Frequently Asked Questions

You will get an email confirmation from Active.

Please note: the COVID numbers are different, with 1,500 runners across the 4 events.

We have a maximum of 1000 in the marathon, 1000 in the half marathon, and 1000 each in the 5k and 10k.  Due to the attractive features of course, and the proximity to major mid-Atlantic cities, we anticipate these to fill up quickly. 

Packet pick-up will be outside on the Midway Field located next to the Shepherd Student Center (outside Ram Stadium) from 2pm-8 pm on Friday before the race

Marathon- Limited race day packet pick-up at start area Harpers Ferry (NOT Midway Field) 6-7am.

Half Marathon/10K/ 5K- We strongly encourage you to pick up your packet Friday.

There will be SATURDAY race day pick up for the 5k/10k/Half Marathon at Midway Field (outside Ram Stadium) in Shepherdstown the morning of the race from 6-8:30am. 
 

There are no medical comps, rollovers or refunds, nor can you transfer your registration to another person

There are absolutely no transfers, roll overs, or refunds given for any reason, including medical reasons. However, you can change your registration from one event to another. For example, if you registered for the marathon, you may change your registration to the half marathon. If you wish to change from the half marathon to the marathon, you would need to pay the difference between the price you paid for the half marathon and the current price for the marathon.

Please note: Answer may differ due to COVID restrictions. Contact race staff if have further questions. 

 There are no Day-of-Race registration for the Marathon or event changes. You may register for other events if space available at the packet pick up on Friday 2:00pm-8:00pm.  We will have limited race day registration for the Half,10K, and 5K events or Saturday from 6-8:30am at the FINISH area, Midway Field (outside Ram Stadium) in Shepherdstown the morning of the race. 

Yes. To change events, contact us via email at katie@freedomsrun.org . Use subject line "Change Event". The last opportunity to change events is at packet pick, the day before race day. If you wish to change from the half marathon to the marathon, you would need to pay the difference between the price you paid for the half marathon and the current price for the marathon.

There are no refunds. Our event is a non profit to benefit local trails so consider it a small donation :)

 

Yes of course.  We are scouts honor here and no signed confirmations, scanned IDs, etc....

We will not have an organized pre race dinner, but we encourage runners to explore Shepherdstown and enjoy the local food and entertainment. Visit Shepherdstown Visitor Center for a full list of places to eat. 

1. High quality Atayne eco-friendly tech fiber  t-shirt (long sleeve) for half and full marathon and short sleeve for 5K and 10K 

2.  bike size water bottle at the finish 

3. Reusable souveneer Beer Mugs for those of age to use at post race Oktoberfest  

4. a tour through your National Parks

We are excited to be teamed up with Racine Multi Sports. A local timing company out of Hagerstown, MD. Who also times JFK 50! This is a chip timed event with start and finish mats.

Yes!! See below for details on start times and how long the course is open.

Yes. Freedom’s Run is USATF sanctioned and certified. Certification # WV09005MS

Sharpsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Shepherdstown are the easiest to access for families to cheer on their runners and walkers and have restaurants and cafes for refreshments. However, please understand, we may not be able to allow spectators. This will be a last minute decision based on COVID numbers. 

Yes. There is a medical tent with trained professionals.  We will have EMS, a physician, and at least certified athletic trainers on site at the finish the entire day.

All courses will be open until 2pm to allow participants to experience the rich scenery and history of the course.  So walkers in the marathon will have 6.5 hours to complete it.  Half Marathon participants will have 5.5 hours. 

At mile 15 of the Full Marathon, if you arrived later than 11:30am, you will be given the option to continue or drop out and driven back to the finish line. 

If you have not arrived at our designated Aid Station, near mile 20, by 12:30pm, your bib will be taken and we will no longer be able to offer course support. 

THE C&O CANAL HAS LIMITED ACCESS POINTS. Aid stations will be every four miles on the C&O Canal section starting at mile 4 and approximately every 3-4 miles after leaving the Canal at mile 16. Consider small carry bottle or fanny pack if you feel you need fluid between stations, especially for walkers. Each aid station will have water and Gatorade.   NOTE: MORE PEOPLE OVERHYDRATE IN MARATHONS THAN UNDERHYDRATE AND THERE IS A PUSH FROM ROAD RACE MEDICAL COMMUNITY TO DECREASE NUMBER OF AID STATIONS.

