Cheddar Gorge Challenge

Warren Farm, Blagdon, Charterhouse, Bristol Somerset BS40 7XR

All runners will receive a top quality medal.

A buffet of fresh fruit, cakes, jelly beans, jaffa cakes and other tasty treats at the finish line.

Live music, beer and cider tent and a huge array of food offerings.

There is a day parking area for runners taking part in a race for the day only. There is no charge for parking.

The course makes use of public footpaths and permissive rights of way. Please be mindful of others users and give them a friendly shout when you approach and be careful when taking tight corners. The route is marked with fluorescent signs, Relish Running Races branded red and white barrier tape hanging as streamers from the trees as well as orange temporary marking paint.

Feed Stations: There are 5 Feed Stations on each lap of the Half Marathon Course; we will have a buffet of treats on offer – jelly beans, jaffa cakes, flapjack, crisps, oranges, bananas, malt loaf, crisps, water, HIgh 5 electrolyte drink and coke on lap 2 of the marathon! There will be no bottled water at the feed stations to cut down on our plastic waste, but there will be opportunity to refill your own containers. If it is hot we strongly recommend you carry your own water so you can stay hydrated at all times.

Please note there is a cut off of 3hrs for the marathon runners to complete the first lap (13.1 miles). After this time runners will have to complete the half marathon course, they can still collect a half marathon medal but unfortunately we won't be able to provide a finish time. There are no cut offs for other distances.

This event is not suitable for canicross or buggies.

Prizes: There will be no on the day prize giving because of the large number of waves and different starting times. Prize winners will be contacted by email by the end of the week following the race.

Results: As there is no internet signal on site we can not post results until we get back to the office, which will be very, very late on Sunday. To be safe, we will say results from the 6km, 10km, Half Marathon and Marathon will be online by noon on Monday. Results for the Omnium standings will be online with a target time of 6pm on Monday.

There are no hidden booking or processing fees. Please note prices are £2 extra for on the day registrations for individual events, £5 extra for the Omnium races on the day.

Registration/Number Collection opens from 08:45am.

There is a race briefing and warm up starting 10 minutes before each event.

Important Notes:

Rubbish Out On the Course: We have special permission from the National Trust, the Somerset Wildlife Trust and Mendip AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) to hold these events around Cheddar Gorge. Please respect the fact you are running in such a beautiful area and do not drop any litter! If you can run will a full gel packet or drinks bottle, please run with it empty until the next Drinks Station. We reserve the right to give out time penalties to runners who are caught littering, and to disqualify repeat offenders. Thank you for understanding.

Cut off Time: There is 3hrs time limit for runners to start the 2nd lap of the marathon. Each lap is 13.2 miles but GPS reception is patchy so please do not rely on these too heavily to track your progress. There is no time limit for the other distances.

Race Numbers: No race numbers are being posted out, all numbers will be available to collect on the day.

At present all our starts are individual, at 15-30 second intervals. Runners are generally seeded fastest to slowest to help spread people out across the course. The only exception is that a pair from the same household may run together on the basis that you run the whole event together and that you run in single file, not side by side.

All runners need to provide a predicted finish time to help us organise the start lists. This doesn't need to be too exact so don't worry if you think it might have changed come race day. If you wish to run as a household pair, or in the same wave of 30 when that is permitted, please select the same slightly obscure predicted finish time. Rather then selecting 50mins 0secs, select 50mins 1 sec for example.

We hope to shortly be able to offer waves of 30 runners starting every 10-15mins. These will be mixed ability waves. In time we hope to be able to get back to our usual wave size which is ~100 runners.

There will be a 1km course along flat fields around the event village, with a bit of uneven terrain, a great first time event. There is no minimum age for this run.

We will also have a 3km event which will include a good mix of trails and hills, there is a minimum age of 10 for this race. All racers of course will still take home a top quality medal and be able to help themselves to our buffet of refreshments.

The 6km and 10km head our from the festival site and along the trails around Cheddar Gorge. The 10km runs right along the cliff edge path (a good 20m from the actual edge...you won't fall off!). Both routes converge and run along Velvet Bottom, an historic landscape of the Mendip Hills, before a little climb leading back towards the festival arena.

The half marathon and marathon share the same opening trails as the 10km, running along the cliff edge path. They then branch off and head over to Beacon Batch, the highest point on the Mendip Hills with incredible 360 degree views of the surrounding countryside. The race has been been updated in recent years (since 2017), removing the out and back sections and replacing them with more fresh trails. The races comes into the festival site where the half marathon runners finish and the marathon runners head out for their second lap.

Aim to arrive on site at east 90mins before the start of your wave to allow time for parking.

Please do not run with in ear headphones. Only bone conducting headphones are permitted as outlined by UK Athletics rules and insurance requirements. We need runners to be able to hear the marshals instructions and traffic on the road crossing points. If you do run with in ear headphones then you will be disqualified. Thank you for your understanding.

We are making use of public footpaths and not closing any roads. Therefore there are places where runners will have to cross and run along roads which may have traffic, please run in single file and stick tight to the side of the road to allow traffic to pass by. The marshals do not have the power to stop the traffic. You must wait and make your own decision as to when to cross the road. Anyone deemed to make an unsafe road crossing by one our marshals will be disqualified.

Please note we can only accept payment in cash or cheque on the day. We can not take payment by card, and there is no cash machine near by.

This year there is going to be a Spectator Ticket which gives access to the main festival area (music and food), the race start and finish and access to all the caterers and the main music stage. The ticket can either by in the form of a £5 ticket, or £5 worth of raffle tickets which has a first prize of £10,000!! There is no donation required for children under 5.

The Spectator Ticket does not include any of the free activities which are included in the festival Day Ticket, such as the free talks by inspirational speakers, free climbing wall, free camp fire talks etc. If you wish to partake in any of these activities then you can Pay As You Go at each activity, or return to the entrance and upgrade your Spectator Ticket for a Day Ticket.