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Weekend Overview

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Here is a quick summary of our weekend. I hope you are as excited as we are.

Welcome to Hilton Head Island

Other than experiencing the island’s obvious beauty, one of the really cool things about doing Pledge the Pink on Hilton Head is we give you lots of free time to explore (and boy, is there a lot to do)!

We have hundreds of restaurants, a gazillion retail shops, dozens of spas, and an endless array of activities and attractions (did someone say sunset dolphin cruise?). Climb the famous candy-striped lighthouse, get a pedi, go zip-lining, and/or try to beat your fellow FlockStars at the go-cart track. Or just crash on the beach.

No matter how you spend your free time, we know Hilton Head will make you smile, gawk, ooh and ahh, scream with excitement, and unwind the entire weekend. Here are some recommendations, tips, and insider-information (including where to eat!) we’d like to share with you now. We will continue to add information to this section over the next several months.

Learn More Tips, Tables, and Things to Do on Hilton Head

Weekend Overview

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We will gather to celebrate after each day’s race. These after-parties are very casual (smelly race attire). The awesome food is included for all our registrants. Family, friends, fans, and supporters are all welcome to join the festivities for $12 per person. Please purchase extra lunch tickets here to ensure that we have enough for everyone. Cash bars will be pouring at all the parties as well. Operative word there is “cash”… it makes the drinks pour faster!

We will have beer & wine available in Shelter Cove Park on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (yay, we raise more money for the girls)! If you want a liquor drink, you can cross the street and ask them to make you one in a “to go” cup and then you can come back into the park to join the festivities. Please note that we will be checking IDs and issuing nonrefundable drink tickets (but they are good Thrs, Fri (including Bingo), and Sat. We will accept cash (please) or credit card. Do not bring coolers to the park, they are prohibited and can get us in big time trouble. xo

On Sunday, the Omni will have several bars set up at our after party and they’ll be fully stocked with beer, wine, and liquor. They also accept cash and credit cards.

We will have bag drops available daily! Stuff your bag with keys, a clean shirt, some flops, and your favorite koozy. Leave it with us at the start line each day and you can pick it up when you cross the finish line!

We start on time so do not be late. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before start so you can hear that day’s announcements and updates. Survivors will line up in the front, followed by the runners, and then walkers behind them. We will allow the survivors to start first and then officially start the clock approximately 90 seconds later, so there is controlled chaos as the runners overtake the survivors. Please be safe and courteous as you pass.

Our courses will remain open and manned for four hours. After that, we are required to break everything down and be off the roads, pathways, and beaches. If you don’t think you can complete the 10 miles within 4 hours, please utilize the shortcuts.

Remember, we do not have any vehicles or manpower to “sweep” you unless it is a medical emergency (and you should call 911).

We have most everything you need along the courses but most people do stuff their pockets or stash some goodies in their fanny packs. We encourage everyone to carry the following items, depending on how long you anticipate being on the course: sunscreen, bug spray/wipes, bandaids, gel pads, glide, cash, drivers license, phone/camera.

Bandaids, bug spray, sunscreen… we’ve got it.. But you might want to lather up and throw a bandaid in your pocket just in case! Listen to your body. If you feel dizzy, weak, nauseous, overheated, or exhausted- tell the people around you and then sit your butt down in the shade. Notify the closest volunteer so we can have EMS come check you out- they will be on site every day. Call 911 for life threatening emergencies.

We have a wee obsession with flamingos. Not only because they are fun, but because in our world, they represent a life-saving donation. Here’s a link to the history behind our flamingo obsession. And here’s a link to explain how Flocks of Love works.

NEW THIS YEAR! We are so excited to offer these tribute signs and we anticipate them being a tradition moving forward. More info on the signs can be found here. And, just as a reminder, if you purchase a sign or if someone buys one for you, you may take it home with you on Sunday. Talk about a great keepsake! ALL DESIGNS TO BE IN BY 9/30

If you would like to receive the fundraising prize packages, please make sure you check the YES box in your dashboard. If you would rather NOT get the incentive prizes, please make sure you check the NO button. If you checked yes and you qualify for prizes (starting at $300 raised), your prize bags will be waiting for you at the FlockYard at Packet Pickup. Please note we will only give them to you- not friends or team members – only you. Your Thursday registration bib (new this year) will have a tear strip to present at the Flockyard for prize pickup. If we don’t see you Thursday, you can pick up your prizes after the race on Friday or Saturday. Fundraising totals will be calculated at midnight Oct 1, and prize bags will be made based on those totals. If you bring us additional donations at the event, and/or “Facebook proof of contributions”, we will add those to your totals and do our best to include additional prizes you might have earned.

The bicycle is the official vehicle on the island, as golf carts are not allowed in the resorts or on the roads or pathways. We strongly encourage FlockStars to rent bikes and cycle to/from the start lines (there are tons of bike racks everywhere).