Half Marathon runners and walkers will share aid stations with marathoners so will have water/Gatorade  every 3 miles and 1 gel stations

See our "course" tab for a great detailed map.

5k/10k aid stations indicated on course maps

See our maps for more specifics.

DO NOT OVERHYDRATE.

Read this 2015 Hyrdation Guide

Full – Water and Gatorade at all stops other than indicated below

1. Harpers Ferry 2.0 miles (water only)
2. Harpers Ferry 4.5 miles
3. Dargen Boat Ramp  8.5 miles (C&O Canal)  GEL
4. Limekiln Rd 12 miles (C&O)
5. Miller Sawmill 15.5 mile GEL
6. Branch Ave  17.5 mile GEL
7. Branch Ave 21 mile GEL
8. Miller Sawmill  23 mile GEL
9. Finish- Pizza and snacks!

Half- Water and Gatorade

1. Miller Sawmill 3 Mile
2. Branch Ave  5 mile
3. Branch Ave 8
4. Sharpsburg Train Depot- 10 mile
5. Finish-  Pizza and snacks!

10k – Water at 3 and 5 miles

5k- Water at 2 miles

See Map under "course" for Porta pot locations

Because most of the course is located on national park property, we are unable to put mile markers at every point. If you are not running with GPS, you can use the aid stations as basic guidelines for progress. We will post as many mile markers as we are able, but will likely only be in 5 mile increments. 

For the Marathon- the course is a mix of road and hard pack trail. First 4.5 miles are net downhill - with 2 miles of that rolling cross country course style on grass, next 10 are a long stretch of flat on the crusher surface C & O Canal. Once leaving the Canal the course is  hilly and rolling through Antietam Battlefield 2 miles of which is grassy. The last 4.5 miles will back drack down hill and back on the canal.  

The Half Marathon is very challenging.  The first 3 miles are flat on the C & O then the difficult Antietam Battlefield section begins as you join the marathoners.  As one 2009 participant stated aptly "Freedom isn't easy".  These words will be your mantra through the scenic Battlefield.

The 5k and 10k courses have gone back to the original route along the C&O Canal. Both events are there-and-back, beginning by the stadium, cross the Rumsey Bridge to the C&O Canal. The 10K runs up stream, while the 5K runs downstream. Both back track to the Rumsey bridge to then finish at the stadium. 

The marathon goes through 3 National Parks, 3 Historic Civil War Towns, and the rural roads connecting them. See Our Course for more details

See our history section of our website

Please note: Answer may differ due to COVID restrictions. Contact race staff if have further questions. 

Thanks to the National Park Service we will have ample parking at the marathon start line by the Harper's Ferry National Park Visitor's Center. 

We will have shuttle buses (compliments of our major sponsor River Riders) from the Shepherdstown Student Center next to the Finish Line/ Midway Field to the marathon start at 545am. Marthoners can park at A & B lots. See parking map here. We will update this as the race draws closer.

Half, 10k, 5k- There is limited parking in Shepherdstown itself. Ample parking on the Shepherd University Campus (walk to start). See parking map here

As of right now, we will not have to have staggered starts. If this changes we will let you know asap. Please understand this is subject to change, and we must abide by the town, university, local and state guidelines. 

Marathon: 7:30am (Harpers Ferry)
Half Marathon: 8:30am (Shepherdstown)
10K: 8:45am (Shepherdstown)
5K: 9:00am (Shepherdstown)

Yes. At the Marathon starting line a truck will take items back to the finish. We highly recommend you put your items in a bag with your race number on it. This will help sort your items at the finish area.

We will have a bag check tent at the start/finish area of the 5k/10k/Half Marathon at the Shepherd University Stadium.

Yes, buses will return throughout the day to parking area at Harpers Ferry Visitor Center at the starting line.
There will be 2 shuttle services on race day, all leave from the C Lot, located next to the Stadium. See parking map

Bus Shuttles to Harpers Ferry 
Pick Up Location: C Lot
Stops: Only to Marathon start in Harpers Ferry
Times: (every 30 minutes 10:30am-2:30pm)
10:30am
11:00am
11:30am
12:00noon
12:30pm 
1:00pm
1:30pm 
2:00pm
2:30pm

Please note we will not be able to offer prizes this year/ awards ceremony due to COVID restrictions. 

