Spring Trail Run Series
Spring Trail Run Series | Series Information
Series Dates 2022
Round 1 – Sunday 6th March – Castleton
Round 2 – Sunday 20th March – Buxton
Round 3 – Sunday 3rd April – Meerbrook
Three fantastic trail running events throughout Spring. Using our tried and tested formula of designing courses in conjunction/liaison with the rangers at The Peak District National Park in some of the most spectacular and scenic areas of the Peaks we will hopefully introduce you to some new tracks, trails and places which you didn’t even know existed! Wherever possible we will aim for the courses to be 100% off road in quiet countryside away from main roads, traffic, crowds, congestion, noise etc – all we want you to see and hear is nature at it’s very best.
The venues and courses marked with an asterisk * are provisional and will remain so until all the appropriate permissions have been obtained.
Please find all the relevant event information below, and please do not hesitate to get in contact with us if you have any queries. Final details will be sent out via email to all competitors in the week prior to each event which will include additional event details not found below.
Entry Fees
Single Round Entry
Long (14-17 km): £16 £14*
Short (5-8 km): £12 £10*
*Affiliate £2 discount per event – for competitors who are either; a member of a UKA affiliated club (with a valid UKA Number) or the Trail Run Association (TRA Number).
No on the day entry. Late entry is subject to availability and costs an additional £3
Age Classes
M: male 17 to 39
MV40: male 40 to 49
MV50: male 50 to 59
MV60: male 60+
F: female 17 to 39
FV40: female 40 to 49
FV50: female 50 to 59
FV60: female 60+
Age Limits
Solo runners minimum age is 17. Younger runners under 17 may enter so long as they are accompanied throughout the event by a parent/guardian who must be age 20+ – **contact us prior to entering for more details**.
Safety Disclaimer
All participants must complete and sign our event safety disclaimer, you can either do it online or print and bring a filled out form to registration. Links to both versions of the form will be supplied with the final information and on the website in the lead up to the event (approximately 1 week before each event).
Failure to either bring a signed form to the event or submit the electronic form will result in a non-start.
COVID-19 Self Assessment (formally COVID-19 Health Declaration)
All participants are requested to perform a self assessment for COVID on the morning of the event and agree to follow the Government and Public Health advice to stay at home if they have COVID symptoms or test positive for COVID.
If a participant lives in the same household as, or has had close contact with, someone who has COVID-19, we request they follow the government advice on what to do.
Government Guidance (including the Public Health advice): COVID-19: people with COVID-19 and their contacts
As part of the compulsory safety disclaimer participants will have to agree to the following:
I agree to perform a self assessment for COVID-19 on the morning of the event and I will follow all the Government and Public Health advice surrounding COVID-19.
I agree that if I am travelling from outside England I will follow the current COVID-19 guidelines of the respective country.
I have read the COVID-19 Health Assessment and agree to the risks associated with participating.
COVID-19 Symptoms
A HIGH TEMPERATURE – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
A NEW, CONTINUOUS COUGH – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
A LOSS OR CHANGE TO YOUR SENSE OF SMELL OR TASTE – this means you’ve noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
The symptoms extract has been copied from the NHS website, view https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/ for further information.
The Courses
Each event will have clearly marked/arrowed long (14-17 km) and short (5-8 km) courses. The running terrain will be predominantly smooth tracks, paths & trails but you should expect the occasional rough section plus there may be short sections on connecting quiet country lanes. Each course will have some climb but these are not fell running events so the idea is that any hills are runnable/manageable rather than impossibly steep! All the routes are easy to follow.
Route Maps
A full colour route map with emergency numbers on the reverse will be provided at registration. You can view the provisional OS route maps for each round (once released) on the series home page. A4 transparent plastic bags are available as map protection but in an effort to cut usage of these for, environmental purposes, please don’t take one unless you really feel you need to.
Event Venues
Exact venues/locations for each round are as detailed on the series home page – on the day of the event look out for Dark & White yellow/black directional road signs. If in doubt as to the event location, please contact us BEFORE the day of the event. NB: SOME OF THE CAR PARKING MAY BE PAY & DISPLAY.
