Nature Trail 8 hour challenge event at Ranscombe!

What do I get? 

You will receive,

1) A really special finishers medal, custom made and designed, not a generic one

2) A yummy goody bag 

3) A well stocked base camp with plenty of nibbles and refreshments for during and post race replenishment.

Where do I park?

It's always a bit tricky here as there isn't a lot available and even that isn't always available! We'll let you know in pre-race emails what are the available options, if in doubt, please park off site as it solves issues, its a little bit of a walk, but nothing excessive, won't cause congestion and you won't get stuck a field if it rains hard! Car sharing is always preferred if at all possible.

1) Entrance parking - there are ten spaces here, right by the entrance feel free to grab a space here if there is space.

2) Base camp parking - There is a lovely new car park here from January 2020, with about 30 spaces or so.

3) Field parking - If 1& 2 gets full then this is also an option. . If there has been any rain it's not great as its on a chalk slope, and wet chalk is like ice, so if in doubt and you don't have a four wheel drive then I'd think twice about this. It's fine getting out, its getting in which is more of an issue as getting out is downhill. If its dry generally its fine and we can fit about 30 cars in here, just park nose in towards the trees.

How do I get there? 

See photos below

When do I get my race number?

You'll pick this up on race day evening from the race base camp.

Are there time limits? 

Yes, seven hours to run as many laps as you can. You can finish at any time within the time limit and your final distance will be recorded along with your finishing time. Only complete laps within the 8 hours will be recorded or you must have left the aid station for your last lap by 7.00 hours after the start. Any runner completing over 26 miles will have completed marathon distance and will count as a marathon finish for the purposes of the 100 Marathon Club, if you complete over 27 miles then you've completed an ultra.

As long as you finish one lap then you'll receive an official finish time, medal and goody bag. With timed events there are no DNFs.

How are laps counted?

Depending on numbers we will either manually count laps or we'll dish out lap counting cards.  Attach this to yourself with a safety pin or cable tie. At the end of each loop get this punched through by one of the hole puncher people. So basically at the end of each lap, get your card punched, or ring the bell!

You'll have to tell us when you're finished, not the other way around. As it's a timed event you choose when you finish.

We'll have an “official finishers bell” for this purpose, when you're done for the day ring the bell and the goodies will be yours!

There are toilets at base camp now courtesy of our friends at SVN which are self compostable, this means only THREE things are to go down them. The three P's - Pee, Poo and Paper. Anything else mustn't go down there and be deposited in the bins/bags provided.

Do you have secure baggage facilities

No. But you're free to leave bags at the start/finish. There will always be someone around but we can't guarantee their security, in the event of rain we can't guarantee things won't get wet.

Can I leave my own drinks/food at the Base camp?

Yes no problem at all, however we encourage you to leave these at your bag or car to save space at the aid station.

Trail shoes? Road Shoes?

Trail shoes! Though even in February after the rain in winter, the majority of the paths were very runnable in road shoes, with the exception of a few patches where trail shoes would have kept us stable on the more slippy parts!

Is the course closed to the public?

No. We are using the Ranscombe Farm Reserve which is part of a network of local footpaths and trails and is shared with ramblers, dogwalkers, horseriders and cyclists. Runners do not have the right of way and need to be considerate of other users of the land. Please don't litter, we'll have a bin at the base camp.

Can I use an ipod or mp3 player on the course?

Yes. Though please be aware that you are running on public footpaths with the general public so make sure that you pay attention to cyclists, people, children on bikes, wildlife and so on.

The nearest train station is Cuxton and that's about half a mile away. (You can see the station in the parking map above).

What are the nearby hotels?

The closest Travelodge is at Rochester (1 Mile). Medway M2 (7 miles), Maidstone Central (8 miles)

The closest Premier Inns are at Rochester (1 mile), Gravesend Central (8 miles), Gillingham Business Park (8 miles).

The closest Holiday Inn hotels is at Holiday Inn Rochester (6 miles)

There are lots of B&Bs in the Rochester area, the Trip Advisor list of reviews starts here.

Camping sites in the area can be found here. (There is no camping or overnight parking allowed at Ranscombe)