No. Freedom’s Run is a family-oriented event designed to appeal to all categories of runners and walkers and, as such, does not offer monetary awards.

No. The walking events are non-competitive and have no awards. However, walkers will be timed and do receive the same finisher medal(if in the half or full marathon) and amenities as the runners.

Please note: We will not be able to offer a post party event this year. 

Runners will have the opportunity to purchase shirts from our partners from Recover. 
Order shirts here 
Please note: all tshirt sales are final.
Shirts will be avaialble to order until October 15
All shirts will be printed and mailed after the race, so regardless of when you purchase your shirt, you will receive them a few weeks after the race. But it will be a nice treat to enjoy later! 

We will offer finisher medals for the full and half marathon finishers 

Yes!  We have locally made medals for full and half marathon finishers. 

The answer is a qualified yes . The use of headsets is allowed during the race until 2:00pm when the course re-opens to traffic. As a member of the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA), we follow their guidelines on headset use. RRCA does not encourage headphone use during its member races but does not disallow them as long as they are used safely. For this reason, Freedoms Run will allow headsets on the course only if it does not pose a safety risk. For safety reasons, it may be necessary for a course official to ask you to remove your headset/earphones during the race. You are required to comply or face disqualification and removal from the course.

Unfortunately, due to the narrow nature of the canal (where the event takes place), it is no longer safe to allow strollers on the course. 

No, our permits allow a limited number in the National Parks. We discourage non registered runners on the course.

Due to COVID restrictions we will not be able to offer post race festivities this year. If new guidelines allow changes we will keep runners posted as we approach race day. 

Please note: We will not be able to host a post race event at the Bavarian this year. 

We will host a beer garden post race party at the world famous Bavarian Inn, the host of one the regions largest Oktoberfests, a 400 meter walk from the finish line. Yuengling Beer is a proud sponsor and will provide their signature beers.  First beer will be free in our environmentally friendly mug of recycled materials.  Use this for additional rehydration.  The Bavarian Inn plays host to the regions largest Oktoberfest late September.  They will save some of their famous Bratwurst and Struedel.  Volunteers, family, and friends all welcome.

We will have shuttle buses (compliments of our major sponsor River Riders) from the Clarion Hotel/Shepherdstown and the Shepherdstown Student Center next to the Finish Line/ Midway Field to the marathon start at 5:45am. Marthoners can park at A & B lots. See parking map here. We will update this as the race draws closer.

Thanks to the park service, there is also free parking at the start at the Harper's Ferry National Park Visitor Center.

From the DC Area:

I-270 north to Frederick, MD. Merge with I-70 West at Frederick for about 1/2 a mile, Take Exit 52 - 340 West to Charles Town. Follow US 340 for 16 miles and cross the Potomac River Bridge. Continue 2 miles and cross the Shenandoah River Bridge. Follow 340 to the first traffic light. Turn left into the Harper's Ferry National Historical Park Visitor's Center. Follow signs to visitor center parking.

From Baltimore:

Take I-70 west to Frederick. Take exit 52 onto US 340 West to Charles Town and follow the DC directions from that point.

From Northern VA:

Take Rt. 7 (Leesburg Pike) west past Leesburg. Exit onto Rt. 9 West to Charles Town. Follow all the way to Charles Town. (Do not take Harpers Ferry Road - Rt. 671 to 340.) From Rt. 9 West exit onto 340 North towards Harpers Ferry. Go several miles and exit to stay on 340 North. Go almost  4 miles on US 340 north. Go over the hill, and turn right into the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Follow signs to visitor center parking.

If you took Harpers Ferry Rd - Rt 671, at the end, turn left onto 340 and follow for about 2 miles. Turn left at the traffic light into Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Follow Signs to visitor center parking. 

From Hagerstown and points west:

Take 70 East to the Boonsboro Rt 66 exit. Head south to Boonsboro. Turn left on Alt 40 and follow through town. Turn right on Rt 67 and continue to Rt 340 towards Harpers Ferry. Follow US 340 for 1 mile and cross the Potomac River Bridge. Continue 2 miles and cross the Shenandoah River Bridge. Follow 340 to the first traffic light. Turn left into the Harper's Ferry National Historical Park Visitor's Center. Follow signs to visitor center parking.