Car sharing – wherever possible please car share to events – this is not only considerate to the environment but it also minimises potential congestion/parking problems in and around the start venues
Registration
Long Registration
Open from 7.30 – 9.15 am
Short Registration
Open from 8.45 – 9.25 am
In order to make sure there is steady stream of participants through registration please do not turn up more than 1 hour before your designated start time. The only exception being those with an early start time 8:30/8:40 who may enter registration more than 1 hour before. That way the queue will be minimised and it will be easier to minimise indoor congregating.
Please ensure you plan your journey to the event so you can register and start on time.
PLEASE SANITISE HANDS
Please maintain good hygiene by sanitising your hands before entering the registration building. Sanitiser will be available.
WEAR A FACE MASK
For the safety of everyone involved at the event we would please ask you to wear a face mask anytime you are inside an event building.
SOCIAL DISTANCING
Please maintain a 1 m gap between other participants when inside any event building.
NO DISCLAIMER = NO RACE
All participants must bring their signed safety disclaimer form to the event or have filled the online version of the form by 9pm on Saturday before the event – this will be emailed out to all entrants shortly before the event. There will be none available at registration.
At registration please place it in the designated box when collecting number and timing chip.
SELF STRAP TIMING CHIPS
This will help minimise contact between event staff and participants.
NO CONGREGATING
After registering participants please leave the building immediately to reduce indoor congregation.
Registration Process
At the registration event staff will provide you the following in a sealed plastic bag:
- EVENT MAP
- RACE NUMBER AND SAFETY PINS
- SPORTident TIMING CHIP – you will be required to self-strap your Si Timing Cards (dibber) to your wrist and wear it for the duration of the event. A member of staff will be available for assistance if required but participants are urged to do it themselves.
Participants will be required to use their SPORTident timing chip at the START, CHECKPOINT, FINISH and DOWNLOAD. Details of how to do this will be explained in the EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO (released a week before the event).
*The SiTiming Chip is being loaned to you for the day, take care of it, if you lose it you will be charged £30 for a replacement.
****The Golden Rule – if you are unable to complete your course you MUST let the organisers know either in person or telephone that you have retired. If you do not, you will be held responsible if the police or mountain rescue team is called out to search for you. A central telephone number will be provided on all event route maps.
Rolling Start Windows
Start – choose your start window when entering
Long: 8:30am – 9:30am
start windows every 10 minutes
Short: 9:35 – 9:45
start windows every 10 minutes
Course will close at 1.00pm.
To help prevent congregation at the start we will implement rolling starts rather than having a series of group starts every 10 minutes as we did before Covid.
You will now be able to start anytime you wish within 10 minutes from your prescribed start time i.e. a participant with an 8:30 start time can start anytime from 8:30 up until 8:40
NO START LINE BRIEFING
Instead there will be a compulsory EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO that all participants must watch before attending the event.
ARRIVE AT THE START READY TO RACE
Participants must arrive at the start line at their allotted time and must turn up ready to go, with all the compulsory equipment.
SELF DIB TO START
The START SPORTident timing box will be fixed to a stake/table/chair at the start and it will be up to participants to dib their timing chip into the timing box. How to do this will be explained in the EVENT SAFETY BRIEFING VIDEO.
Event Safety Briefing
Rather than having a start line briefing we will now record a video briefing that will be available to watch online before each round. A transcript of the briefing will be available to read.
Last minute updates if required will be provided to the participants at the start line.
You will not be allowed to start without having watched/read the briefing!
Compulsory Kit List
You are required to carry the following for the duration of the event to ensure you have adequate clothing in case of emergency.
- Off Road Running shoes that in the organiser’s opinion are fully suitable for the type of off-road terrain to be encountered (NB road shoes are not suitable!).
- Waterproof jacket (the jacket must be waterproof i.e. not just windproof/showerproof)*
- Windproof leg cover*
- Other waterproof & warm body cover appropriate for the prevailing weather conditions.*
- Hat & Gloves*
- Mobile phone.
- Money (in case you get stranded somewhere!)
You should also carry sufficient food/drink to sustain you for the duration of the event – you should not totally rely on the feed station (long route only) for this purpose.
