"Celebrating the preservation of the Holmdel Horn Antenna and the creation of Dr. Robert Wilson Park."
4th ANNUAL BIG BANG MILE
AND SCIENCE FESTIVAL
LOCATION
101 Crawfords Corner Rd
Holmdel, NJ US 07733
DATE
Sunday, August 18, RAIN or SHINE!
TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE
2024 RACE TIMES BELOW.
7:00 AM: Bib pick up opens
8:20 AM: Mary and John Saarmann Community and Youth (ages 12 and under) Mile
8:50 AM: * Masters Men ages 60+ Mile
9:10 AM: * Hackensack Meridian Health Masters Women ages 40+ Mile
9:30 AM: * Masters Men ages 50-59 Mile
9:45 AM: * Masters Men ages 40-49 Mile
10:00 AM: Coach Bob Andrews High School & Middle School (ages 12-18) Mile
10:15 AM: Fun Team Mile (Bar, Gym, Restaurant, Office)#
10:40 AM: * Open Women Mile
10:55 AM: * 361 Degrees Open Men Mile
* Our event includes a USATF-NJ Association Open Team Championship "race within a race". Non-USATF runners may also run in these heats.
# A portion of team entries in the Fun Team Mile will be donated to our charity partner, Information Age Science and History Museum and Learning Center (InfoAge), whose mission is to preserve, educate, and honor scientific innovation to inspire new generations of thinkers, dreamers, and visionaries.
# A portion of team entries in the Fun Team Mile will be donated to our charity partner, Information Age Science and History Museum and Learning Center (InfoAge), whose mission is to preserve, educate, and honor scientific innovation to inspire new generations of thinkers, dreamers, and visionaries.
11:15 AM: Awards, event tent
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM: Science Avenue open: booths with fascinating displays!
Booth topics and presenters:
> WWII Communications InfoAge Science and History Museums
> Electronics Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Mr. Eric Westerwick
> Zoology Kim's Critters Ms. Kim Anicito
> Land Preservation Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU)
> Public Safety Middletown Police
> Computation IEEE Computer Society
PLEASE NOTE: Teams for the USATF-NJ 1 Mile Open Team Championship competition will be declared using the normal process. That is, team captains will submit their rosters by e-mail to the timing company (CompuScore in this case) and to the USATF-NJ LDR Committee the day before the race. The Big Bang Mile registration web site is where non-USATF-NJ teams are declared.
The schedule of each heat may be slightly adjusted on event day depending on the entries for each race.
USATF-NJ COMPETITIONS:
> USATF-NJ PMAG LDR Open Team Competition (Men and Women)
* Click here for rules and standings.
> USATF-NJ PMAG LDR 700-point Individual Grand Prix event
* Click here for rules and standings.
> USATF-NJ Maniacs for Miles Competition
This is a flat, fast USATF certified course on closed roads.
Meet Records:
Men - John Walker - 4:13.50 (2022)
Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08 (2023)
New Course Records:
Men - Brian Hill - 4:20.25 (2023)
Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08 (2023)
AWARDS
USATF-NJ Open Runners Awards
Top 3 USATF-NJ members in each of the Open Men and Open Women Mile races will be awarded a pair of running shoes or other award of similar value (a voucher to be redeemed).
To score for a USATF-NJ Open team, the individual needs to have been identified in the respective team submission(s) to Compuscore (the scoring company) and USATF-NJ. These submissions are anticipated to be due via email by 6PM Saturday (8/17).
Masters (age 40+) Runners Awards
Top 3 masters men and masters women based on age grading, based on their respective Masters Mile races (regardless of what Masters race participating in), will be awarded a pair of running shoes or other award of similar value (a voucher to be redeemed). Masters age grading awardees need not be members of USATF-NJ.
Age Group Awards
For any runners (USATF-NJ Member or not), as an individual to be eligible for the Age Group awards, you must run in the Race for your respective Age.
Age Groups (Male and Female) are for the Top 3 (Male and Female) for ages 18-29, and 5-year age groups from 30 through 79, and 80+.
*Age Group awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
Cash Awards
$200 Cash Bonus for a winning time under 4:10 for the men or under 4:50 for the women.
Any open finisher in the top 3 who is not a USATF-NJ member will be eligible for a cash award ($100 for 1st, $75 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd for both men and women).
