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Are you a "Usual Suspect?" or think you may be?

This expression has been around the long distance world for a while now and often the response to who was at an event. And you'd respond to the question "who was there" by a "Oh, the usual suspects..."

The reality of long distance running though means that the scene changes from year to year, runners come in, runners slow down, do less events, others do more, some move to ultras, some get injured, some lose motivation and I recall well all the people I ran a lot with three or four years ago who we don't see so much these days, if at all. Which is sad, as there is little to remember them by.

What we thought would be great is if we had one event a year where these usual suspects are identified and immortalised! How you ask?

Well, we're going to make the medal unique, very unique in that all the runners names are going to be on it! Actually inscribed on the medal and we feel that would be a lovely way to commemorate the "Class of 2022" so to speak. So basically all the entrants will be on the medal and in years to come you'd be able to look back at this and remember all the folks who in that year were the "usual suspects" and perhaps over the years to come they'll be a changing scene and the names will change, but the spirit will remain.

The medal therefore will be awesome, because basically it's made by the runners! It'll be huge, unique and brilliant! Ah, you're thinking, what about if I'm injured and can't run? Well firstly its a challenge event, just one lap earns you the medal, but in this case as the medal is personalised and so unique, if you don't run for some reason, we'll still get the medal to you, one way or another. As its as much a souvenir of the scene in 2022 as it is of this particular run.

For 2022 we'll have the event at Samphire Hoe on the 3.28 mile loop.

The event will be a six hour timed challenge event. Complete as many loops as you wish within the time limit. Run one lap, run a Half Marathon, run a Full Marathon, run 50k!

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 consider joining us!

Course Information

The course runs around the Samphire Hoe nature reserve and then along the sea wall in 3.28 mile out and backs.

You can view the route, along with photos and directions on the Samphire Hoe page here.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please also see our general SVN FAQ that cover all of our events. which you can read here.

Race Briefing: Mandatory at 08:20.

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. This will be very much vegan orientated for this event!

Where is the event?
Samphire Hoe - CT17 9FL - Please check our Samphire Hoe information page for more information.

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, 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 the start.. Any runner completing 26.2 miles laps will have completed an official marathon (by 100 Marathon Club standards), over 27 miles 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.

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. 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?
Road shoes should be fine. Its 99% on perfect surfaces, you might have a couple of pebbles to step around, but otherwise all on sealed tarmac/concrete/gravel and a couple of wooden bridges. Even after heavy rain the surfaces tend to be very good.

Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are on a public nature reserve. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land, there may be fisherman on the sea wall part and 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.

Are there any facilities at the start/finish area?
Yes there are toilets (open from 7:00) by the car park near the start/finish. There is also some information about the reserve and a small cafe (but it may not be open!)

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.

Location Information

Please visit our Samphire Hoe information page for general parking, directions and local area information about public transport, hotels etc.

General SVN FAQ

Can be read here

 

 

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