From Ari Witkin from LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon:
Hello Fellow Austinites!
I want to thank you all in advance of the LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon and Half Marathon for your patience and wonderful support of our runners, fans, and volunteers. As you all know, the race will take place on city streets on Sunday, February 19th. The marathon and half marathon will start at 7am at 16th and Congress and will finish downtown on Congress Ave. Please see the attached race course map.
With 20,000 runners and 20,000 fans out on the streets of Austin, we fully understand there will be some slowing of traffic on race morning. We’ve worked diligently to ensure that traffic is as smooth as possible. We recommend that you plan ahead and leave plenty of time to get to your destination. Remember a longer route on race day may actually allow you to avoid traffic issues and get you to your destination more quickly. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to email me at any time – I’m happy to provide you with the best directions on race day. Please see the attached traffic guide as a resource to navigate various neighborhoods on race day.
The main hub for the race will be our start line and finish line area within the Central Business District. In order to ensure the public safety of our runners, fans, staff, volunteers, and members of the Austin community, there will be some road closures in this area beginning on Saturday, February 18th. Please see the attached CBD closure map for more information.
Most of our runners come to Austin from out of town due to the amazing atmosphere this city provides. From the food and music to the beautiful weather (thank goodness the race isn’t in August!) and the wonderful people supporting them, these runners flock to Austin for this experience. If you’re interested in getting a peak at what these runners have trained months to accomplish, I encourage everyone to check out the course and cheer on. Please see the attached spectator guide for some good spots.
Finally, in addition to being a resource to you all by phone and email, you all are invited to two Community Meetings in the weeks leading up to the race. They will take place on Tuesday, February 7th at 8am at St. David’s (301 E. 8th Street) and Thursday, February 9th at 12:15pm at the Northwest Recreation Center (2913 Northland Drive). John Conley, the Race Director, and I will be there to answer any questions about race weekend. Please pass this invitation along to your respective communities, organizations, churches, and neighborhood associations. I encourage anyone who may have any questions to attend. Coffee and tea will be served.
As always, I encourage anyone who has any questions, comments, or concerns about race weekend to contact me (preferably before race weekend arrives), as I’m always happy to help.
Ari Witkin
LIVESTRONG Austin Marathon & Half Marathon
P.O. Box 684587
Austin, Texas 78768
Office: 512.476.7223
Mobile: 512.585.0158
www.youraustinmarathon.com