April Fools Day 5K Classic

The 2013 April Fool's Day Race is SOLD OUT.

1) Packet Pick-up is Monday from 9 - 3 at Vac & Dash

5:00 pm at the Stanly County Family YMCA

2) Race Starts at 6:30 PM on Monday April 1st at Stanly County Family YMCA.

3) Parking: You can park on the street and the Y or various parking lots. Please do not use the Hartsell Funeral Home lot, as they may have a funeral viewing. You can park at the Y, on the street, or other parking lots. If you can carpool it would be great.

4) Be careful of traffic. We will have course monitors and the City of Albemarle Police Department helping with traffic. Run Safe!

5) Obstacle Course Bypass Option: There will be a 35' inflatable obstacle course to run through. If you feel you can not run through the obstacle course, you can by pass it by skipping 30 times on a jump rope.

Obstacle course tip: When going through the first part of the obstacle course, go through the tubes, rather than over the tubes.

(When people go over the tube, it tends to cut the air flow to the inflatable off.)

6) Awards: You'll want to stick around for the awards and prizes. Ten Participants will be given a chance to win various prizes and money, including $100.00 cash. Door prizes will begin as soon as the last runner crosses the finish line.

You'll want to stick around for the awards, as we have many surprises in store for you.

7) Throughout the race, you may have water balloons thrown at you. We have asked the throwers to throw the balloons at you feet. However, sometimes their aim is off.

8) Running through yards and garages. You will run down the Owen's driveway, under their carport, past their bomb shelter and around their house. You will run on grass for about thirty yards at the Owen's. Run easy and enjoy the oddity of it.

The Jennifer Hatley 4th Ever April Fools Day 500,000 Centimeter (5K) Classic

Monday April 1st, 2013

(Yes, that is Easter Monday. School is out in Stanly County that day.)

6:30 pm Starts and finishes at the Stanly County Family YMCA

This year, you will be racing against people your own height rather than age.

Men			Women

5'2" and Below			5' and Below
5'3" - 5'4"			5'1"
5'5" - 5"6"			5'2"
5'7"			5'3"
5'8"			5'4"
5'9"			5'5"
5'10"			5'6"
6'			5'7"
6'1" - 6"2"			5'8" - 5'9"
6'3' -6-4"			5'10"-5'11
6'5" Plus			6' Plus

The Course is a little different this year. The inflatable obstacle course will be on the grass field at the YMCA rather than the road. Also, we are reversing the start and finish of the course for safety reasons. Here's a link to the new course:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/179826906

http://www.sportoften.com/events/eventDetails.cfm?pEventId=9777

New Course for 2013:

It's basically the same course as before, except we changed the direction of the start and finish to make the course safer.

We will also have the National Guard Obstacle Course on the grass at the Y for the finish line rather than on the road.

Here's a link to the new route:

http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/179826906

Here's the list of registrants as of Friday March 22

2012 Results

Thanks to all who ran, volunteered and cheered!

More photos are on the Vac & Dash Facebook Page.

Past, Previous, Prior April Fools Day Pranks and Information:

Packet and TShirt Pick Up will be on Friday & Saturday at Vac & Dash.

Bib pickup will start at 1:30 on Sunday at the YMCA start line.

The 3rd Times a Charm Sean Barbee April Fools Day 500,000 Centimeter Classic

(For the Mathematically Challenged, it's a 5K)

Presented by the Jesters of Vac & Dash

Sean Barbee was the 2012 Jester of the Day.

The April Fool's Day $100.00 Challenge!

Dana Burleson's daughter race me through the obstacle course and won a $100.00 Gift Certificate from Vac & Dash.

Don't Miss this EPIC BATTLE!!!!

2nd Time Around Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic

The race in which the Fun takes the mind off the Run!

A Clown with a Chainsaw + Running through a backyard + Water Balloons + Bowling Trophy's for winners + Customized Baby Bibs for race bibs with "Your Name" written on each of them + Air National Guard Obstacle Course + "Let's Make A Deal" Door Prizes + a fun time for all = 2nd Time Around Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic!

Thanks for all that volunteered and ran!

The runners, that wish to remain anonymous, make their way over the first wall.

Pranks:

Winners were presented with Bowling Trophies for their efforts. Most runners got custom baby bibs for their race bib with

"Your Name" written on each of them.

