Big Bang Mile and Science Festival

"Anticipating the preservation of the Holmdel Horn Antenna and the creation of Dr. Robert Wilson Park." The Shore Athletic Club is proud to host the The 6th ANNUAL BIG BANG MILE Saturday, July 18, 2026, RAIN or SHINE! Bell Works in Holmdel, NJ NOTE: You *MUST* register by June 15 if you want this year's Big Bang Mile T-shirt. T-shirts from prior years will be available for purchase at the event. *** Possibly the best records-eligible road mile course in the universe! IMPORTANT: To make basic race registration cheaper, the Big Bang Mile T-shirt is now an optional $12 "add-on". To guarantee your T-shirt and size, you *MUST* order it before June 15 . We will have a limited number of T-shirts for those who order them after June 15, but no guarantee on size or even availability. PLEASE NOTE: This race is open to all types of runners and all age groups! Teams for the USATF-NJ 1 Mile 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. USATF-NJ will send out e-mail early next week announcing the race and providing the details for the roster submission process. The Big Bang Mile registration web site is where non-USATF-NJ teams are declared. TENTATIVE EVENT SCHEDULE 7:00 AM - Bib and t-shirt pick up 8:15 AM - Masters Men (ages 60+) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship 8:35 AM - Masters Women (ages 50+) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Women Team Championship 8:55 AM - Masters Men (ages 50-59) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship 9:10 AM - Masters Women (ages 40-49) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Women Team Championship 9:25 AM - Masters Men (ages 40-49) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship 9:40 AM - Coach Mel Ullmeyer High School and Middle School (ages 12-18) Mile (HS & MS teams) # 9:55 AM - Open Women Mile -- includes USATF-NJ Open Women Team Championship 10:10 AM - Open Men Mile -- includes USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship 10:25 AM - Community Run/Walk and U12 Mile (youth teams) ^ 10:50 AM - Fitness Team Mile (office, bar/restaurant, gym/fitness center, family teams) # 11:15 AM - Awards Ceremony The schedule of each heat will be slightly adjusted on event day depending on the entries for each race. ^ For each person entered in the Community and Youth Mile, $3 will be donated to our charity partner, Holmdel Youth Activities Association. # For each team entered in the HS/MS Mile, Youth Mile and the Fitness Mile, $10 will be donated to our charity partner, Holmdel Youth Activities Association. TEAMS Teams for the High School and Middle School Mile, the Community and Youth Mile and the Fitness Team Mile are created via the Big Bang Mile race website. Click on the "More" menu option and then on the appropriate team category. There is no fee for creating a team. The person who creates a team is the team's captain. Only registered runners can be added to a team. Team must have a minimum of 3 contestants. To encourage family teams in the Fitness Team Mile, we allow a contestant to "double dip" by competing for a team in the Family category as well as a team in another Fitness Team Mile category. Teams for the USATF-NJ Long Distance Running Grand Prix are handled through a separate process that is administered by USATF-NJ. AWARDS Open Runner Awards The top 3 USATF-NJ runners in each of the Open Men and Open Women Mile races will be awarded cash: $150 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place and $75 for 3rd place. If the first non-USATF-NJ finisher in the Open Men or Open Women heat places among the top 3 finishers in that heat, that person will receive $100 in cash. 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 6 PM on Friday, July 17. Masters (age 40+) Runner Awards The top 3 USATF-NJ masters men and masters women based on age grading among the 3 Masters Men heats and 2 Masters Women heats, respectively, will be awarded cash: $150 for 1st place, $100 for 2nd place and $75 for 3rd place. If the top age grading masters male or masters female among all non-USATF-NJ finishers in the 3 Masters Men heats or 2 Masters Women heats places among the top 3 age graders for their gender, that person will receive $100 in cash. To score for a USATF-NJ Masters 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 6 PM on Friday, July 17. 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. Bonus 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 at the Awards Ceremony. ANNOUNCING: $200 Cash Bonus for breaking a USATF-certified American 5-year age group record. 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 (up to 8 participants) in the High School Teams and the Middle School Teams categories. *Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day at the Awards Ceremony Community and Youth Mile Awards Awards will be presented to the top team (up to 8 participants) in the Youth Teams category. *Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day at the Awards Ceremony. Fitness Team Mile Awards Awards will be presented to the top team (up to 8 participants) ​ *Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day at the Awards Ceremony. This race is the USATF-NJ 2026 1 Mile Road Championship Race for Open and Masters Men and Open and Masters Women . Flat, fast USATF certified course on closed roads. 2021 Winners: Men - Luciano Fiore (Empire Elite Track Club) - 4:18.61. Women - Courtney Decker (Bellas) - 5:11.49 2022 Winners & Old Course Record Holders: Men - John Walker - 4:13.50. Women - Danielle (Tauro) Barnes - 5:06.44 2023 Winners: Men - Brian Hill (Shore Athletic Club) - 4:20.25. Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08 (record for new course). 2024 Winners: Men - Noah Falasco - 4:20.76. Women - Perry Shoemaker (Potomac Valley Track Club) - 5:24.30. 2025 Winners: Men - Brian Hill (Shore Athletic Club) - 4:14.97 (record for new course). Women - Courtney Decker - 5:11.74. Meet Record Holders: Men (2022) - John Walker - 4:13.50. Women (2023) - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08. REGISTRATION $20 - Early bird discount for all races until March 31. $25 - All races from April 1 to May 31. Price Increase to $30 on June 1! Registration closes Friday, July 17, 2026 No registration on race day No animals or headphones allowed in any heat for safety. Strollers allowed only in the Community race. Custom Big Bang Mile T-shirts may be ordered along with your race registration. Each T-shirt costs $12. T-shirt availability and size is guaranteed *ONLY* if ordered before June 15 !! 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. In fact, Holmdel Township has purchased the 30 acres that surround the antenna and will convert it into Dr. Robert Wilson Park. The Shore Athletic Club, New Jersey's oldest running 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!