*It is anticipated that the Cash awards will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
High School and Middle School Mile Awards
Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 boys and the top 3 girls in the High School and the Middle School Mile.
Prizes will be awarded to the top Team in the High School and in the Middle School Mile.
Teams can consist of between 3 and 6 individuals.
*Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
Fun Team Mile Awards
Prizes will be awarded to the top team in each of these categories:
> Gyms, Fitness Centers and Physical Therapy Practices.
> Bars, Restaurants and Social Clubs.
> Office-based businesses
> Families
Teams can consist of between 3 and 6 individuals.
*Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
REGISTRATION
$30 - from March 1 to April 30
$35 - from May 1 until June 30
$40 - from July 1 until July 12
> Registration closes on Friday, August 17, 2024.
> No registration on race day.
> No animals or headphones allowed.
> Strollers allowed only in the Family/Youth Heat at 8:20 AM.
> Custom race T-Shirts will be given to the first 300 registrants.
FUN TEAM COMPETITION
We are encouraging restaurants, gyms, bars and office-based "9-to-5" businesses to form teams and join in on the fun. You will have your own race called the "Fun Mile". You need only 3 people to score. There are no age restrictions. Teams may be a mix of genders.
PERSONAL ADS IN PROGRAM
There will be a section in the event program that is devoted to personal ads. For $5, you can include a personal ad of 200 characters or less. Use the Big Bang Mile registration web site to enter and pay for your ad. Here is a sample of current ads:
Good luck to Shore AC and ALL runners in the Big Bang Mile! Many thanks Bell Works, sponsors and presenters. -- Scott Linnell
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM: Science Avenue open: booths with fascinating displays!
Booth topics and presenters:
> WWII Communications InfoAge Science and History Museums
> Electronics Integrated Circuit Manufacturing Mr. Eric Westerwick
> Zoology Kim's Critters Ms. Kim Anicito
> Land Preservation Citizens for Informed Land Use (CILU)
> Public Safety Middletown Police
> Computation IEEE Computer Society
PLEASE NOTE: Teams for the USATF-NJ 1 Mile Open Team Championship competition will be declared using the normal process. That is, team captains will submit their rosters by e-mail to the timing company (CompuScore in this case) and to the USATF-NJ LDR Committee the day before the race. The Big Bang Mile registration web site is where non-USATF-NJ teams are declared.
The schedule of each heat may be slightly adjusted on event day depending on the entries for each race.
USATF-NJ COMPETITIONS:
> USATF-NJ PMAG LDR Open Team Competition (Men and Women)
* Click here for rules and standings.
> USATF-NJ PMAG LDR 700-point Individual Grand Prix event
* Click here for rules and standings.
> USATF-NJ Maniacs for Miles Competition
This is a flat, fast USATF certified course on closed roads.
Meet Records:
Men - John Walker - 4:13.50 (2022)
Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08 (2023)
New Course Records:
Men - Brian Hill - 4:20.25 (2023)
Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08 (2023)
AWARDS
USATF-NJ Open Runners Awards
Top 3 USATF-NJ members in each of the Open Men and Open Women Mile races will be awarded a pair of running shoes or other award of similar value (a voucher to be redeemed).
To score for a USATF-NJ Open team, the individual needs to have been identified in the respective team submission(s) to Compuscore (the scoring company) and USATF-NJ. These submissions are anticipated to be due via email by 6PM Saturday (8/17).
Masters (age 40+) Runners Awards
Top 3 masters men and masters women based on age grading, based on their respective Masters Mile races (regardless of what Masters race participating in), will be awarded a pair of running shoes or other award of similar value (a voucher to be redeemed). Masters age grading awardees need not be members of USATF-NJ.
Age Group Awards
For any runners (USATF-NJ Member or not), as an individual to be eligible for the Age Group awards, you must run in the Race for your respective Age.
Age Groups (Male and Female) are for the Top 3 (Male and Female) for ages 18-29, and 5-year age groups from 30 through 79, and 80+.
*Age Group awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
Cash Awards
$200 Cash Bonus for a winning time under 4:10 for the men or under 4:50 for the women.
Any open finisher in the top 3 who is not a USATF-NJ member will be eligible for a cash award ($100 for 1st, $75 for 2nd and $50 for 3rd for both men and women).
