect. If they miss that deadline, they can still enter online until Sunday February 13th at midnight - and they will still be eligible for the cool Winterman souvenir shirt that you are going to receive.

Late Entry on Race Weekend
If they miss the souvenir shirt and online entry deadline, they can still enter on race weekend at the War Museum, right up to 8:00 a.m. on race day – but they won’t be eligible for the souvenir shirt, and they will pay a little more.

The Newsletters
The purpose of the pre-event newsletters is to provide you with up to date information on the event, to assist you to plan and prepare properly for race day. We will also answer your questions – so fire them at us. We will respond directly and/or in the next newsletter

SAR Global 1
SAR Global 1 is the official charity of and partner in Winterman, which is part of the Somersault Event Series. We urge you to consider making a donation or collecting pledges in support of the ‘search and rescue’ work of SAR G1 in the National Capital Region, Eastern Ontario, and Western Quebec. Check out their web site to learn more about this valuable regional organization - http://www.sarglobal1.ca/index.htm. SAR representatives will be on site to accept your donations and tell you more about this important regional organization and its work.

Start and Finish Line
The race start will be on the Ottawa River Parkway (Westbound lanes only) at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Canadian War Museum. The Finish Line (and the 5m point, and the relay exchange zone) are located adjacent to each other in the plaza in front of the Canadian War Museum.

The Course
The main course is an out and back 5Km loop along the westbound lanes of the Ottawa River Parkway. You can view a map of the course on the event web site at www.wintermanmarathon.ca. The finish of each of the 5km loops is in the plaza in front of the Museum adjacent to the Finish Line.

Relay Exchanges
The relay ‘baton’ is the timing chip worn on the ankle during the run, which is passed from incoming runner to the outgoing runner in an exchange zone set up adjacent to the finish line in the Museum Plaza. There is a warming tent beside the exchange zone, in which the waiting team member can stay out of the elements until the exchange. The lobby of the War Museum is open to those who are waiting longer, or who have finished your race and want to stay warm.

Course Supervision
There will be first aid support on the course every 500m, and at the 2.5Km and 5Km turn around points. Aid stations will be located every 2.5Km at those same turn around points. The turn around aid stations will have water and eLoad for those in the 3, 5, and 10Km races and relay teams. eLoad Gel will be made available to those in the Marathon and Half Marathon solo races.

Race Site – Canadian War Museum
The pre and post race site is in the Museum in the Barney Danson Theatre. Participants may wait inside the Museum lobby or theatre before, during, and after the races. Relay team mates can seek shelter there if necessary until there relay leg turn comes up, with the next relay runner able to wait inside the heated Armed Forces tent near the relay exchange point. Indoor toilets are available in the Museum and portable toilets at the 2.5kmturn around point in Tunney’s Pasture.

Saturday Pick Up
Race Kit Pick Up is at the Canadian War Museum on Vimy St. We strongly recommend that you arrange to pick up your race kit (and your team, or friends kits) on Saturday between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., to avoid the line ups and panic of early Sunday morning. You may have someone pick up your kit for you, and one team member may pick up the entire team’s kits. Parking is available at meters in front of the Museum or in the underground parking lot.

Parking
There are 297 parking spots underground at the Canadian War Museum, so if you want one of them, plan on arriving very early on race morning. There are also a number of parking meters on Wellington St. adjacent to the Museum, although they definitely fill up very early with volunteers and workers. Regular parking fees apply. There will be no parking allowed on the Museum Driveway itself. You must arrive from the West on the Ottawa River Parkway, or on Wellington St. from the East, to access the Museum parking on Vimy St. check a Google map for directions.

Car Pooling, Public Transit, and Drop Offs
We recommend that you car pool with others, or consider having someone drop you off near the Museum rather than bringing your own car. This will ease the pressure on the parking spots and the environment. It is also recommended that you consider making parking arrangements off site, to avoid the crowd when you are leaving the event. We will provide more information on the location of those lots in Newsletter #2.

Special Winterman Souvenirs
We have a great selection of popular Winterman souvenirs that participants and non-participants may purchase to show you were there, at Canada’s only Winter Marathon. We will have hats, head bands, and ear flap hats in limited quantities. Last year we sold out on Saturday, so be there early to get yours. Prices will be featured in the next newsletter.

Volunteers
We are quite pleased with the tremendous support shown by SAR Global 1 volunteers, but are always looking for more people to make the runners feel welcome and safe. If you are interested to join the volunteer corps, please go to www.fundraising@sarglobal1.ca volunteers to indicate this, and someone will return your email.

Winterlude Collaborator Activity
Winterman is an official ‘Winterlude’ event within its Winterlude Collaborator’s program, and is being held on the last day of Winterlude 2011.

Winter Running Tips
While we are not the experts on winter running here are a few other internet sites for your information - in no particular order - which provide advice on winter running do's and don'ts.

* http://ottawafrontrunners.org/

* http://www.runquick.com/corcorn/coldweather.html

* http://www.active.com/running/Articles/Winter-Running

* http://www.drpribut.com/sports/topten_winter.htm

Q & A
If you still have questions, after reading this email, and the event information on the Winterman web site (www.wintermanmarathon.ca), please fire them our way. We will be pleased to answer them directly and/or in Newsletter #2.

Good luck in your preparations!
Peter, Terry, Christine, and the Winterman Race Crew

Somersault Event Series
SAR Global 1