The New Years Day Marathon at Dymchurch
We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard. We love to bring you very straightforward, very friendly, flat, mud free, navigation free, trouble free marathons and we have one at the lovely seaside town of Dymchurch. Their newly reinforced sea wall is wide, flat, offers a lot of views of the sea, Martello Towers and a seaside town in winter, which if we're honest, isn't that exciting, but they are well known for excellent fish and chip shops, which will probably be closed. This route runs past the town, on the sea wall, along the coastal path and past several old coastal defence Martello Towers. It's pretty grey in winter unless its nice and sunny, then its bright grey and not quite so dull. But it won't be muddy!
For 2019 we're going to use the "long" variation (conditions permitting!).
This variationis where the route goes both North and South of Dymchurch on a three 8.74 mile loop course with the start/finish in the middle. This will mean fortunately (or unforunately depending on your point of view!) that we'll be moving on to the old sea wall which is rather prone to storm damage which may make it more "multi-terrain" than we might like or sea incursion which may make it a bit more duathalon than we'd like! In the latter cases though we do have alternative routes lined up and the likely worst case scenario is the "Classic" route.
Come and join us for a bit of a run along the Kent Coast, we'll have a well stocked aid station, nice custom made New Year Marathon medals and goody bags that actually contain goodies!
We put on marathons run exactly the way we wish they were all run. Low key, friendly and with most of the entry fee being spent on the runners. Please explore the races and consider joining us in Kent for a winter marathon or two!
Course Information
"Long Loop" Route
For this course variation the runners will head in the opposite direction heading South of Dymchurch along the remaining part of the new sea wall until it changes in to the much flatter and closer to the "old sea wall" past St Mary's Bay and turning around just past the start of Littlestone Golf Club.
From the turnaround runners then retrace their steps back to Dymchurch, passing the aid station and continuing all the way to very end of the sea wall at the firing range, returning to the aid station to complete the 8.74 mile loop.
The route can be viewed at
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/940675609/
The southern part of the sea wall is very prone to shingle being thrown over it in bad weather and is very close to the sea at high tide (and not very high) so may be subject to last minute course alterations!
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I get?
You will receive each day...
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 post race replenishment. Again there is nothing healthy here, no isotonic drinks or fruit. But cookies, crisps, nuts, pringles, M&Ms and the legendary Rachel Rocky Road Race Fuel and those sorts of things!
Where do I park?
The village hall opposite the main pay and display car park offers free parking through the winter months for early arrivals, there are maybe 50 spaces available there. Address for Sat Navs is High Street Dymchurch TN29 0NX. There is a large pay and display car park very close to the village hall (which at the time of writing is £6.70 for six hours with very zealous traffic wardens) there is also free street parking available in winter, but do make sure you double check the signs as seriously the traffic wardens have no sense of humour here.
When do I get my race number?
You'll pick this up on race day morning from the race base camp.
Are there time limits?
Yes a soft six hours.
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.
Trail shoes? Road Shoes?
Road shoes. Its 100% on decent tarmac or concrete.
Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are using the Saxon Shore Coastal Path which is part of a cycle route and is a nice enough walk alongside the coast. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land, especially near the start/finish area around Dymchurch. Please don't litter. We'll have a bin at the base camp and there are bins on the route
What on course facilities do you provide?
Water, squash, nibbles, starter, timekeeper and encouragement every lap! Base station will be well stocked for all runners.
Can I leave personal drinks at the drinks station?
Yes, you may want to label it and we will not be responsible for folks drinking the wrong drinks!
Are there any facilities at the start/finish area?
There are free toilets in the car park in the town centre as marked above, there are also toilets close to the base camp, but these are of the 20p variety. (We'll have some 20ps at base camp in case of emergency!)
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, children on bikes, wildlife and so on.
Public Transport?
There are no mainline train stations to Dymchurch. Folkestone or Ashford are the closest towns with train links to London.
General SVN FAQ