In the event of hot, sunny weather then the above kit requirements will obviously be relaxed and sunscreen, an appropriate hat and body cover will be very strongly recommended.
Basically be sensible and come prepared and don’t skimp on equipment! Wearing skimpy shorts and a thin running vest on a cold, wet day whilst carrying no extra kit is an absolute guarantee that you won’t be allowed to start.
Event officials will disqualify anyone who in their opinion does not meet the above compulsory equipment criteria.
*These items may be relaxed on the day depending on the weather conditions, however the final kit list wont be disclosed until the morning of the event so please bring all of the above to the event. Please check the updated kit list board at registration or ask an event staff member if you are unsure.
Whilst on Course
Whilst out on course we recommend you to follow the Covid safety advise below.
SOCIALLY DISTANCE
Maintain social distancing. Please be extra cautious around members of the general public and maintain a 2m distance.
KEEP A GAP BETWEEN PARTICIPANTS
We recommend at least a 4m gap.
OVERTAKE ONLY WHEN SPACE
Please avoid overtaking when the trail is narrow, instead wait for the trail to widen.
USE SANITISER AFTER CONTACT POINTS
We recommend you use hand sanitise after any contact points (gates, stiles etc).
Feed Station Long Route Only
There will be a feed station approximately half way on the long route. It will include basic supplies of water, juice, OTE Anytime Bars and OTE Gels.
We strongly advice that participants are self sufficient for water and food for the duration for the event. This will help reduce contact and congregation at the feed station.
Please be prepared to have to wait at the feed station. Please sanitise hands before touching anything and try and maintain social distancing.
Participants will only be allowed to fill up their own water bottles and collapsable cups – no plastic cups will be provided.
WE URGE ALL PARTICIPANTS TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT.
Timing Awards
There will be Gold, Silver and Bronze time awards on each course (NB separate times for men and women) and these times will be shown 1 month before each event on the series homepage. Certificates will be given at the finish.
Finish
At the finish line there will be FINISH SPORTident timing box that all participants must stop and self dib into. If you don’t stop and dib you won’t be classified as a finisher.
After finishing participants we recommend you sanitise their hands and then immediately return back to download (at registration).
We urge participants not to congregate at the finish. Please respect the finish marshal’s and other participants by maintaining social distancing.
COURSES CLOSE AT 1:00 pm
Download
All participants must return to the event registration building to download their time, hand back their SPORTident timing chip and collect their certificate.
On entering the building all participants we ask you to wear a face mask.
When you reach the download table you must:
SANITISE DIBBER
Sanitise dibber with the supplied paper towels and sanitiser.
SELF DIB
Self dib into the download SPORTident box.
REMOVE DIBBER
Remove the dibber using the provided safety scissors and place the dibber into the ‘dibber return’ plastic box and the used strap into the bin.
COLLECT CERTIFICATE AND RESULT PRINT OUT
You will be provided with your timing award certificate and result print out.
LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
Once you have downloaded we ask you to leave the venue as soon as possible. This will help reduced the number of people congregating indoors.
Take Away Post Event Refreshments
At download we will provide take away refreshments which will include Tea, Coffee, Juice, Cake and Biscuits. These will be take away only and you will not be allowed to stay inside the registration building to eat and drink. This will minimise the amount of indoor congregating helping to protect event staff and fellow participants.
Results
Full results will be published on this website shortly after each round. Provisional results will be displayed on the day outside the venue.
Series Prizes
Prizes will be awarded to series class winners and runners up on each course after the final event is completed. NB: classes may be merged if entries are low. Prizes will be posted or handed out after the last event once the results are declared final. Class placings and prizes will be awarded based on three of the four events being completed on a specific course (but not as a combination of more than one course).
No Dogs
We are sorry but dogs are not allowed on any of our trail running events in order to comply with UK Athletics Insurance Policy
Peak District National Park – £2 Donation
We are allowing you to show your support for the ongoing protection and care of the fabulous Peak District National Park by allowing you to add an optional £2 donation to your entry fee. This money will be donated on your behalf by Dark & White Events to the Peak District National Park Authority. To find out how your money will be used visit www.peakdistrict.gov.uk/donate