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Gato Sports Summer 10K - Race 3
Ryton Pools Country Park, Coventry, Warwickshire
Ryton Pools Country Park, Ryton Rd, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry CV8 3BH, UKWed 21st July 2021
Starting at 19:00
COVID-19 INFORMATION
For our events to be a success we need to take every step possible to ensure the transmission of Covid is as minimal as possible. Being an outdoor event helps but this is a different situation to you running alone in a park. These tweaks and adjustments may slow you down and may make the experience different to what you would like and expect. We make no apologies for this. If events are going to happen we have a collective responsibility to look after each other before during and after the event.
Please read these instructions in detail. It is new to all involved so you will need to read it regardless of how experienced you are. Don’t be “that” idiot…!
Before the event
- If you are experiencing Covid Symptoms do not travel to the event. If you are a volunteer do not travel to the event and let us know.
- Your bib will be posted to you (if you entered more than 2 weeks before race day) there will be no registration in the traditional sense. If you have moved since you entered please update your information by logging in at bigbearevents.net
- The pre-race briefing will be emailed and on youtube at least 48 hours before the event.
- Please limit any spectators.
Race Evening
- Please arrive during the time window you’ve been given before the event. Follow any on-site instructions with regard using the toilets, cafe etc.
- Hand sanitise before entering our HQ section.
- Please leave all your possession in your car. There will be no drop bag facility.
- As above, the race briefing will be online 48 hours before the event, there will be no on the night briefing.
- There will not be a mass start. There will be time trial starts spaced 15s apart. The start will be open from 18:45-19:00. As people arrive and are ready to run we will start them off, with a 15s gap. This is to prevent crowding and help maintain social distancing. Social distancing is essential, so you cannot start with your 5 friends. If you want to buddy up then make sure your buddy starts in front or behind you, 15s isn’t a huge time gap after all!
- There will be toilets at HQ, please follow on-site directions and limitations.
- If you have arrived and you are ready to run please congregate away from the start line. We’ll call runners over to the start line (it’ll be a tiny walk) to limit bunching and crowding
During the race
- Maintain social distancing throughout the event. This means a minimum of 2m between you and other runners or members of the public (if they’re in the dark woods!). Where this isn’t possible run single file or if there are real pinch points give way to other users (or the faster runner) and turn your back to limit airborne transmission.
- We will have a water table with water and electrolyte. These will be in compostable cups and we ask you to take one cup and move away only touching your one cup.
- You shouldn’t interact with any but limit touching of gates, styles, forest furniture etc. as you run.
The Finish
- High fives and sweaty hugs from us and our volunteers are out (unless they’re your actual family)
- The medals will be on a table for you to pick up. We wish we could place each medal round your neck but we can’t. Please move away from the immediate finish area as soon as you can. There is loads of open space so if you’re waiting for others please do so there.
- Unfortunately due to our decreased numbers the café will not be staying open for us (can’t blame them really!). However we will have free hot drinks available. If you have a flask bring it otherwise we will pour hot water in to a biodegradable cup for you.
Update 25/02/21
The roadmap out of lockdown has been released by the government and there is light at the end of the tunnel! Without wishing to be a complete downer on the situation thought we aren’t out of the “cancellation woods” yet. I am still waiting to see what UK Athletics has agreed with Department for Culture, Media and Sport with regards a return to events. Although I don’t permit my events through UKA or the TRA anymore it would be irresponsible (and potentially illegal) to put events on that contradict their agreement. Grassroots sports is allowed to return form March 28th with agreement from the National Governing Body. Hopefully they’ll get the message out to us all soon and I can be more confident events will happen and I’ll know what restrictions will be in place.
On a similar note just because government and UKA say events can happen doesn’t mean they will! The final piece of the puzzle is landowner permission. I’m in conversation with all of the landowners of upcoming events to ensure they haven’t local restrictions on events. More specifically Forestry England, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire County Councils will all have their own plans for events. I need to work within these plans.
So in summary, summer and autumn look nailed on to be back to events without issue but I’m optimistically cautious when it comes to spring. I’ll obviously fight for events to be on but these are relationships I want to keep and build on for many years so throwing a hissy fit if they say no won’t get any of us very far!! As always I’ll try and keep everyone updated as we move through and any cancellations will be able to to transfer to an event without an issue.
It’s a better message though!
Organiser's Description
Ground conditions will be firm as the route is on a crushed stone pathway. The route is fully marked and essentially a 2 lap course. Ryton Pools isn't flat but calling it hilly would be quite a stretch too!
What's Included
Medal
A race memento
Water and sports drinks at (roughly) the half way point
Appropriate hot or cold drinks at the end
If you enter all 3 events there is a discounted entry
If you run in all 3 there are awards for series winners
Getting There & Parking
Ryton Pools Country Park, Ryton Rd, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, Warwickshire CV8 3BH.
The venue is 15 minutes South of Coventry and 15 minutes from Junction 16 of the M1.
The closest train stations are Rugby and Coventry.