2011 April Fools Day Results:

http://www.vacanddash.com/2011Results.htm

More photos are on the Vac & Dash Facebook Page.

Race Day Details & Packet Pick-up

Many folks run the April Fools Race to get the long sleeve shirt with the wacky sponsors on the back.

Here's one of our newest t-shirt sponsors:

Nice Buns is located a bit south of Reality Road on Fantasy Lane!

1) Packet Pick-Up for the 2nd Time Around Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic is available at Vac & Dash. Packet Pick-up will be Thursday 9-6 and Friday 9-1 at Vac & Dash. Friday we plan to begin packet pick-up at the YMCA at 5:00 pm.

2) Race Starts at 6:30 PM on Friday April 1st at Stanly County Family YMCA.

3) Parking: Note that it is a Friday During Lent. Friday Evening they have Stations of the Cross and dinner at the Catholic Church. Please do not use their parking lot or in the Hartsell Funeral Home lot, as they may have a funeral viewing. You can park at the Y, on the street, or other parking lots. (Except for Glenn Ave, which will be closed for the finish line and obstacle course.) If you can carpool it would be great.

4) Be careful of traffic. The Catholic Church will be holding Stations of the Cross across from the Y at 7:00 pm, so be aware of traffic. We will have course monitors and the City of Albemarle Police Department helping with traffic. Run Safe!

5) Awards: You'll want to stick around for the awards and prizes. Door prizes will begin as soon as the last runner crosses the finish line. With awards given afterwards. You'll want to stick around for the awards.

6) Door Prize Eligibility: A door prize ticket will be given to runners that run in a shirt that has Vac & Dash somewhere on the shirt. (Vac & Dash can be anywhere on the shirt .)

7) Obstacle Course Bypass Option: There will be a 35' inflatable obstacle course to run through. If you feel you can not run through the obstacle course, you can by pass it with 20 Mississippi's. You must stop and count one mississippi, two mississippi, etc.

Start at Y at corner of
First and Glenn. Run toward downtown. L on Wilson (Windstream Office) L on
Second, R on Montgomery, L on Fifth, R on McGill, R on Tenth. After you
climb hill on Tenth look for Turn around arrows. R on Tenth (Tenth Ave.
Curves) L on East, L on 9th, R on Oakwood, L on Fifth, R on Montgomery, R on
> Second L on Glenn, Finish about half-way up Glenn Av..

Thanks to all that participated and volunteered in the 1st Ever Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic!

Quick Links To Race Coverage:

2010 Race Results

Race Recap by Charlotte's Bill Shires - 2010 AFD Champ:

http://runnerscooldownmile.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-fools-5k-albemarle-nc-race-recap.html

Race Recap by Gastonia's Richard Hefner - 8th Overall 2nd Slowest in his age group:

http://networkedblogs.com/2dWFw

Approx. $200.00 was donated to the YMCA Strong Communities Program

The fun filled race was full of pranks & surprises!

Mandi Rogers, Gwen Lanning and Rita Phillips were ready for a fun-filled race.

Top Ten 2010 Pranks:

1) Volunteer Ritchie Hearne called out the mile time split at the .7 mile mark.

2) Runners were hit by water balloons and supersoakers at Tenth St. turn.

3) Course went down the Owen's driveway, carport and backyard. Their three year-old, was able to squirt runners without getting in trouble from his parents.

4) Runners were surprised to find that in the Owen's backyard, Ryan had put together a simulated paintball war game with his youth group.

5) Turned around and ran through water balloon zone again.

6) On Oakwood Ave. the course detoured through the Greenlee's Garage, around the back of their yard and through a kids water wiggly sprinkler system.

7) At the finish, the runners had to navigate through a 35 foot inflatable obstacle course. Runners that did not want to go through the obstacle course had to count 20 Mississippi's.

8) Door Prizes: Runners thought The Very Big Door Prize that was the rectangular in shape, was the old white closet door in the above picture with a sign that said "Very Big Door Prize". 13 year old, won the prize but had her choice of picking one of the Saucony bags with a prize in it.

She chose the bag, which had a $8.00 hat. If she accepted the "Very Big Door Prize" that was rectangular in shape, she would have walked away with a Ben Franklin! That's right, I had a $100.00 bill taped to the back of the Very Big Door Prize sign.