*It is anticipated that the Cash awards will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
High School and Middle School Mile Awards
Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 boys and the top 3 girls in the High School and the Middle School Mile.
Prizes will be awarded to the top Team in the High School and in the Middle School Mile.
Teams can consist of between 3 and 6 individuals.
*Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
Fun Team Mile Awards
Prizes will be awarded to the top team in each of these categories:
> Gyms, Fitness Centers and Physical Therapy Practices.
> Bars, Restaurants and Social Clubs.
> Office-based businesses
> Families
Teams can consist of between 3 and 6 individuals.
*Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
REGISTRATION
$30 - from March 1 to April 30
$35 - from May 1 until June 30
$40 - from July 1 until July 12
> Registration closes on Friday, August 17, 2024.
> No registration on race day.
> No animals or headphones allowed.
> Strollers allowed only in the Family/Youth Heat at 8:20 AM.
> Custom race T-Shirts will be given to the first 300 registrants.
FUN TEAM COMPETITION
We are encouraging restaurants, gyms, bars and office-based "9-to-5" businesses to form teams and join in on the fun. You will have your own race called the "Fun Mile". You need only 3 people to score. There are no age restrictions. Teams may be a mix of genders.
PERSONAL ADS IN PROGRAM
There will be a section in the event program that is devoted to personal ads. For $5, you can include a personal ad of 200 characters or less. Use the Big Bang Mile registration web site to enter and pay for your ad. Here is a sample of current ads:
Good luck to Shore AC and ALL runners in the Big Bang Mile! Many thanks Bell Works, sponsors and presenters. -- Scott Linnell
****************************************************
***** BIG BANG MILE LECTURE SERIES *****
****************************************************
The Big Bang Mile Lecture Series will now be held on a separate day from the races. This year, they will be held as follows:
Date and Time: xxx Saturday, August 17 xxx POSTPONED, NEW DATE TBA
Location: InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall Township, NJ
There will be two talks.
9:10 am Lecture #1: Cosmology: "The James Webb Telescope", presented by Mr. Frank O'Brien, NASA Solar System Ambassador.
10:30 am Lecture #2: Nuclear Fusion: "The Fastest Route to Fusion Energy", presented by Eric Lerner, Chief Scientist, LPPFusion, Inc.
Admission to the morning lectures is FREE. Nevertheless, we ask you to please register **here** if you plan to attend.
The Museums will open at 12:00 noon. Admission to the museums is $12 for ages 13 and above and $8 for children ages 12 and under.
For lunch, we recommend ordering and picking up a sandwich from Valente's of Belmar. There are only a mile away from InfoAge.
****************************************************
***** BIG BANG MILE LECTURE SERIES *****
****************************************************
The Big Bang Mile Lecture Series will now be held on a separate day from the races. This year, they will be held as follows:
Date and Time: xxx Saturday, August 17 xxx POSTPONED, NEW DATE TBA
Location: InfoAge Science and History Museums, Wall Township, NJ
There will be two talks.
9:10 am Lecture #1: Cosmology: "The James Webb Telescope", presented by Mr. Frank O'Brien, NASA Solar System Ambassador.
10:30 am Lecture #2: Nuclear Fusion: "The Fastest Route to Fusion Energy", presented by Eric Lerner, Chief Scientist, LPPFusion, Inc.
Admission to the morning lectures is FREE. Nevertheless, we ask you to please register **here** if you plan to attend.
The Museums will open at 12:00 noon. Admission to the museums is $12 for ages 13 and above and $8 for children ages 12 and under.
For lunch, we recommend ordering and picking up a sandwich from Valente's of Belmar. There are only a mile away from InfoAge.
****************************************************
THE STORY BEHIND THE BIG BANG MILE
The Bell Works building was once a primary location for Bell Laboratories. “Bell Labs” attracted top-notch scientists to conduct basic research that might advance telephony. Two such scientists, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, studied radio signals from space in support of the Telstar project. In 1964, to their surprise, they observed a background noise coming from every direction in the sky. Wherever they pointed their radio telescope, they measured the same frequency and strength of microwave radiation.
Puzzled, Penzias and Wilson conferred with colleagues. Princeton University astronomer Robert Dicke revealed they had found evidence for the Big Bang. This is a theory that the universe started with an explosion 13.8 billion years ago. For their important contribution to science, Penzias and Wilson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978. The radio telescope used by Penzias and Wilson still stands today. It is located on top of Crawford Hill, about 2 miles northwest of the Bell Works facility. A nearby plaque explains its significance. It is worth a visit.
