Schedule of Events
Saturday
0715 - Registration opens. (if you are taking part in one of the timed challenges can you please plan on arriving no earlier than an hour beforehand)
0800 - 100 Mile Start
0800 - 24 Hour Start
1000 - 6 Hour Challenge Start (we'll set runners off individually so this isn't a hard start time, if you wish to start a bit earlier or later it's no problem, just not 0810 please!)
1700 + Pacer Challenge Starts (though you can start later if you wish to sync with your runner)
1700 - Road Access IN to Samphire Hoe ends (you can drive OUT at any time and walk in or out at anytime)
Sunday
0700 - Road Access In to Samphire Hoe resumes
0700 - Last cut off to drop down to the 24 hour event for 100 Mile runners, if you leave the aid station on another lap after this time you'll be deemed to be continuing in the 100 mile run. (i.e. 24 hours exactly after you started)
1500 - Absolute cut off for all events. (i.e. 32 hours exactly after you started)
Sunset: 17:32 - Sunrise: 6:45
Timings - End of Summer Time
Please note that the clocks go back an hour at 0200 on Sunday morning. The times here reflect that, so the final cut offs appear to be an hour short, but you'll be reliving the 0200 hour twice in the night!
Location
Samphire Hoe, A20 Folkestone to Dover road, CT17 9FL (Map)
There are driving directions and more information about the location on the Samphire Hoe page here.
Parking
If you're coming along for the 6 hour or pacer challenges (or have a big vehicle) then please park in the red "wasteland" parking if you're in for the 100 miler or 24 hour events then please park in the "cliff" car park (just above the word Base in the image below and very obvious at ground level!) the route will pass through this car park so you can use your cars as giant drop bags.
There is a charge of £2 per day for parking. The is a machine near to the cafe and opposite the main structure. For entrants to the 24 hour or 100 mile event we'll have printed parking permits available for £5 to cover the entire duration of your stay, cash only and these must be displayed in the windscreen of your car. 100% of this is donated to the Samphire Hoe Nature Reserve.
If you really want to get in to Samphire Hoe overnight then it's only closed to vehicles, you can walk in or out. In which case park in St Davids Avenue or Old Folkestone Road in Aycliffe and cross over the footbridge and then down the path in to Samphire Hoe.
Course -
As of the time of writing we don't know if the sea wall will be open or not - the forecast is borderline, just to add to the fun, we likely will only find out about 0700 on Saturday morning!
Option A if the sea wall is open.
5 x 8.87 Mile Loop - 44.35 Miles
The lap is an out and back around Samphire Hoe, then through the wasteland area, up through the tunnel and then an out and back along a brand new upgraded cycle path along the top of the cliffs (it's mostly nowhere near the edge, only getting fairly near by the sound mirror (there is a fence)) and then straight back to base camp.
You cannot go out on another 8.87 mile loop after 17:00 after that time you must remain on the 3.71 mile loop.
You can view the route on MapMyRun here
15 x 3.71 Mile Loop - 55.65 Miles
The course runs around the Samphire Hoe nature reserve and then along the sea wall in 3.71 mile loop and out and backs. The trail is very high quality, there is one little hill near the sea wall and another not too far from the start of each loop. The sea wall is concrete and flat.
You can view the route on MapMyRun here
100 Mile Distance
The 100 mile distance is 5 x 8.87 miles = 15 x 3.71 miles loops = 100.0 miles.
The total elevation gain is about 100' per 3.71 mile loop, 825' per 8.87 mile loop about 5600' for the 100 miles.
Option B if the sea wall is closed.
7 x 6.55 Mile Loop - 45.85 Miles
The lap is an out and back around Samphire Hoe, then through the wasteland area, up through the tunnel and then an out and back along a brand new upgraded cycle path along the top of the cliffs (it's mostly nowhere near the edge, only getting fairly near by the sound mirror (there is a fence)) and then straight back to base camp.
You cannot go out on another 6.55 mile loop after 17:00 after that time you must remain on the 3.28 mile loop.
You can view the route on MapMyRun here
16 x 3.28 Mile Loop - 52.48 Miles
The course runs through the Samphire Hoe nature reserve and then in to the "wasteland area" in an out and back of 3.28 miles and backs. The trail is very high quality, but there is some clag in the wasteland to watch over, specifically a few trip hazards to watch out for.