Other door prize twists: Mixture of a wide variety of items, including a leftover from the Kellie Pickler American Idol days, a Pick Pickler Thong, made of cool max material of course.

9) Age Group Awards went to the Slowest, 2nd Slowest and 3rd Slowest in each age group.

10) Slowest men and women runners earned the big hardware:

Best of Slow, 2nd Best of Slow and 3rd Best of Slow

Mark your calendar for the next nine Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classics:

4/1/11, 4/1/12, 4/1/13, 4/1/14, 4/1/15, 4/1/16, 4/1/17, 4/1/18 & 4/1/19

Pictures From Sunday's Practice Run

Runners that showed up for Sundays April Fools Day 5K practice run won door prizes. The seven that showed up and ran the course were awarded a April Fools Day 5K Classice Cool Max T-shirts at Thursday's Post-Race Award Ceremony.

In photo #2, Kelly Franklin shows off the out-of-date box of GU she won. Mandi Rogers won reflective arm bands from Asics.

In honor of our newly invented sponsors: Butts and Mutts and Barney's Animal Clinic & Taxidermy, we thought it was appropriate to take the photo in front of the dog waste bucket at the Y.

If you'd like to help, send an e-mail to peter@vacanddash.com

When runners make the last turn, they will have to make their way through the Air National Guard Obstacle Course before finishing the race.

. This race will be full of suprises. Yes there will be an actual race. Start and finish will be at the YMCA. I know that I always send out a prank newsletter on April Fools Day, so the challenge for me is to get folks to believe that there will actually be a race. There will be. The Albemarle City Council has already approved closing Glenn St. for the Start/Finish Line.

I will warn you, that if you don't have a sense of humor, you may not want to run this race.

Event: 2nd Time Around Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic

Time & Date: April 1st - 6:30 pm

Location: Stanly County Family YMCA

Course: April Fools 5K Course is marked (green arrows.) Start at Y at corner of
First and Glenn. Run toward downtown. L on Wilson (Windstream Office) L on
Second, R on Montgomery, L on Fifth, R on McGill, R on Tenth. After you
climb hill on Tenth look for Turn around arrows. R on Tenth (Tenth Ave.
Curves) L on East, L on 9th, R on Oakwood, L on Fifth, R on Montgomery,

R on Second L on Glenn, Finish at Orange slash in road.
.

Water Stations: The plan is to have two water stations. Instead of cups, we are using balloons to hold the water. It's a down and back course and water tables will be across the street from each other. What you do with the water balloons, is up to you.

(Hint: Runners will be approaching you with balloons in hand. You can defend yourself or attack.)

Cost: $20.00 Register at Vac & Dash or on-line at:

http://www.active.com/running/albemarle-nc/vac-and-dash-april-fools-day-5k-classic-2010

Door Prizes: To get a ticket for the door prizes, run the race in a shirt that has Vac & Dash somewhere on it. (It is not a requirement to run the race in a Vac & Dash shirt. However, to get a door prize it is. Vac & Dash can be on the back, sleeve or front of the shirt.)

Long Sleeve T-Shirt: You'll want to run it for the long sleeve t-shirt. If you think a store that sells vacuum cleaners & running shoes is weird, the sponsors on the back will be those wacky area combo stores such as:

Tillery Vineyard & Taxi Service "You Drink - We Drive"

Plus:

OK, the sponsors aren't real, but they will look cool on the back of the shirt.

Race Day Details & Packet Pick-up

Weather looks perfect for the race!

1) Packet Pick-Up Is Available for the 1st Ever Vac & Dash April Fools Day 5K Classic is available at Vac & Dash. Packet Pick-up will be Available Thursday 9-6 and Friday 9-1 at Vac & Dash.

2) Race Starts at 6:30 PM on Thursday April 1st at Stanly County Family YMCA.

6) Door Prize Eligibility: A door prize ticket will be given to runners that run in a shirt that has Vac & Dash somewhere on the shirt. (Vac & Dash can be anywhere on the shirt .)

9) Running through yards and garages. You will run down the Owen's driveway, under their carport, past their bomb shelter and around their house. You will run on grass for about thirty yards at the Owen's. Run easy and enjoy the oddity of it.