A chocolate themed run at Betteshanger!
We love chocolate almost as much as we love cake! We love chocolate things. We're not so keen on the calories, which is why many of us run, so we can indulge and at this running event, you can indulge! Run a lap, eat some chocolate, run a lap, eat some chocolate, you see the theme? And when you finish you'll receive a very special chocolate themed medal (not edible! lol) and a hefty chocolate themed goody bag!
Pre-Event Email can be read here.
So the Chocathon Challenge at the lovely Betteshanger Country Park (Formerly known as Fowlmead Country Park) is the answer for those who share a love of running and eating chocolate!
Run a marathon, run an ultra, run less, as long as you complete one loop you're a finisher!The event will be a six hour timed challenge event. Complete as many loops as you wish within the time limit, consume as much chocolate as wish within the time limit. Run a marathon, run an ultra, run less, as long as you complete one loop you're a finisher! We do warn you though, this may be an event where you consume more calories than you burn off! A marathon distance run may burn off about 2500 calories, so maybe that's a solid pound of chocolate!
It's our aim that this event makes an impactful difference to Betteshanger Country Park in a positive fashion and as such £5 from each entry fee will be donated directly to the nature reserve to aid them in maintaining this lovely environment. This event is a little bit more expensive than most of the ones we do, firstly because of the donation to the Reserve, secondly because the medals cost a fortune and thirdly because we're going to have a ton of chocolate to eat and be given away in the goody bags!
Please explore the race and consider joining us!
Course Information
We're using a one off 3.28 mile route for this weekend as we need to avoid a bit of the leisure path whilst there is a cyclocross event taking place on the Sunday (and being set up on the Saturday)
The route will be a bit flatter than the usual Betteshanger route, not a lot, but a bit and does avoid an up and down and a bit of the usual route which tends to be a bit muddy and 95% of the route is either on tarmac or decent quality bike paths.
The route can also be viewed in detail on the mapmyrun site here.
Course Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I get?
You will receive
1) A really special finishers medal, custom made and designed, not a generic one.
2) A goody bag at the finish, which has goodies in, not a bunch of adverts. There will be nothing healthy in our goody bags, things they contain for example, chocolate, crisps..
3) A well stocked base camp with plenty of nibbles and refreshments for during and post race replenishment, including the legendary Rachel's Rocky Road!
Where is the event?
Betteshanger Country Park , A258, Deal, Kent CT14 0BF (Map). Please click here for our Betteshanger information. - park in the first car park bay immediately before the roundabout within the park.
When do I get my race number?
You'll pick this up on race day morning from the race base camp on race morning.
Are there time limits?
Yes, six hours to run as many laps as you can. You can finish at any time within the 6 hours and your final distance will be recorded along with your finishing time. Only complete laps within the 6 hours will be recorded or you must have left the aid station for your last lap by 5.59:59 after the event start. Any runner completing 26.2 miles or more will have completed marathon distance and will count as a marathon finish for the purposes of the 100 Marathon Club, if you complete over 27 miles then you've completed an ultra. As long as you finish one lap then you'll receive an official finish time, medal and goody bag. With timed events there are no DNFs as long as you complete one lap..
Do you have secure baggage facilities
No. But you're free to leave bags at the start/finish. There will always be someone around but we can't guarantee their security, in the event of rain we can't guarantee things won't get wet. You'll be able to park close to the start/finish don't forget.
Can I leave my own drinks/food at the aid station?
Yes no problem at all, we have a dedicated table for runners own supplies if they have anything special that they'd like to bring along..
Trail shoes? Road Shoes?
Either should be fine. The running surface is very good, if it's wet then maybe err towards trail, if its dry err towards road. The site drains very well being built on shale from the old mine.
Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are using the Betteshanger Country Park which is part of a network of local footpaths, cycle paths and trails and is shared with ramblers, dogwalkers, horseriders and cyclists. However the cyclists do have their own dedicated trails so shouldn't be too much of an issue. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land. Please don't litter, we'll have a bin at the base camp and another on the far side of the course so please deposit any rubbish in these..
What on course facilities do you provide?
Water, squash, nibbles, goodies, starter, timekeeper and encouragement every lap! Base station will be well stocked for all runners. This is a typical example of the picnics, sorry aid station, we have...
Are there any facilities at the start/finish area?
There are toilets, a cafe and a kids playground.
Can I use an ipod or mp3 player on the course?
Yes. Though please be aware that you are running on public footpaths with the general public so make sure that you pay attention to cyclists, people, dogs, horseriders, wildlife and so on.
The entry fee is a little more than normal – why is that?
We are holding this event by kind permission of the Betteshanger Country Park. £5 of every entry fee will be donated to the Park to assist in the maintenance and development of Betteshanger Country Park.
Location Information
Please visit our Betteshanger information page for general parking, directions and local area information about public transport, hotels etc.
General SVN FAQ
