About the Marathon
Date: 08.22.10
Time: TBD
Place: Drake Well Museum: Titusville, PA
With the 150th Anniversary of the historic Drake Well approaching in August of 2009, Titusville Renaissance, Inc., decided it wanted to start off the festivities surrounding the celebration of the first working Oil Well in the planet by having a top-notch race weekend. With a rich tradition of track and field as well as cross-country success in Titusville, putting on a marathon and a half-marathon that would celebrate the Valley That Changed the World only seemed fitting.
Titusville residents and far-flung Titusville natives began to work together and soon the idea of a marathon and half-marathon were put into place. With an eye towards making the races both a stellar visage of the surrounding countryside and a challenging one for all runners, the race staff is also doing its best to make sure that even as the numbers of registrants climb, each runner feels like this race is made specifically for them.
Combining a marathon, a half marathon, and a Kids Fun Run, the Drake Well Marathon weekend promises to last long after the Oil 150 celebration ended.
History of the Race
The first Drake Well Marathon took place Christmas weekend of 2006. A unique marathon to be sure, it consisted of 105.5 laps around the Titusville Senior High school track. Conceived by Dane Rauschenberg, who needed a marathon that weekend to keep his 52-marathon streak alive in 2006 (www.fiddy2.org) the course had 21 other participants from across the nation. Chip-timed and Boston-certified, the race was unlike any other.
When runners clamored for another marathon to be held in Oil Creek Valley Region, Titusville has responded by not only reviving the Drake Well Marathon name but doing more than just having runners traverse a track for 26.2 miles. However, the can-do spirit of the original runners who ran this race lives on as the Titusville Renaissance, Inc. brought back Dane Rauschenberg to be the Executive Race Director of this weekend in 2009 and add his own personal touch.
Come be part of history yourself!
Check back for details on the 2010 race.