You do have to pay to park (£3.00 at the time of writing). This money goes directly to the country parks, they are great spaces that do need money and this is their main revenue stream. That said, be a hero and car share, save money and the World!
Event Details
Race Registration opens at 18:00
Race Briefing at 18:50
Race Start at 19:00
Medical support ceases 21:00
Race team are tucked up in bed fast asleep 23:00
Other Information
Who are Gato Sports?
They are our event partners. They've kindly donated some excellent prizes for our male and female first place finishers. They are a sportswear company that specialise in great kit and accessories, especially night time running with lots of excellent reflective and lit items.
Is this event cupless?
Unlike our other events we will have some biodegradable cups with water/electrolyte available on the course and we will have hot drinks available before and after too. If you have a foldable cup you can bring, even better, but we don't insist on it for our short races
FAQs
Can I transfer my entry or get a refund?
Please see our refund policy
Are there awards for the winners?
We will generally have senior and masters male and female awards for our 10k events.
Can Nordic Walkers enter the events?
Most definitely! All of our events are suitable for Nordic walkers, all we ask is that you start at the back and make space for faster entrants. Essentially the same as we'd ask of any slower movers to be honest. With a huge range in abilities and people running different distances at our challenge events we expect the field to spread out pretty quickly so it shouldn't impact you as a walker or other competitors after the first 30 seconds. You don't need to tell us beforehand and there is no special walkers entry, just sign up with everyone else!
Can I race with my dog?
No. Our events are not set up for dogs. We believe that canicross events should have extra levels of caution around dog welfare that we do not have at our events. Please do not turn up expecting to run with your dog as you will not be allowed to do so.
Are there toilets or will we nee dot go like a bear in the woods?
We will have toilets! Depressingly it’s one of the first things we look for when picking a venue! We try to make the race HQ/ lap end as close to the toilets as possible so you aren’t running to many extra meters to use the facilities. That isn’t always possible however but we do try. You are of course allowed to use the toilets as and when you need them.
Can I run with headphones?
If you want to, yes. As a traffic-free event you can run with headphones. We would say however that you must be aware of your surroundings. There might be no cars but there could be horses, small children, bikes, dogs and of course small children on bikes being pulled by dogs! You’re out in the countryside, enjoy the relative quiet but if you prefer headphones that is not an issue either.
Do I have to raise money for charity?
No not at all. If you'd like to then that's brilliant but all of our events are about running for the joy or running first and foremost. We pay to be at our venues, so we are putting a small amount towards the beautiful parks and woodlands we run in. Where there is car parking this money directly goes to the park too, so you’ve done your bit too!
Will there be medical cover?
We pay for outside medical cover at all of our events, supplied by Events Medical based in Coventry. They have done at least 10 events with us and are yet to get out of their 4x4! However they have a defibrillator with them and are trained medics. In addition there will be people present with emergency first aid training. Don't be a fool - do not push yourself beyond your limits! Of course trips and falls will happen, especially with our off-road courses, but please try to be safe. If you are feeling unwell or you do injure yourself, end your race and have a sit down. It's not worth it, there is always another race day. We ask all of our runners to let us know if there is any medical information we need to be aware of (asthma, diabetes etc.) to enable us to try to keep everyone safe. As in any trail race often the first person to an injured/unwell runner is another runner and so we ask everyone to be good Samaritans in this regard.
Will I get lost?
We would hope not! The courses will be fully signposted with a few volunteers out on course at periods through the events.
How are the events timed?
We invested chip timing so our events will be chip timed from now on. It’s very simple but you must return your chips at the end of the event. They look inexpensive and 1 lost chip isn’t breaking the bank but loosing handfuls each year will have a tangible impact. You will likely be given clear instructions as to where to wear your chip – please listen or your chip is unlikely to get read and thus you will not get a time! We do use your “gun time” however, but given the size of the events the difference between crossing the line first or last is normally less than 10s (or an extra jaffa cake if you think of it like that!)
Is there somewhere secure for me to leave my bag?
The short answer is no. We will have a small area under the gazebo where the aid station is where you can leave a bag but it is not "secure" so it is left at your own risk entirely. Big Bear Events does not accept responsibility for any items that go missing or are broken. We have a small tent that we use to try to protect bags from the elements but it isn’t magic! We would suggest that as the car parks and HQ are never more than a few hundred meters away to keep a change of clothes and a chocolate bar for after in the car, not in a bag!
How old do I have to be to run in your events?
The below age restrictions are imposed by UKA. We however are not permitted through UKA and as such may make slight exceptions with parental consent. This will be very much at our discretion however.
Under 12 years 3,000 metres
Under 14 years 5,000 metres
Under 16 years 6,000 metres
Under 17 years 10,000 metres
Under 18 years 25,000 metres
Under 20 years 45,000 metres
Given that our challenge events are timed events entrants young enough to be effected by these rules will be stopped at the appropriate distance.
Contact
If your question hasn't been answered of you are still unsure of anything please contact us at racedirector@bigbearevents.net where we'll do our best to help.