A gentle cake themed run in Penistone, Yorkshire!
We're returning in March 2022 for our final Yorkshire Cakeathon! An afternoon/evening Cakeathon! Starting at 1400 and in to the evening, with a sunset of 1817 you may need lights if you're going to run deep into the dark!
The course is along an old railway line and is all closed to traffic, be a gentle out and back from the Community Centre in Penistone. There'll be cake, there'll be SVN bling, there'll be SVN goody bags!
A modest sized bit of cake we are thinking per lap! The event will have a six hour time limit for you to run as many, or as few laps as you wish. With a timed event, as long as you complete one lap, you are an official finisher!
We encourage participants to bring their own cake creations. There will be a prizes for the best cakes of the day!
These will be
1) Best cake
2) Best cake featuring marzipan
3) Best marzipan creation
4) Best cookie/brownie
5) Best vegan cake/creation
The RD is the sole judge and arbitor, just as a hint, I like marzipan and fruit in cakes is just wrong! Or anything green. Or French (unless you know what the almond croissants taste like from the bakery near Utah Beach in Normandy, they were nice!) Except for the vegan cakes, I'll have a vegan chap or girl test those out!
Cakes and Fancy Dress encouraged!
As usual we'll have a well stocked aid station which you'll pass every 6.55 miles, (the loop consists of two parts of 2.2 miles and 4.37 miles so you can pop in part way through the loop if you wish) which will have more cakes than usual, a unique custom made medal and a goody bag that actually contains goodies which will make the running worth it!
Please explore the race and consider joining us!
Course Information
The course runs from the Village Hall in Penistone Inn in a 6.55 mile loop along the Trans Pennine Trail. It's 100% off road, all on high quality surfaces, either tarmac or compressed gravel type bike paths.
We'll start heading to the West - the turnaround is the first gate/horse crossing/road that you come to in front of a road, you'll then return the way you came, pass the Village Hall (you can pop in if you want to of course, but totally optional) then contiue East for just over 2 miles past the Village Hall until you come to a gate/horse crossing/road turn around and head back the 2 miles or so to the Village Hall and that'll be a 6.55 mile lap.
You can view the route on MapMyRun here
The total elevation gain is about 120' per loop.
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 post race replenishment. Again there is nothing healthy here, no isotonic drinks or fruit. But biscuits, crisps, nuts, cakes, rocky road, M&Ms and those sorts of things!
Where do I park?
There is a small car park at Penistone Community Hall ( Church St, Penistone, Sheffield S36 6AR ) but only 20 spaces or so, but there is effectively limitless free street parking along Church Street and the surrounding streets.
When do I get my race number?
You'll pick this up on race day morning the main room in the Community Centre. It's all very compact so we won't be hard to find!
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 6.00 after race start (even if you finish that final lap after the six hours it'll count, you just have to have left for the final lap 6:00 after the start, and these time limits are hard, 6:00:01 and that's too late as is the custom with ultra endurance events (which this technically is, though there is absolutely no requirement to run an ultra!)).
Any runner completing 4 laps will have completed an official marathon (by 100 Marathon Club standards) of about 26.2 miles, 4.5 laps or more will have 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.
How are laps counted?
At race registration you'll be given a lap counting card. Attach this to yourself with a safety pin or cable tie. At the end of each lap get this punched by one of the card punchers, this keeps track of the distance that you've done so keep it safe!. So basically at the end of each lap, either get your card punched, or ring the bell! Ringing the bell signifies you are "ringing out" and have stopped running for the day.
Do I have to run for the whole time?
No! You can stop at any time you wish, just as long as you complete one lap you are an official finisher, ring the finishers bell and you're done, medal and goody bag will be yours!
Can I stop at marathon distance?
Yes. If you complete 4 laps it will count as a marathon finish by 100 Marathon Club standards and we'll even give you a little badge to pin to your medal ribbon to signify the distance you ran! (There is an ultra badge too if you complete 4.5 or more laps)
Do you have secure baggage facilities
No. But you're free to leave bags at the start/finish/community hall. There will always be someone around but we can't guarantee their security.
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?
Road shoes should be fine if its dry. Otherwise possibly trail or hybrid as a fair bit is on tarmac, and also a fair bit on grassy trails.
Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are on a public trails and bike paths. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land, there may be dog walkers, ramblers or cyclists on any part of the course. Please don't litter. We'll have a bin at the base camp, please use this and there are several bins on the route too.
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. This is a typical example of the picnics, sorry aid station, we have...
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?
Yes there are toilets inside the Community Hall
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 traffic, people, children on bikes, wildlife and so on.
Public Transport?
The nearest train station is Penistone and is about a quarter of a mile away or so.