If that isn’t workable for you then please make sure you carpool because there simply aren’t enough parking spots at our venues to accommodate all the cars. We request you pick up fellow FlockStars or ride with other new friends so there are a minimum of 4 people in the car when you arrive at the start lines. The island also has Ubers and taxis available; we encourage you to book these services a day or so in advance to ensure a ride.

Likewise, if you are flying into either Hilton Head (HHH) or Savannah (SAV) airport, you can easily catch a taxi or Uber to your accommodations (appx $13 from HHH or $70 from SAV). You can also coordinate with other FlockStars so y’all can save money and carpool (either via rental car or Uber/taxi) to your accommodation. We have a rideshare board that will help you connect with folks.

As is tradition with our flock, every year we create an honor board for all our registrants to sign. This is not only a tribute to the people you walk/run for, but it is a living tribute to all of you. Make your mark and be part of history. The Board will be at Thursday’s party and at the Merchandise tables every day over the weekend.
New this year: we are making hometown mileage arrow signs (at Packet Pickup and Friday Afterparty only) which will later be attached to poles and displayed on the beach Sunday morning. We will have supplies available on Thurs and Fri for y’all to make your masterpieces!

Enjoy a complimentary rubdown at the finish lines so you’ll be ready to do it again the next day! These same therapists are also accepting bookings for evening appointments. Book yours today! In addition to our masseurs, we’re also super excited to have staff from Stretch Zone at the finish lines so the lines will be short and you’ll feel like Gumby

We have super cool Pledge the Pink merchandise and these babies are gonna go quick, so head over to our merchandise tent as soon as you arrive [or, even better, go to our store right now (summertime) and buy online while the store is open and we still have inventory available]!
We can’t stress this enough: parking is incredibly limited at Shelter Cove, Chaplin Park, and at the Omni. Please carpool, ride your bike, or carpool. Otherwise you’ll have to park at overflow locations and walk up to a mile. Thanks for understanding.

Professional photographers will be capturing our festivities all weekend long. We are talking thousands of top notch, high resolution Kodak moments! These photos will be available online within a few weeks. We’ll send everyone an email with a link and you can relive the magic forever.

It should go without saying, but in order to participate in the three walk/runs you must be a paid registrant and wear your designated race bib. All our bibs are customized with your name and personalized race details. Each race day has a designated bib and you must be wearing the appropriate bib in order to participate on that day. If you can’t make it to Thursday’s Packet Pickup Party, you can pick-up your packet and race bib before each race at the start line.
We are doing a big 50-50 raffle this year and will be selling $20 tickets starting Sept 1! Not only will you be entered to win half the pot, but for every ticket you purchase online, you’ll get an entry into our special “on-line raffle” to win FREE registration to our 2022 event!

We have designated short cuts for those of you not able to do all 10 miles. Please note: we do NOT have the manpower to pick you up whenever and wherever you feel like quitting (unless you require medical attention, of course). If you don’t think you can complete the course within four hours, please take advantage of the short cuts.

  • Friday at the Port Royal Beach House you’ll take a shortcut to the beach and head to the finish line; this abbreviated course is 7.5 miles.
  • On Saturday you’ll turn around at the first pitstop (MM 3.3), and take a more direct route back to the finish line at Shelter Cove; this is approximately 6 miles.
  • Sunday’s shortcut is 5 miles on the beach: you’ll simply walk down to the rocks where volunteers will direct you to turn around and come back to the Omni finish line.
Our courses are officially open for four hours, so take your time (and take lots of pictures)
  • FRIDAY – 8am at Chaplin Park (11 Castnet Drive)
  • SAT – 8am at Shelter Cove Community Park (39 Shelter Cove Lane)
  • SUN – 7:15 am on the beach in front of the Omni’s Shore House (23 Ocean Lane)
Our races start on time and everyone must be lined up for announcements at least 10 minutes before the official start times. We start taking the start line down immediately afterward, and we relocate all our resources, so please do not arrive late and assume that you can start whenever you want. We do not have manpower to drive you to a further point along the course, nor do we have the resources to keep volunteers and supplies on the course because you arrive 10 minutes late. Thank you for understanding.
We’ve created the courses and set the start times to take advantage of an out-going tide every morning, so yall will have plenty of room to walk, waddle, run, shell hunt, and take tons of selfies.
We have plenty of pit stop stations along the route each day with water, sports drink, snacks, and toilets. Feel free to bring your own water bottle and refill at these stations. Review the course maps so you are familiar with the distances in between stations: roughly every 2.5 to 3 miles.
If it is pouring rain, we walk. If it is snowing, we walk. If it is hot, we walk. If it is cold, we walk. If the sky is full of cicadas, we walk. We might have to delay a moment if there’s lightning in the area but bottom line yall, the show goes on!
There is free WIFI at all town parks, so you’ll have plenty of service while we’re at Chaplin & Shelter Cove parks. The Omni is also giving us access to their network!
Survivors are asked to visit the MUSC tent at Packet Pickup to receive a special Survivor Swag Bag. Your Thursday bib will have a “Survivor” tear strip to present to the volunteers.