CandleLight 12/24 Hour

Banner picture by A.J. Gottschalk

"That was quite a magical night under the starlit sky. The sunset and sunrise stunning, the hush as the sun went down and the glow of runners' headlamps, the cat with the eyes that glowed in the dark, the coyfish pond and the horses."

Mary Ryan after 36.38 miles/34 laps at the inaugural race in 2016

 

 

 

What: Seventh Annual CandleLight 12/24 Hour - Overnight Ultra and Relays
When: Saturday, July 13, 2024
Where: Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp, 809 Five Points Rd, Rush, NY 14543
Start time for 24-hour: 7 AM on Saturday, July 13, 2024
Start time 12-Hour and 12_Hour Relay: 7PM on Saturday, July 13, 2024
Finish closes: 7 AM on Sunday, July 14, 2024
Registration for 2023 opens: Black Friday, November 24, 2023

The racecourse

  • The race course is a 1 mile, mostly paved loop with about 150 yards of fairly smooth wide trail surface!
  • The first half of the course goes gradually downhill.
  • The second half of the loop goes gradually uphill.
  • Most of the course is shaded, and about 40% of the course has a heavy tree coverage (translation - you will need a good headlamp for this race).

Overview of 12/24-hour races

  • Run as many laps/miles as you can in 12/24 hours.
  • One Lap is about 1 mile long.
  • There is no minimum required amount of time to be on the course, nor will you DNF (did not finish) if you do not run the entire 12 hours. One complete Lap of the course qualifies you for an official finish. You can run as long or as short as you want, depending on your personal goals.
  • Walking, stopping to rest, and even napping is allowed.

Overview for 12-hour overnight Relay

Not ready to go in circles for 12/24 hours yet? No problem! There is a 12-hour relay option available.

  • Each relay team must have at least two but no more than four team members. Each relay team gets a BIB attached to the BIB belt before the start. The BIB belt serves as the relay baton.
  • It's up to each team to decide the order, length of the distance, or time for each team member. There is no minimum distance or time requirement per team member, and there are no rules for the rotation within the relay team. The team can start with only two team members during the first 6 hours and let the other two members rotate during the last 6 hours of the race. If desired, teams are allowed to pass the BIB belt after every Lap or every hour or else.
  • The team captain registers the team, and members are added to the team for free. User coupon code 'relay' when registering your relay team or when joining the relay team.

Aid Station

  • The course will feature one fully stocked aid station with great ultra fare throughout the run. Also, it will be easy to self-support - bring your own cooler, tent, chair, and/or other supplies and set up your personal aid station that you can visit every Lap.

Personalized BIB Option

  • For $10 extra, race participants can put any personalized message on the bib - as long as it is PG rated in every language.
  • A personalized Message can be your first name, last name, pets name, the cause you want to promote, or anything else.
  • For longer messages, a smaller font size may be used to fit the message on the bib.
  • There is no separate scoring division for personalized bib message holders. All 12-hour participants get scored together, and all 24-hour participants get scored together as well.
    The registration for personalized bibs ends about a month before the race.
Still not convinced to try

Here is the link to the race report compilation after those runners posted in the race's FaceBook group after the inaugural race.

About the race's host and beneficiery - Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp 

Since 1922, Rochester Rotary Sunshine Camp has provided a summer camp where children with disabilities can simply have fun, without any barriers. Today, this 157-acre camp in Rush, N.Y. meets the needs of thousands of children with disabilities and their families. Every year, more than 2,500 kids get the chance to enjoy a camping experience that they cannot get anywhere else.

Pretty much any activity a child wants to do at summer camp is here. A climbing wall … splash pad … archery … boating … fishing … mini golf … swimming … arts and crafts … digital photography … music … nature trails … and other sports. One of the most exciting adventures for many kids is riding the zip line through the woods. The newest attractions are “My Treehouse” and the Gizzi Family Sensory Center, which features a variety of activities to stimulate the visual, hearing, smell, touch and taste senses.

While at the camp, kids with disabilities get the chance to just be kids. And their parents get a much-deserved respite as well.

For two weeks every summer, the Rochester Rotary Club offers the Sunshine Camp to children with disabilities for free, thanks to generous contributions from Rochester Rotarians and from the community. During the rest of the summer, the camp is enjoyed by campers from our partner agencies.