Beacon Sandbag Race

Our home race, The Beacon Sandbag Race 2024.

A 6km race over cross country trails with 300m of climb. All sandbags are 40kg, entry options Solo, Pairs, Team of 3.

All entrant get a free Sandbag Racing neck snood at registration.

Location: Rose Gardens, Great Malvern, Worcestershire

Saturday 13th April 2024

Timings :

Registration will open from - 0930-1040

Race brief will take place at 1040

Mass Start - 1100

Prize giving - 1300

Kit to bring:

As part of your entry fee, you get a Sandbag Racing neck gaiter, snood thing, which we recommend you wear as it will keep the sweat out of your eyes and make you look essence.

Assume you are spending the day in the wild, so bring adequate water, food and warm, waterpoof kit, do bring a small first aid kit for sprains etc.

During the race a sturdy pair of trail shoes or boots are essential.

A synthetic top is also a good idea as cotton tops will stretch and generally be a pain in the neck.

Overview

Sandbag Racing is an event that sees athletes compete individually or as a team to carry a sandbag around a prescribed route over undulating terrain and tracks. It is a test of the soul, the sandbag is uncomfortable, awkward and hard to carry, it is a test of willpower and heart.



Sandbag Racing is also designed to generate awareness of mental health, think of the Sandbag as a visualisation of mental health:

Its heavy
Its awkward to carry
Its easier to carry when shared

Acknowledgement of the load and active engagement with it is important
The more we training our mental health and prepare our minds the better we can cope with negative aspects of mental health

Profits from these events got to our charity partners, by buying a ticket you are supporting the battle to combat veteran's mental health.

Our Charity partners are PTSD Resolution a great charity that provides invaluable services to the veteran community, you can donate directly when you register for an event and we encourage you to fundraise for one or both of these charities as well.

Sandbag Racing is also intended to be a sport, any good sport has clear rules that define the competition boundaries.

Sandbag Racing rules are below, but the core spirit of Sandbag Racing is that the Sandbag, like your mental health, is a precious item that should be respected, not dropped and definitely not left on the course.

Rules:

No dragging the Sandbag
Only a single person may carry the sandbag at any one time, pairs/teams can't share the load
Sandbag can be put on the ground, in a controlled manner, to rest
Sandbag must be treated like your baby, don’t drop it from height
Athletes must get the sandbag to the finish line, no matter the time taken
Pairs/Teams must cross the start and finish lines together, failure to do so will incur a time penalty of 5 minutes.

Sandbag Racing is hard, should you become injured during the event then we expect you to lay the Sandbag down and inform a marshal as to the location. If you are perfectly fine and just tired then we expect you to get the Sandbag back to the finish line.