The Lighthouse Marathon

The rugged west of Cornwall

There is nothing I can say to prepare you for this course.
It will test you to the very limits.
I will give you a glimpse in these paragraphs of what to expect.
The race is mostly self navigated but with some marshals and additional signage in areas that are little more complicated
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You start in Pendeen Rovers home ground of Borlaise Park. Out you run along the gravel track before taking a left, down the road to Pendeen Lighthouse. This is your easy bit. A nice downhill road section to open your legs and stretch the field out before the narrow footpaths of the South West coast path.
Follow the road around to the right, past your first lighthouse and down the steeper hill onto the path. You run down here for about 300 yards before turning off to the right onto the coast path proper.
You then have the longest half marathon of your life.
There are some tiny runnable bits. Apart from that, you will find, streams, mud, rocks to climb, steep downhills and many, many uphills. The first drink/feed station will be at Gurnard's Head
This brings you into St Ives.
Your second feed station will be at Porthmeor beach
You follow the streets through St Ives to The Island or St. Ives Head. Around the headland and down to Porthgwidden Beach and on round to St Ives harbour front. This is all along the official coast path. We will help you where we can but there are a fair few acorns out there as well to show the way. Through St Ives, look left, its your second lighthouse then past the lifeboat station and on to Porthminster. From there, you climb up to Hain walk and continue along the road towards Carbis bay. Down the path, through the hotel complex, up the awful road hill before turning left onto the coast path again. You stay on this path through trees, mud, more hills until you reach the dunes. Stay high up, near the railway track, over the footbridge on your right and around the golf course to St Uny's Church at Lelant. Here is your third water/feed station.
You may think you have done the worst of it. It is now the mind sapping section of Lelant to Black Rocks in Hayle. Miles of open road and Hayle town.
After the church, make sure you turn down left, onto Green Lane and The Saltings. Once you have gone a mile or so, do not miss the tiny left turn into Saltings Reach, Through the hedge and turn right into the estate then left onto the B3301, the main road into Hayle. This is a very busy and fast road, please treat it with respect. You stay on the footpaths (NOT THE ROAD) all the way into Hayle. This is the only deviation from the coast path signs. DO NOT go round Carnsew Pool. Stay on the straight path into Hayle and DO NOT go up onto the cycle path on your right. We won't disqualify you, it just means you are doing extra milage.
Round Hayle harbour, along the grass towards Philps. Follow the road round then turn left over the bridge and run along the main road of North Quay before following the dirt track road up to Black Rocks car park. This is your last water/feed stop before the finish.
You are now entering the infamous Dunes of Doom.
There are a lot of slate signs showing the way but if you are unfamiliar with the area, it can be tricky.
The map I have done and the gpx route follow the exact coast path. I mapped it using satellite images rather than the OS marked path.
Once you have survived the dunes, you reach Gwithian Towans car park. Through you go, down a short hill and around to St Gothian Sands nature reserve. Do not miss the right turn up into the dune grass!
Through the reserve, over the nice new stone walkway and across the Red River. You can see the finish on your right but you've a little further to go yet and one more lighthouse to see.
Up the stairs, across the car park and follow the path beside the road. This is the second time, you will not follow the exact coast path..
Stay on the path all the way to the last car park. Marshals will guide you round the car park, grab a photo then send you back to the finish. Follow the same footpath (the only time the sea will be on your right), across the car park whilst giving hi fives to the runners going the other way then down the stairs.
You can now see the finish proper, round the left side of The Rockpool and there it is.
THE FINISH LINE!!

Zoom

This race is a point to point trail race on the Cornish Coast path.

It starts at Pendeen at 10 am and has an 8 1/2 hour cut off at Godrevy.

The run covers some of the most testing terrain you will find over 26.2 miles.

Race registration is at The Sunset Surf Cafe in Gwithian, 6.00 til 8.15 am

Buses after registration will depart at 8.30 sharp. These will take you to the start line for a 10 am race start.

The car park has free parking for the runners but we are also asking people to car share where possible. Bag drop is also here as well as great food to tuck into after your run

• Metal medal
• Lighthouse Marathon beer (Firebrand Brewing Co)
• Free coach transfer
• Omega medical cover

Quality waterproof jacket (10000 min)with taped seams
Cap, buff or similar
Hydration system (vest/pack) 1 ltr min
Reuseable cup
Nutrition
First aid kit with blister plaster
Bivvy Bag (not a foil blanket)
Whistle
Fully charged mobile phone
Gloves
Baselayer
£20 emergency money & photo ID

Headtorch 150 lumens minimum
Spare batteries

Just when you thought a marathon wasn't hard enough!
Let me explain
The lighthouse marathon runs from the homeground of Pendeen Rovers, Borlaise Park, along the Cornish
coast path to Godrevy.
This marathon has everything. Climbs, mud, bogs, rocks, boulders, tarmac, sand, water and more hills.
And last of all, the light.

