A series of gentle trail runs at Betteshanger
After the "way longer than most people expected" lockdown period we're pleased to announce a series of events at Betteshanger in July! These events are going to be small - 30 people each - and subject to a bunch of rules that none of us want, but we're going to have to adhere to. These can be found here...
SVN Social Distanced Events July 2020 onwards
Pre-Event Information Can Be Read Here
We're going to have a series of five events initially. The medal themes are a bit random as they're rather what we have rather than what we planned!
Saturday, July 18th - Bees Challenge - Start List & Times
Sunday, July 19th - Viking Challenge - Start List & Times
Thursday, July 23rd - Olympic Challenge- Start List & Times
Saturday, July 25th - Hedgehog Challenge - Start List & Times
Sunday, July 26th - Very British Challenge - - Start List & Times
(We'll publish arrival times 48 hours before the event - which will be between 0915 & 1015)
Please note that we're going to change from "Wave Starts" of groups of six to individual time trial timings and we'll start people off as and when they're ready to go a minute or two apart.
Those who sign up first will be allocated the earliest "Arrival Times" the last will get the latest.
Please, please, please - don't be there before 0900 - the park physically doesn't open till 0900 and there is no safe place to queue. There is infinite parking there and you'll be able to park and set up 2 feet off the running line no matter when you arrive.
It's absolutely no problem to start later as now you're all timed individually! You'll get 7 hours from when you start (up till 1030, the park closes at 1730)
If you're running with someone that's fine, just a maximum of six at any one time can run together.
For those who've run here before we're aiming for the standard 4.37 "out of the car park" loop.
South East Kent was home to a rich mining heritage and one of the legacies of that was a huge spoilage area outside of what was Betteshanger Colliery. In recent years this has been totally transformed in to what is now known as Betteshanger Country Park. (It used to be known as Fowlmead Country Park)
Betteshanger Country Park, near Deal in East Kent, has a two mile tarmac cycle track, leisure paths for cycling and walking and established woodlands, wetlands and reed beds full of wildlife and perhaps most importantly for our purposes a wide gently undulating trail around the edge that is traffic free and ideal for a gentle trail run!
Each event will have a seven 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, then you are an official finisher!
There are slopes rather than hills, so its not totally flat, each loop has maybe 100 feet of elevation rise, but there are some lovely woods to run through, 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.
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 event and consider joining us!
Course Information
The course runs alongside 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 MapMyRun here.
There are slopes rather than hills, so its not totally flat, each loop has maybe 100 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, 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, cheddars
Where is the event?
Betteshanger Country Park, A258, Deal, Kent CT14 0BF. Please click here for our Betteshanger Country Park information. (Please note that the venue has also been 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 from the race base camp. This will be at the race start/finish area (Google Map)
Are there time limits?
Yes, seven hours to run as many laps as you can. This is going to be a hard cut off from when you started. You must be finished within the seven hours, partial laps won't count. Additionally if you're starting after 1000, then the park physically shuts at 1700 so your limit will be a little bit shorter, but still a minimum of 6 hours 40 minutes.
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..
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 this lovely area.
Location Information
Please visit our Betteshanger information page for general parking, directions and local area information about public transport, hotels etc.
General SVN FAQ
