Team returns for second consecutive year to help ensure positive experience
GREEN BAY -- Dave McGillivray, race director of the Boston Marathon and president of DMSE Sports Inc., will again bring his team of road race experts to join forces with Bellin Run organizers and help roll out this year’s annual run event.
McGillivray will be the operations director for the 33rd annual Bellin Run – an event that last year became the fourth largest timed 10K (6.2-mile) race in the nation. He will work in partnership with Bellin’s existing team, assisting with overall race logistics, which includes start and finish line layout, course layout, water stations, course monitors, signage, road closures and overall setup and takedown of the event.
McGillivray has participated in 123 marathons, including 37 Boston Marathons. He has produced or consulted on nearly 800 mass-participatory athletic events worldwide, including:
- The 2008 Bellin Run
- The 2008 and 2004 U.S.A. Women’s Olympic Marathon trials
- The 1998 Goodwill Games Triathlon
- 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
- The 1990 Triathlon World Championship
“The Bellin Run is a great participatory event for local participants and world-class athletes alike,” McGillivray said. “That’s why this year’s Bellin Run will again retain the same great course that everyone enjoys, but with a twist – wave starts. This type of race start allows us to better accommodate the growing number of race participants and provide a smoother, less congested race event.”
Wave starts consist of staggered starts of smaller groups instead of one huge start for all participants. Runners are placed in waves of similarly paced participants. Each wave has its own start with a short interval between waves. This creates a less congested experience for participants, ensuring a safer, enjoyable experience for all. The Bellin Run – which takes place at 8 a.m., Saturday, June 13 – will employ seven wave starts.
“We’re creating a platform that will allow us to stage a successful race not only for this year, but in the years to come,” said Randy Van Straten, Bellin Run race director. “That includes our use of wave starts.”
Since the first Bellin Run in 1977, race participation has grown almost every year to last year’s record-breaking registration of 15,149 runners and walkers. From 2006 to 2007 alone, Bellin Run race participation increased by more than 20 percent.
Online registration for the Bellin Run began February 23 at www.bellinrun.com. Early online registration is $17 through May 31. Mail-in registration is $20. Late online registration June 1-11 is $20. Mail-in registration June 1 through June 11 is $23. On race weekend, participants can register after 4 p.m. June 12 through race day for $25 at the Astor Park registration tent. All participants receive a Bellin Run T-shirt.