From Winchester and points south::

Take Rt. 7 E to Berryville. Exit onto 340 north to Charles Town. Once in Charles Town, exit to stay on 340 North. Follow for for almost 4 more miles. Turn right at the traffic light into Harpers Ferry National Historical Park Visitor Center.  Follow signs to visitor center parking. 

Directions to Shepherdstown- Please note we will have parking in close proximity to start with efficient shuttle service to avoid congestion in our small town. Best parking is west Campus lots on Shepherd University  (1/2 mile warm up to start ) See parking map here

From Antietam (Sharpsburg, MD):
Make a left turn out of the visitor's center onto MD-65 south towards Sharpsburg.
After about 1 mile turn right at a stop sign onto MD-34 west (Main St. in Sharpsburg). There will be a sign for Shepherdstown.
After about 3.5 miles you will cross the bridge over the Potomac river and the road becomes WV-480 south (Duke St. in Shepherdstown).
The trip is about 5 miles and should take about 10 minutes.

From Frederick, MD:
Take US-340 west towards Harpers Ferry.
After about 22 miles, turn right onto WV-230 north towards Shepherdstown.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. The trip is a little over 30 miles and should take about 45 minutes.

From Hagerstown, MD: 
Take MD-65 south towards Sharpsburg. After about 13 miles turn right at a stop sign onto MD-34 west (Main St. in Sharpsburg).
After about 3.5 miles you will cross the bridge over the Potomac river and the road becomes WV-480 south (Duke St. in Shepherdstown).
The trip is about 17 miles and should take about 30 minutes.

From Harpers Ferry, WV: 
From the visitor's center take US-340 south toward Charles Town.
After about 1 mile, turn right onto WV-230 north towards Shepherdstown.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. The trip is a little over 10 miles and should take about 25 minutes.

From Interstate 81:
From I-81 in West Virginia take exit #16 onto WV-9 east.
After about 2 miles, make a left turn onto WV-45 east towards Shepherdstown.
After about 8.5 miles WV-45 ends in Shepherdstown.

From the Baltimore Area:
From the I-695 beltway, take the I-70 west exit (exit # 16) towards Frederick.
After about 40 miles, take the US-340 west exit (exit # 52) towards Harpers Ferry.
After about 21 miles, turn right onto WV-230 north.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. From the I-695 beltway the trip is a little over 70 miles and should take about 1.5 hours.

From BWI Airport:
From the airport take I-195 west.
After less than 2 miles, take the MD-295 south exit (exit #2B) towards Washington.
After less than 3 miles, take the MD-100 west exit.
After about 8 miles, take the US-29 north exit towards I-70.
After about 3 miles, take the I-70 west exit towards Frederick.
After about 35 miles, take the US-340 west exit (exit # 52) towards Harper?s Ferry.
After about 21 miles, turn right onto WV-230 north.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. The trip is a little over 80 miles and should take less than 2 hours.

From Dulles Airport: 
From the Dulles Airport access road take the VA-267 toll west towards Leesburg.
After about 12 miles, take the VA-7 west exit (# 1A) towards Leesburg.
After about 25 miles, take the US-340 north exit towards Charles Town.
After about 15 miles, turn left onto WV-230 north.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. The trip is a little over 60 miles and should take between 1.5 hours.

From the Washington, DC area: 
From the I-495 beltway take I-270 north towards Frederick.
After about 32 miles, I-270 intersects I-70 and becomes US-40 west (do not take I-70).
After about 1 mile, take the US-340 west exit towards Harper?s Ferry.
After about 22 miles, turn right onto WV-230 north towards Shepherdstown.
Stay on 230 for about 10 miles until it ends in Shepherdstown. The trip is a little under 80 miles and should take about 1.5 hours.

From Points Northwest of WV: 
Get onto I-70 east. I-70 intersects the PA turnpike and also I-68.
At the intersection I-70 and I-81 in Maryland, take I-81 south.
From I-81 take exit # 12 in West Virginia onto WV-9 east.
After about 2 miles, make a right turn onto WV-45 east towards Shepherdstown.
After about 8.5 miles WV-45 ends in Shepherdstown .

West of WV: 
Take I-64 east to its intersection with I-81 in Virginia.
Take I-81 north into West Virginia.
From I-81 take exit #16 onto WV-9 east.
After about 2 miles, make a right turn onto WV-45 east towards Shepherdstown.
After about 8.5 miles WV-45 ends in Shepherdstown.