Shore Athletic Club dedicates the Big Bang Mile Race to scientists everywhere. We hope that runners draw inspiration from this story to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and perhaps even pursue a STEM career. Aim high!
The Bell Works building was once a primary location for Bell Laboratories. “Bell Labs” attracted top-notch scientists to conduct basic research that might advance telephony. Two such scientists, Arno Penzias and Robert Wilson, studied radio signals from space in support of the Telstar project. In 1964, to their surprise, they observed a background noise coming from every direction in the sky. Wherever they pointed their radio telescope, they measured the same frequency and strength of microwave radiation.
Puzzled, Penzias and Wilson conferred with colleagues. Princeton University astronomer Robert Dicke revealed they had found evidence for the Big Bang. This is a theory that the universe started with an explosion 13.8 billion years ago. For their important contribution to science, Penzias and Wilson were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1978. The radio telescope used by Penzias and Wilson still stands today. It is located on top of Crawford Hill, about 2 miles northwest of the Bell Works facility. A nearby plaque explains its significance. It is worth a visit.
Shore Athletic Club dedicates the Big Bang Mile Race to scientists everywhere. We hope that runners draw inspiration from this story to learn more about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and perhaps even pursue a STEM career. Aim high!
New in 2024: CHARITY PARTNER
2201 Marconi Road
Wall, NJ 07719 Tel: 732-280-3000 |
About InfoAge
The Information Age Learning Center incorporated in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization located at the New Jersey shore in Wall Township. Since its beginning, InfoAge has evolved into a consortium of science and history museums and exhibits which serve as the focal point for the preservation and interpretation of New Jersey’s rich communications, computer, and electronic technology and history. It is a place where children and families are educated in the technologies we use today, many of which were developed at Camp Evans.
The MISSION of the Information Age Science and History Museum and Learning Center (InfoAge) is to preserve, educate, and honor scientific innovation to inspire new generations of thinkers, dreamers, and visionaries.
Our mission is broken into three Sub-Missions: DEVELOP an Interactive hands-on Learning Center focused on the evolution and preservation of communications, electronics, and related technologies; Learning Center: As a National Historic Landmark, INSPIRE people – especially children – to learn and appreciate information technology to improve their lives and career opportunities; and Memorial: As New Jersey’s WWII Living Memorial, HONOR the accomplishments and service of veterans, civilians, and military contractors by recognizing their contributions and by preserving this unique historic site.
Our VISION: Our parking lots filled with yellow school buses and students who are motivated to pursue the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
We are a hub for hands-on education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM).
The Information Age Learning Center incorporated in 1999 as a 501(c)(3) educational non-profit organization located at the New Jersey shore in Wall Township. Since its beginning, InfoAge has evolved into a consortium of science and history museums and exhibits which serve as the focal point for the preservation and interpretation of New Jersey’s rich communications, computer, and electronic technology and history. It is a place where children and families are educated in the technologies we use today, many of which were developed at Camp Evans.
The MISSION of the Information Age Science and History Museum and Learning Center (InfoAge) is to preserve, educate, and honor scientific innovation to inspire new generations of thinkers, dreamers, and visionaries.
Our mission is broken into three Sub-Missions: DEVELOP an Interactive hands-on Learning Center focused on the evolution and preservation of communications, electronics, and related technologies; Learning Center: As a National Historic Landmark, INSPIRE people – especially children – to learn and appreciate information technology to improve their lives and career opportunities; and Memorial: As New Jersey’s WWII Living Memorial, HONOR the accomplishments and service of veterans, civilians, and military contractors by recognizing their contributions and by preserving this unique historic site.
Our VISION: Our parking lots filled with yellow school buses and students who are motivated to pursue the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math.
We are a hub for hands-on education in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math (STEAM).
Results from prior Big Bang Mile races:
2021 2022 2023
Scenes from the 2021 Big Bang Mile and Science Festival
Scenes from the 2022 Big Bang Mile and Science Festival
Scenes from the 2023 Big Bang Mile and Science Festival
Thanks to our Sponsors:
Quasar Funding:
Supernova Funding:
Nova Funding:
Star Funding:
Walter MacGowan |