2024 - That's a wrap!

What an amazing day! The weather was perfect, the runners were appreciative, and CRC showed out! You took amazing care of the runners, showing care for them and you encouraged them in their run. You demonstrated the presence of Jesus as you followed His command “...when I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink….” 

None of the runners asked what church we were part of, nor did they ask us why we were there. Many runners thank us for being there when they needed us. Likewise, we didn’t tell them what the Bible says about…anything. We offered what they needed--water and Nuun. And that was exactly what they needed. 

Jesus asks us to be present with His people and to offer them what we have. And by doing that, we showed them what it looks like to give freely. We didn’t pay for the water (or the Nuun); that was supplied by a generous donor. Like another of Jesus’ commands--”Freely you have received; freely give.”

The only way we can Build Bridges to God is by being a community and going out into the community to love as Jesus loves. And you did that so well!

- Pastor Scott

There will be a lot of road closures near the water station that we are running.

We will park at Bethany Christian Church, 5400 Forest Hill Avenue, Richmond, VA 23225, which is on the Southeast side of the water station. The church is located on the corner of Forest Hill Ave and Leicester Road. 

• Forest Hill Avenue westbound will be closed from Semmes Avenue to Melbourne Drive from 7:00 AM till 11:15 AM.
• If you are coming from the West on Forest Hill, the Powhite Parkway Forest Hill Exit Southbound will close at 7 AM as well.

To help navigate the road closures, you can use the Waze App which will have the road closure information.

There is a 275-gallon water tank that will use a system of water hoses and an electric water pump. We will be mixing the Nuun hydration drink in 32-gallon “trash cans.” We will have 2 clear food-grade liners and will use paddles to mix the Nuun powder and the water. People mixing the Nuun will wear food gloves. The Nuun will go into the Nuun cups and the water will go into the unlabeled cups.

• We will have the water station first and then the Nuun station.
• We will have the two stations separated by about 25 yards. When we arrive, we will set the pump/hose system up and then we will set up the cups for the water.
• We will fill the cups about halfway with the hoses and stack these at least 3 levels high before the runners arrive. 
• At the Nuun stations, we will use plastic pitchers to fill the cups and stack these at least 3 levels high as well. (It takes about 10 minutes for the Nuun to fully dissolve in the water.)
• As the runners arrive, we will communicate that the water station is first and then the Nuun station. As we pass the cups to the runners, we will hold the cups at the bottom and hand them to the runners. Many runners will use two or three cups to get the hydration they need. 
• We will also have someone about 15 yards before the water station telling the runners that the water station is first and the Nuun station is second. The runners will have gone through 4 other stops before they get to us. 

The marathon will happen if it is freezing or hot, rain, snow, sleet, or sunny weather. So we will be there, as well.

We will have a soup and sandwich lunch prepared for after the marathon. You will have worked up an appetite from helping others find water. You will then receive a lunch of hot soup and a delicious sandwich.