A gentle cake themed run at Betteshanger!
We had originally planned for the Cakeathon to just be a one off event to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Women' Instutute but its proved so popular that we're now having four of them a year! The Women's Institute amongst other things is famed for cake and it just so happens that the Race Director of the Saxons, Vikings and Normans events shares a similar love.
So what better to do on a Winter Weekend than with a run with a cake theme? So the Cakeathon Challenge at the lovely Betteshanger Country Park (formerly known as Fowlmead Country Park) is the answer for those who share a love of running and eating cake!
Betteshanger Country Park, near Deal in East Kent, has a wide gently undulating trail around the edge of the reserve that is traffic free and ideal for a nice trail run. The loop we have developed for this event will be about 4.37 miles, so each loop will burn up around 500 calories. 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!
There will be cake, and we encourage participants to bring their own cake creations. There will be a trophies for the best cakes of the day. (We're going to have three per category!)
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!
The Cakeathon Medal (we have a different colour theme for each event)
Cakes and Fancy Dress encouraged!
As usual we'll have a well stocked aid station which you'll pass every 4.37miles, which will have more cakes than usual, a unique custom made medal and a goody bag that actually contains goodies which will make the undulations and any mud more than worth it. There is also an on site cafe, a playground for kids and all in all is a nice place to host a run!
It's our aim that this event makes an impactful difference to the Betteshanger Country Park in a positive fashion and as such £5 from each entry fee will be donated directly to the Park to aid them in maintaining this lovely environment.
Please explore the race and consider joining us!
Course Information
Please note that there is construction taking place at Betteshanger of a big new visitor facility, we're vaguely hopeful by the time the event comes around it'll be finished, but the route may well vary on event day compared to the A choice!
The course runs around the tarmac cycle track but at no point crosses it so there are no traffic concerns to worry about. The surface is a high quality gravel surface in the main with the odd patch of potentially muddy bits if they're wet but overall it's an excellent running surface and should produce some fast times.
The route is viewable on MayMyRun here.
There are slopes rather than hills, so its not totally flat, each loop has maybe 60 feet of elevation rise, but there are some lovely woods to run by, ponds, grasslands, wet lands and some wild life to spot too! If its wet there might be a chance of some mud but the trails are high quality and drain well.
The route is suitable for either road or trail shoes.
Course Photos
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 during and post race replenishment, including the legendary Rachel's Rocky Road!
Where is the event?
Betteshanger Country Park , A258, Deal, Kent CT14 0BF (Map). Please click here for our Betteshanger information. (Please note that the venue is also known as Fowlmead Country Park) Building work...
Please note that whilst the final phase of building work is going on they've added some temporary structures and reconfigured the parking.
When do I get my race number?
You'll pick this up on race day morning from the race base camp on race morning.
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 5.59:59 after the event start. Any runner completing 26.2 miles or more will have completed marathon distance and will count as a marathon finish for the purposes of the 100 Marathon Club, if you complete over 27 miles then you've 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 as long as you complete one lap..
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.
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?
Either should be fine. The running surface is very good, if it's wet then maybe err towards trail, if its dry err towards road. The site drains very well being built on shale from the old mine.
Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are using the Betteshanger Country Park which is part of a network of local footpaths, cycle paths and trails and is shared with ramblers, dogwalkers, horseriders and cyclists. However the cyclists do have their own dedicated trails so shouldn't be too much of an issue. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land. Please don't litter, we'll have a bin at the base camp and another on the far side of the course so please deposit any rubbish in these..
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?
There are toilets, a cafe and a kids playground.
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, dogs, horseriders, wildlife and so on.
The entry fee is a little more than normal – why is that?
We are holding this event by kind permission of the Betteshanger Country Park. £5 of every entry fee will be donated to the Park to assist in the maintenance and development of Betteshanger Country Park.
Location Information
Please visit our Betteshanger information page for general parking, directions and local area information about public transport, hotels etc.
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