Frequently Asked Questions

What do I get?
You will receive
1) A really special finishers medal, custom made, dated 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, cider.
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 do I park?
There are four car parks along Coleman Hatch Road for us to use (map). If the car park by the base camp fills up then there is another a few hundred yards along (which is almost on the route) for us to use and if somehow that fills too then there are another couple further along. Please do not park in the small visitor centre car park.

When do I get my race number?
You'll pick this up on race day morning from the race base camp. This will be at the race start/finish area!

Are there time limits?
Yes, eight hours to run as many laps as you can. You can finish at any time within the 8 hours and your final distance will be recorded along with your finishing time. Only complete laps within the 8 hours will be recorded or you must have left the aid station for your last lap by 7.45:00 after race start (even if you finish that final lap after the eight hours it'll count, you just have to have left for the final lap 7:45:00 after the start, and these time limits are hard, 7:15:01 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 more than 26.2 miles will have completed an official marathon (by 100 Marathon Club standards) or more than 27 miles 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 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!

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.

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?
Trail shoes.

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 dog walkers, ramblers or horse riders on any part of the course. Please don't litter. We'll have bins at the base camp, please use this.

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?
We'll have a couple of portable toilets.

Can I use an ipod or mp3 player on the course?
Yes. There are no road crossings to worry about.

The entry fee is a little more than normal – why is that?
We are holding this event by kind permission of Ashdown Forest. £5 of every entry fee will be donated to them to assist in the maintenance and development of the location.

What public transport options are there?
We're afraid that Ashdown Forest is a bit in the middle of nowhere. The nearest train station and town of any consuquence is East Grinstead. We're not aware of any buses that pass near the route.

What hotel options are there?
The nearest hotel is Ashdown Park which is towards the upper end of hotels if you'd like a treat.

Premier Inn have a location in East Grinstead (7.5 miles away). The nearest Travelodge is at Tunbridge Wells (10.1 miles)

There are also lots of small hotels and B&Bs in East Grinstead, you can find a list on Trip Advisor here.