The last 1.64 mile make up loop is simply the "out bit" of the loop, you don't turn around at the final cone - you just head to base camp.
You can view the route on MapMyRun here
100 Mile Distance
The 100 mile distance is 7 x 6.55 miles + 16 x 3.28 miles loops +1 x 1.64 "half loop" = 100.0 miles.
The total elevation gain is about 100' per 3.28 mile loop, 825' per 6.55 mile loop about 5600' for the 100 miles.
6 Hour Challenge
For the 6 hour challenge you'll be doing either of the longer loop options of 8.87 or 6.55 miles.
Pacer Challenge
For the pacer challenge you'll be doing the shorter loop options of 3.28 mile or 3.71 miles.
Bad Weather
The forecast is borderline bad, (for those who were at the 2020 event, nowhere near as bad!) - but may be sufficient for the sea wall to be closed at times or for the whole duration. If it's looking likely that the sea wall will be closed at various points we'll switch to the back up route for the whole event rather than swapping back and forth. Changing courses at 0200 will likely to be very confusing for everyone involved!
Lap Counting
At registration you'll be given a card to be clipped, attach this to yourself (not on your shoes!) and we'll give this a clip each lap - when you switch from the upper to the lower loops we'll change cards.
Cupless
SVN have gone cupless so please bring along your reusable cups / bottles / mugs. For the first Samphire 100 we had an incredible 33 sacks of rubbish. We want this event to have about 2 maximum!
Race Rules
1) Numbers must always be visible.
2) Absolutely no littering. We're on a nature reserve and there is no excuse for litter dropping. Anyone seen deliberately dropping litter will be disqualified.
3) Runners are responsible for the actions of their crews.
4) The course is mostly out and back, please run on the left of the path as to avoid the need to dodge runners coming in the opposite direction.
5) At the end of any lap a runner may "ring out", this signifies that they are dropping out of the race and their time and distance will be recorded from that point.
Dropping down events.
For those in the 100 mile run and if things aren't going as planned you have a number of options.
1) Before 0700 Sunday morning you can drop down to the 24 hour event, get a finishers medal, a 24 hour challenge finish, goody bag.
2) If you are in the 100 mile run and wish to withdraw over 50 miles (the 5 x 8.87 loops + 2 x 3.71 loops is 51 miles) you can claim a Kent 50 medal as that is nice and has "50 Miles" on it, (These will be on a first come first served basis as we don't have many of these)
3) There are actually 3 events in total and what you can do is drop down to any of the timed challenges, some people for example have already dropped down to the 6 hour challenge and pacer challenge. If you decide to do this there are two important factors
i) You MUST TELL US IN ADVANCE - so you can't at 0300 Sunday with 60 miles on your feet decide to call it a day and say you did a 6 hour challenge and a pacer challenge with 30 miles in each. You're in the 24 hour event with a single 60 mile finish.
ii) The time periods cannot overlap. So you can't knock out a 4.5 hour 30 mile run and then immediately start the pacer Challenge. You can only start the second event 6/24 hours after your time from the preceding event has run out, in the above example 6 hours after the start of the first six hour challenge.
There is no dropping down from the timed challenges, once you've rung out then that event is concluded.
Marathon/50k Distance - For Pacer Challenge Only
7 Laps is 25.97 miles which is cruelly close to a marathon but not quite and we do appreciate that some folk coming along for the timed challenges won't necessarily want to do a 29.68 mile ultra. So if you "just" want to do a marathon after 7 laps pick up a flag and go out on a short lap, this short lap is out as normal but turning right after the "zig zag" section. You'll be credited with a 26.5 mile marathon finish in the results. This will not be signed on the course to avoid the risk of confusion and this short lap option obviously only available after 7 laps, likewise 50k is exactly 8 Laps plus 3 x mini loops so if you want to do that then we'll allow that as an option too to get to 31.1 miles..
Awards
All runners completing the 100 mile run within the 32-hour time limit will be awarded a custom designed belt buckle, medal and a finisher’s shirt.
Entrants in the 6, pacer or 24 hour event, no matter the distance covered will receive a finishers medal.
If you complete the 100 mile event and wish to purchase an additional finishers shirt then these will be (subject to availability) £25.
