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

***

Possibly the best records-eligible road mile course in the universe!

First 300 to register get a t-shirt! 

PLEASE NOTE: This race is open to all types of runners and all age groups! Teams for the USATF-NJ 1 Mile  Masters 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 - Community Run/Walk and U12 Mile ^
8:40 AM - Masters Men (ages 60+) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship
9:00 AM - Masters Women (ages 50+) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Women Team Championship
9:20 AM - Masters Men (ages 50-59) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship
9:35 AM - Masters Women (ages 40-49) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Women Team Championship
9:50 AM - Masters Men (ages 40-49) Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship
10:05 AM - High School and Middle School (ages 12-18) Mile #
10:20 AM - Fitness Team Mile (office, bar, gym, restaurant, family teams) #
10:40 AM - Open Women Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Women Team Championship
10:55 AM - Open Men Mile -- part of USATF-NJ Masters Men Team Championship
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, __________________.
  # For each team entered in the HS/MS Mile and the Fitness Mile, $10 will be donated to our charity partner, _______________________.

TEAMS

Teams for the High School and Middle School Mile and for 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 Paul Miller Auto Group Long Distance Running Grand Prix are handled through a separate process that is administered by USATF-NJ.

AWARDS

Open Runners Awards
    Top 3 runners in each of the Open Men and Open Women Mile races will be awarded cash.

* 1st place: $100 cash + a $200 Bombas gift code + a free VO2MAX test by Atlantic Physical Therapy
* 2nd place: $100
* 3rd place: $75

Open awardees need not be members of USATF-NJ.

Masters (age 40+) Runners Awards
  Top 3 USATF-NJ 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 Hylo running shoes.

Any non-USATF-NJ man or woman who achieves the top age grading for their gender among Masters heat participants will receive $100 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 6PM on Friday, July 18.  

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.
 

ANNOUNCING:  $200 Cash Bonus for breaking a USATF-certified American 5-year age group record.

Coach Tim McLoone 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 6 participants) in the High School and in the Middle School Mile.
  *Awards are custom designed medals and will be given out on race day during the Awards ceremony.
 
FitnessTeam 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 during the Awards ceremony.

This race is the USATF-NJ 2024 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 & New Course Record Holders: Men - Brian Hill (Shore Athletic Club) - 4:20.25. Women - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08.

2024 Winners: Men - Noah Falasco - 4:20.76. Women - Perry Shoemaker (Potomac Valley Track Club) - 5:24.30.

Meet Record Holders: Men (2022) - John Walker - 4:13.50. Women (2023) - Clara Peterson - 5:02.08.

REGISTRATION

$30 - Early bird discount for all races until March 31.

$35 - All races from April 1 to May 31. Price Increase to $40 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.

First 300 registered runners will receive a custom shirt with the Big Bang Mile event logo.

 

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!

Nobel Prize winners Dr. Arno Penzias and Dr. Robert Wilson of Bell Laboratories discovered the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) in 1964 using the Holmdel Horn Antenna.  The CMBR is key evidence for the Big Bang cosmic theory.

The Holmdel Horn Antenna sits atop Crawford Hill about 3 miles away from Bell Works.  It is a National Historic Landmark.  On January 23, 2024, Holmdel Township purchased the 30 acres that surround the structure and named the parcel Dr. Robert Wilson Park.

Holmdel Township is soliciting suggestions for how to develop the park.  Suggestions may be e-mailed to Wilson-Park@holmdeltownship.com.

Masters Men (ages 60+) Mile: T-Shirt

Masters Women (ages 50+) Mile: T-Shirt

Masters Men (ages 50-59) Mile: T-Shirt

Community Run/Walk and Youth (U12) Mile: T-Shirt

Masters Men (ages 40-49) Mile: T-Shirt

High School and Middle School Mile: T-Shirt

Fitness Team Mile (Office, Bar, Restaurant, Gym, Fitness Center & Family Teams): T-Shirt

Open Women Mile: T-Shirt

Open Men Mile: T-Shirt

Masters Women (ages 40-49) Mile: T-Shirt