The Course :: During The Race

Aid Stations

There are 12 aid stations along the course. They offer water, Gatorade, your special drinks, sponges at later aid stations, and medical supplies. Fruit (oranges, bananas) is available at aid stations in the second half of the course. Portable toilets are located at the start area, at each aid station, and at the finish area.

The 30th annual Napa Valley Marathon presented by Kaiser Permanente is proud to offer GU energy gel at the Sports and Fitness Expo on Saturday and on the race course at two aid stations in the second half of the race. This allows runners to power up with the quick, sustained energy boost of GU energy gel.  You can find out more about GU energy gel at GUsports.com. Please deposit all GU type packets at aid stations or carry them to the finish to facilitate cleanup of the course by race volunteers.

On the course we will have the original flavor of Gatorade that will help our runners to be stronger, go longer, and to be properly hydrated. Find out more about Gatorade at Gatorade.com. The Napa Valley Marathon also offers Calistoga Mineral Water at certain aid stations on the course in addition to plain old Napa Valley water.  Find out more about Calistoga Mineral Water at calistogawater.com.

Aid stations will be located at the following distances from the start:

Special Drinks
Runners who prepare special drinks can have them delivered to specific aid stations by bringing the bottles to the start line where they will be placed in boxes labeled for specific aid stations. This can be done between 6:30 and 6:45 a.m. ; the boxes are located 25 yards in front of the start line.

Medical Assistance
Experienced Kaiser medical personnel are located along the course at each aid station from 9.4 miles onward. Our emergency HAM radio team monitors the course, sag vans with HAM operators cruise the course, and ambulances are located at the finish area and at several points along the course. There is also a sag bus following the end of the field. The sag vans and sag bus are equipped with HAM operators, supplies, and blankets. The finish line medical staff (located at the Medical Center , just past the finish line) is equipped with cots, blankets, and medical supplies. Massage therapists are located in the Vintage High School gym.

Please be aware of the cutoff time of 1:00 p.m. Refer to the Cutoff Times section of the Finish page for details about how the cutoff time affects medical assistance.

Spectators
The vineyards that parallel the race course provide world-class scenery but also have a downside. Most of them feature deep ditches to accommodate irrigation and rain runoff that severely limit parking on crossroads that intersect with the Silverado Trail (race course). As the Silverado Trail is closed to traffic for the first twelve miles and heavily restricted for the rest of the race course, these intersections become extremely congested, which leads to frustration for spectators and for residents of the area. If you park in these areas, do not block the traffic lanes, park on private property, or block driveways. And above all, please be cordial and courteous to our local residents and to law enforcement personnel, in whose backyard the race runs. There will be a map available at race headquarters that will spell out what parking is available at each intersection.

Sweat bags and Discarded Clothes
There will be three buses at the start for your sweat bag. They will be parked on Rosedale Road just south of Calistoga within 30 yards of the start line. The sweat bags will be transported to Vintage High School where they will be waiting to be reunited with their runners. Runners are responsible for guaranteeing their race number is clearly discernible on the sweat bags.

Runners are required to use good sense and not pack anything of value in sweat bags. Leave valuables at the hotel desk or in your car trunk and double-knot your car key to your shoelaces. THE MARATHON IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST, STOLEN, OR DAMAGED SWEAT BAGS OR CONTENTS. The marathon is not responsible for clothing a runner discards along the course. Where possible, race personnel will transport discarded clothing to the awards area at the finish, but they will not arrive until well after the finish of the race. The chances of discarded clothing finding its way to the quad at Vintage High School are greatly increased if the runner discards the clothing at an official aid station, but once again, the marathon is not responsible for any discarded clothing, valuables, or personal items.