Some folk who entered late have been advised about the non-guarantee of the shirt size, if we're unable to give you one on the day then these will be ordered and delivered as soon as possible after the event, probably around 6 weeks.
Toilets
We'll have several portable toilets in the rear car park a couple of steps off the running line and there are also toilets behind the cafe.
Medical
Each runner is responsible or their own actions. It is crucial that you are physically and mentally prepared for the stresses of the race. We will have on site medics from around 1900 on the Saturday till the conclusion of the event. In addition we will have the usual first aid supplies to hand in case of issues.
It is important for the runner to recognize the potential physical and mental stresses that may evolve from participation in this race.
These include, but are not limited to, extreme temperatures of heat and cold, hypothermia, dehydration, heat stroke, renal failures, seizures, hypoglycaemia, disorientation and total mental and physical exhaustion. Each participant must continuously monitor his/herself and understand their limitations. Remember that you are responsible for your own well-being during this race.
Please note that we will not issue pain killers and whilst we'll hand out plasters to help with blisters etc runners are responsible for the supply and application of such things as tape, blister shields, vaseline etc.
Medics
We're going to have professional medics on site from 1900 on the Saturday night till the finish.
For minor issues that you wish attended to, we'll get the medic to come to see you outside.
For major issue that you wish attended to, you'll be able to use the insides. This however is for EMERGENCY - SERIOUS - ACTUAL REAL WORLD medical issues. IF YOU ARE TREATED INDOORS - ITS A DNF. NO EXCEPTIONS. NO MIRACULOUS RECOVERIES. IF YOU GO INSIDE, YOU'RE DONE.
Also you'll be required to wear a face covering if you go inside to be treated.
Exposure
Please be aware that there is 2% cover on this route (i.e the tunnel up through the cliff). We'd suggest both covering up and the application of sun block. There is almost always a breeze being just a few feet from the sea so this can make people believe that the sun is less of a risk than it is.
No matter the actual temperature and wind, at night it's going to be colder than you think it will be... the night is long, you will get cold.
Pacers
All pacers are required to register for the 6, Pacer or 24 hour challenges, in return they will receive a finishers medal, a goody bag and a result.
Crewing
This event will be set up so that having a crew won't be necessary however if runners wish to have a crew/supporters then of course they can. However crew/supporters aren't allowed to hang out in the aid station/base camp area simply as there won't be the space. This is for runners and race event people only. Crewing will only be allowed in the green zone.
1. Runners are responsible for the actions of their crew and pacer.
2. Crews are not allowed in the aid station/base camp area
3. No Littering. All litter must be taken away with you. We operate on a leave no trace basis and we expect any crews to follow this concept.
4. All animals must be leashed at all times. If at all possible do not bring them to the site.
5. No naked flames are allowed on site by crew or runners.
6. No structures are allowed at Samphire Hoe as its a designated SSI. So that means no tents, gazebos, pop up shelters or the like.
Aid Station
Due to the whole Covid-19 situation we're not going to be able to have quite the usual aid station. We will however have...
1) Individually wrapped bars of things, like Penguins/Twix/Breakaway etc...
2) Bags of crisps.
3) From 1700 we'll have hot water available. We'll have tea, coffee, soup & porridge. Remember we are cup free... so bring a mug/bottle/drinks container of some description.
4) From 1700 we'll have sandwiches available, to order. i.e. put in your order and they'll be available to pick up next lap. We'll have ham, cheese or nutella. These then will be left for you to pick up next time you are around.
Everything is going to be outside, or at least under the inside/out part there so there is very limited space, so grab your stuff and go.... eat and walk, eat and walk.
Drop Bags
We're not going to be able to make use of the indoor space to any degree due to the Covid-19 requirements. If you can we 100% suggest that you use your vehicle as a giant drop bag. If you don't have use of a vehicle then we'll cordon off a little bit of the coach parking area for bags or later on under the eaves of the building. Assume it will rain! Bin bags etc to keep stuff dry is a splendid idea if you don't have weatherproof bags.
Sleeping
There will be no facilities to sleep in the base camp area either during or after the event.
Camping
Camping is not allowed at Samphire Hoe, we've had several requests about setting up of tents or gazebos. Unfortunately as the location is one of designated Special Scientific Interest this is not allowed.
