No Welsh Castles relay this year so we have this in-house relay event down the Test Way National Trail. An informal revival of a famous old event where WADAC had a long tradition of success but with a special Castles Spin.
Please get the date in your diary and REGISTER NOW - don't delay as we have much planning to do so as to balance the teams and allocate relay legs.
Teams of 9 runners making their way down the 47mile (76km) National Trail in a Castles style staggered start relay where each of the 9 legs has a set start-time and is effectively a race within a race. The overall relay result is then determined by the total aggregate time for that team. Team logistics and being in the right place at the right time is a key part of the game....not unlike the Castles event!
The terrain is mixed but mostly off-road, the scenery changes from wild and remote up at Inkpen Beacon down through rolling Hampshire countryside and villages to downright urban before a pretty finish at the Eling tide mill on Southampton Water. The legs are of various lengths and elevation profiles (most are net downhill but some aren't) and each leg has it's own character and challenges (steep slopes, muddy bits, brambles, stiles, gates, tarmac, pavements, traffic lights, roundabouts, boardwalk sections). Navigation is very important....probably moreso than for the Welsh Castles as there will be no marshalling and whilst we are following a National Trail the odd finger board might have fallen or become overgrown by bushes. Doing a bit of route recce is important (don't blindly follow the guy in front as he/she may be lost too) please therefore sign-up early so that we can allocate legs in time for you to do a recce of your leg.
Many more details anon but in broad terms:
Leg 1 - Inkpen to Linkenholt
Please register indicating which legs you might prefer to run (bearing in mind the logistics, the distance and the scheduled start time) and how you might be able to play a part in the transport effort. Remember however the timings here are only indicative and we reserve the right to change and shuffle things around so please be prepared to be flexible. It would help therefore if you could indicate more than one leg you feel might be suitable for you.....each athlete will race only one leg but we need flexibility to shuffle things.