The race starts at 10 am
With a generous 8 1/2 hour cut off, you have to beat the dark before you finish

The race start takes you down the road from Borlaise Park, past Pendeen lighthouse and onto the South West coast path, all the way to St Ives. The path then takes you through St. Ives, Carbis Bay, Lelant and Hayle before you join the Dunes of Doom. Find your way through the dunes, up around Godrevy and back to the Sunset Surf Cafe
This is a self navigation race but there will be marshals at key points to help guide you. Keep the sea to your left until Godrevy then its a little bit of the sea on your right.

There will be 4 aid stations, due to the remoteness of the route
Gurnards Head 6 miles
Porthmeor Beach 13 miles (5 hour cut off) strict!
Lelant Church 18 miles
Hayle (Black Rock) 22 miles ( 7 1/2 hour cut off) strict!

The lighthouse marathon takes challenging to another level but the rewards of a finish are priceless

I have ran it and I can tell you, I was happy to finish!
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Thank you to all the businesses that support us and all the volunteers. These events would never
happen without you
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Event Schedule
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Event HQ is at the Sunset Surf Cafe, Gwithian, TR27 5BT. There is free parking in the main car park. You are responsible for your own parking and the fees incurred.
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Registration and ID check is 6.00 to 8.15 am
We are situated in the function room to the rear of the building
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Coaches will depart from the main road at 8.30 sharp. These will take you to Borlaise Park
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The clubhouse at Borlaise Park will be open for tea and coffee, plus access to the toilets.
Event briefing is at 9.45 am, in front of the clubhouse
The start line is in the corner of the grounds, be ready at 9.55 am for the 10 am start
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We look forward to seeing you all back at the finish line and presenting you with your medal.
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Trophy presentation is at 4 pm
Trophies for 1st to 3rd Female and Male
Trophies for team and 'True Grit' are presented after the last runner has finished
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There is a bag drop in the venue. The venue and Bys Vyken Events hold no responsibility
for your belongings or for your car
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Health and Safety
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We do our absolute best to make sure your day goes swimmingly but sometimes things go wrong.
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If you are unwell, please do not turn up and try to run. The whole thing could unravel very quickly.
Look after yourself and your well being first
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In light of new government safety guidelines, please pay extra care attention when on the coast path or near large bodies of water. If you are unsure or feel unsafe, please make a marshal aware and we will get you to safety.
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Please dress appropriately for the weather, this is an autumn race and Cornish weather can change instantly.
Some parts of this course are very remote and therefore the kit list is mandatory
The kit list for this event is built on years of knowledge. We would not run without it

There will be no entries on the day and you will be asked for ID.
For safety and medical reasons, we must make sure nobody is running under someone else's name. It is foolhardy and dangerous
Please fill out all the details on the back of your bib number. This is in case you get into difficulties.
It also has our emergency contact numbers on it
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We have Omega Medical attending the event and looking after all the runners. They have been at every Bys Vyken event since 2016 and are thoroughly experienced. We would not trust anyone else
If at any point, you feel the need to retire from the event. Please get word to a marshal or contact us directly. We need to know that you are safe. You must return to HQ as we need the timer chip back please
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Please respect the environment and do not litter, deliberate acts of littering will be a disqualification
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Please overtake runners responsibly and also give way to other runners safely. Respect everyone
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The event is timed with ankle tags, so please think where you would like to be at the start line. May not be worth getting trampled on by the stampede.
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For your safety, we have a 8 1/2 hour cut off for this event with a 5 hour cut off at Porthmeor Beach.
Cut offs are there to make sure everyone can complete these events safely. We will have marshals out there all that time and sometimes the weather can be extremely demanding
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Other things to remember
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This is a point to point event. You will be passing each other on narrow paths. You are asked to respect each others distance and space when passing where you can. This includes the tourists and walkers you will encounter on the coast path.
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Sorry, no dogs are allowed to run in this event
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All ID shown must be a physical item, ie; drivers licence, passport
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All aid stations provide your standard fare for a race day, crisps, nuts, sweets and fruit. There are large water containers at each station as well as cola. Bys Vyken are a cup less events company so please bring your own.
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Please also be respectful at Borlaise Park and at Sunset Surf Cafe. They have allowed us to host our event here and we would like to come back again next year
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This next bit is very important.
We don't make these kit lists up for a jolly. If you get into difficulty on the course. This could very well save your life.
We very highly recommend that you put What3words app on your phone as well
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NO KIT = NO RACE
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Thank you for reading all of the above and we look forward to welcoming you all on the day