It's back with a brand new medal design!
We are extremely excited to bring back the Black Hugin Challenge with a reboot.
You may remember that the Black Hugin was our very first event back in 2021, it "should" have been at Pegwell and "should" have been at night, due to Covid we had to change the location and time. We can now reveal that this event will be under the watchful gaze of the Hugin Viking Ship itself, with our base camp set up under it's shadow!
The 'Viking Ship' Hugin is on permanent display on the Pegwell Bay cliff top at Ramsgate, and is a replica Viking Longship. The medal for this event depicts this in all it's glory.
You'll start your challenge in sunlight, with sunset is at 7.10pm easing into twilight ending in complete darkness depending on how long you are running until. If you are planning on running over 2.5 hours, headlamps and torches are essential!
Course details
Plan A is a 3.28 mile loop starting near to the Hugin Viking ship and heading off down the "slope" towards pegwell nature reserve, you will then do a loop around the nature reserve before heading back up the "slope" past the viking ship along the path until you get to a turning that leads you down to the old hover port you will then cut through a very short trail section before heading back to the start. At this point you can choose whether to head off on another loop or ring the bell and claim your medal and goody bag. The course is subject to change as we do have a couple of variations.
Date :- Saturday 14th September 2024
Start :- 4.00pm
Location :- The Viking Ship Hugin
Sandwich Rd
Cliffsend
CT12 5HY
Entry :- £39.95
Course :-3.28 mile loops
Event :- 6 hour challenge event
Changes :- The cut off date for requests to change entries will be 7th of September 2024
What do I get?
You will receive,
1) A really special finishers medal, custom made and designed, not a generic one
2) A nice sized goody bag.
3) A well stocked base camp with plenty of nibbles and refreshments for during and post race replenishment.
Where do I park?
There is tonnes of free parking right by where our base camp will be, under the shadow of the viking ship Hugin. There is also limited parking on the road and a small car park at the bottom of the hill.
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, six hours to run as many laps as you can. You can finish at any time within the 6 hours and your final distance will be recorded along with your finishing time.
Any runner completing 8 laps will have completed marathon distance and will count as a marathon finish for the purposes of the 100 Marathon Club, if you complete 9 or more laps then you've completed an ultra. As long as you finish one lap then you'll receive an official finish time and medal. With timed events there are no DNFs as long as you complete one lap.
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/night, ring the bell and the goodies will be yours!
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?
The route is suitable for road shoes.
Is the course closed to the public?
No. We are using the part of the Viking Coastal Trail and public areas, certainly at the beginning of the event we may be sharing the route with ramblers, dogwalkers, horseriders and cyclists. However as darkness draws in these will be at a minimum. 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 so please deposit any rubbish in these.
What on course facilities do you provide?
Water, squash, nibbles, starter, timekeeper and encouragement every lap! Our Base station will be well stocked for all runners.
Are there any facilities at the start/finish area?
There is a wonderful cafe on site who have kindly agreed to stay open for the some of the duration of the event. There are specific toilets at the cafe, which we will have use of all evening.
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.