Winter 100 2013

Entries

Entries for the event open on Saturday 9th February at 10:30am. There will be 140 places for the event on open registration and places are available on a first come, first served basis. Entrants must meet the minimum qualification standard below in order to apply. Places are only confirmed once your qualification race has been verified. There is no waiting list for this event.

Exceptions to the above are: Those who volunteered over 8 hours of service to the race in 2012 and are therefore guaranteed 2013 entry.

Qualification Standard

You may enter the race without first having qualified. In order to start the event however, you must have completed a minimum of a 30 mile distance non-stop race since January 1st 2010 and before race date. As organisers, we reserve the right to refuse anybody entry who does not meet this standard.

Cut Offs

Runners must finish within a 30 hour time limit. There are additional cut offs at every aid station as listed in the aid station table.

Start/ Finish Location

Registration, Race Start, Race Finish and Race HQ is at the Morrell Room, Church Lane, Streatley RG8 9HT.

Route

The route is a series of 4 separate 12.5 mile out and back sections using both the Thames Path and Ridgeway trails which converge at Streatley. Each section will start and finish in Streatley but will be run on a different stretch of one of the above trails. The 2013 course will be run in the following order.

West Spur (Thames Path): Streatley to Little Wittenham and return: Distance 25 miles. Elev Gain/Loss: 435ft/435ft. 
North Spur (Ridgeway): Streatley to Swyncombe Farm and return: Distance 25 miles. Elev Gain/Loss: 1303ft/1303ft.  
South Spur: (Ridgeway) Streatley to Chain Hill and return: Distance 25 miles. Elev Gain/Loss: 902ft/902ft.
East Spur (Thames Path): Streatley to Reading and return: Distance 25 miles. Elev Gain/Loss: 1200ft/1200ft.

Total: Distance 100 miles. Elev Gain/Loss: 3840ft/3840ft. 

Awards

100 mile Buckle to all finishers. Runners finishing the course in under 24 hours will receive '100 miles - One Day' buckles commemorating their achievement. Runners finishing between 24 and 30 hours will recieve '100 mile - Finisher' buckles. Runners finishing all 4 Centurion 100 mile races within a calendar year will be awarded Grand Slam Finisher Awards after the conclusion of the Winter 100. 

Aid Stations

There will be 16 fully stocked aid stations along the length of the course. The aid station locations can be found on this page. Aid stations carry as a minimum: water, coke, chocolate, sweets, nuts, fruit, crisps, a limited number of GU energy gel packets, sandwiches and other sweet and savory snacks. All of the aid stations on legs 2, 3 and 4 will have hot drinks. Hot food will be available at Streatley.

Drop Bags

Drop Bags can be accessed at Streatley, meaning runners will have access to drop bags at mile 25, 50, 75 and 100 miles. 

Course Markings

The course is marked by national trail marker posts which come in different forms but most commonly display the acorn which is the key symbol and guide on both the Thames Path and the Ridgeway.

In addition to the fixed markers as above, the course will also be marked with red & white tape and marker arrows as well as glow sticks through for sections being covered at night. It is always possible that course markers may be removed or vandalised, in which case you will need to use the National Trail marker posts and your maps as the guide. There are a number of road crossings to negotiate, some of them are extremely busy. The road crossings will be signed but NOT marshalled so please be extremely careful when you are crossing roads of any nature.

It is ultimately the runners responsibility to navigate the course successfully, with or without course markings. If you are in any doubt we strongly recommend that you take the time to recce the route before race day.

Pacers

Runners are permitted pacers from the 75 mile point. Pacers must travel on foot only. Runners are permitted multiple pacers throughout the last 25 miles but only one may travel with the runner at any one time. Pacers may make use of the aid stations. 

Crew

Crews are now permitted at the race and may meet their runners anywhere on course with the excpetion of certain aid stations including the main hall at Streatley - the hall is small and required for the constant flow of runners. Other aid stations that are off limits to crew are listed in the aid station table. Full crew instructions can be found here.

Medical

There will be a dedicated team of race medics available throughout the duration of the weekend. If you suffer an injury or accident that warrants direct medical attention, the medics will be on hand to provide you with exactly that. Contact numbers and full details of what to do in an emergency will be given to you in the pre race information packs and again at race registration. Due to the nature of the course ie. some off road, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact tending to other runners. In those instances you should contact the emergency services on 999. If you are injured but able to walk, please make your way to the nearest aid station where there will either be a medic, or an aid station captain will immediately get in touch with medical care should you require it/ arrange for transport out. If you suffer a severe injury or encounter someone in serious difficulty please call 999 for emergency ambulance services.

Kit

The majority of the course is on trail. Trail shoes are advised especially given the time of year. There are sections of trail which can become very muddy or flooded in wet conditions. 

There will be kit checks prior during and after the race. Runners must carry the following mandatory equipment at all times. A time penalty of one hour will be imposed for any item found to be missing at any point on course. Please refer to this page for explanations on the inclusion of the below items. 

• Fully Charged Mobile Phone including the numbers for the Race Medic and Race Director (on the number you have given at registration)
• Water Bottles/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre.
• Survival Blanket: 1.4m x 2m minimum
• Waterproof Jacket: Gore-tex or similar (must have sealed seams)
• Waterproof trousers or full length tights
• Route Map for the relevant spur being run
• Compass
• Whistle
• Headtorch (store recommendation)
• Back Up Light source (store recommendation)
• Warm Hat
• Gloves
• Base layer or fleece top at least 180g in weight (Mens Medium)