RACE DAY INFO
VIGILANTES MARAVAN FESTIVAL: Sat 25th and Sun 26th November 2023
Please find below the race day info for this year’s Maravan.
Race Venue: Haven Cleethorpes Beach Holiday Park (which is still signposted by its old name of “Thorpe Park” all over. Postcode is DN36 4GG.
If you’re travelling from the south/east of Cleethorpes (Louth/Marshchapel/Mablethorpe) please be aware that there are roadworks causing delay by Cleethorpes Country Park (half way between Tesco and the Holiday Park.) Please allow extra time
Number collection: Either on race day morning, or the Friday night at the “Expo”. If you’re collecting on race day, please come to the start/finish area before 8:45. We’ll try to mark the area up with flags. Numbers will be available from the “Timing Monkey” van.
“Expo”: On Friday night the core team - Norma, Darren and Matt meet up at the Brewer’s Fayre by the Cleethorpes Premier Inn, DN35 0FB, to work out any last minute issues, but you’re welcome to come down and meet us, buy us a pint, pick up numbers, or get last minute information!
We will accept entries or upgrades at the Expo if you know someone who forgot to enter, or if you fancy doing a marathon instead of a half. You can pay by card/Apple/Google Pay if you prefer
We will have a couple of tables set aside and some vouchers for money off food. The table’s booked from 6, so one of us will be there then, assuming no last-minute emergencies.
If you want to start early on Saturday morning, we would prefer you to collect your number on Friday night. Likewise, if you are a relay team and you’re all planning on arriving at different times, it would be best if one member of your team could collect all the numbers on Friday night.
If you’re local, or staying at the Premier Inn, you’re also welcome to pick numbers up on Friday night to save us a bit of work in the morning.
Parking:
PLEASE DON’T PARK ON ANY GRASS.
All the car parks on the campsite are within a minute or so from the start:
A MAP SHOWING THE PARKING NEAR THE START AREA IS HERE
Registration: Next to the Touring Reception, a short walk from the start, and right by the finish from about 7.30am each day, where there will hopefully be a Gazebo set up, unless it’s windy. You can follow signs to the “Touring Reception” from all over the campsite.
Race Briefing: 8:50 by the Touring Reception, then we’ll walk the 150m or so to the start.
Numbers: Every runner has their own number each day, and a timing chip. We have some pins, but if possible bring your own.
Start: The race starts for everyone at 9am. However, as every year, we make allowance for slower/injured runners to start early. Please speak to us on Friday night if you’d like more information about early starts, so we can plan our morning’s work. On Sunday, the half marathon group start will immediately follow the marathon group start, as half marathoners start in a different direction and run a slightly shorter course.
Time limit: Officially the race ends at 4pm. We’re prepared to stay outside until it gets dark. Once it's dark then your safety comes into play. You must start your final lap before sunset. Thie 4pm is a hard cut-off on Sunday because I need to take down the course and go home to my kids. Sunset on Sunday is 15:50! By 16:30 it will be dark.
Water/Food: There's a feeding station at the finish, therefore every 6km, giving out water, squash and cola. You can leave your own stuff there. We would like to move towards a cupless event, so if possible, please bring your own drinking vessel. We’d prefer you to use your own cup/bottle, which we can fill for you.
There will be plenty of snacks available for runners. If you bring something to share please let Norma know that it’s for community consumption. There are nut-free, meat-free, animal-free and gluten-free options. However, due to the nature of a feeding station we cannot guarantee that there will be no cross-contamination.
Bins: If you have any rubbish, please use bins. There are dozens of them, all over the park.
Shop: The NISA shop on the caravan park, right by the race village, is opening at 8am for us on both Saturday and Sunday, for your pre-race coffee/snack needs. On Saturday they’ll stay open until about 4pm, and on Sunday they’ll close at about 1.
Toilets: There will be four portable toilets at the finish line. Obviously, queues for these could get interesting. They will be available for the duration of the event. I cannot guarantee that any other unit on the caravan park will be open. Please don’t water or soil the environs.
Route:
FULL+RELAY: Seven laps, with a little bit at the beginning and end to make up the distance. The lap is 3.7 miles, measured on a Garmin Forerunner 235. http://www.strava.com/routes/11155903. As this lap is as close as dammit to 6km, there will be km markers every km for 1-6 (it’ll get a bit silly if I put 7 markers at each point). They’re there as a guide, more to reassure you that you’ve not gone wrong than as a super-precise timing point, and to help identify your location in case of an emergency.
HALF (SUNDAY ONLY): Four laps (with a slight fiddle at the beginning). The lap is 3.3 miles. Please note that the start/finish is in a different location this year than on the map here: https://www.strava.com/routes/11155979. The start/finish is by the Touring Reception on the campsite. The half marathon runners take a shortcut at the end of the grass track. This will be well marked!
It will be marked by around 100 yellow and black signs, placed at regular intervals, plus some flour arrows. In a couple of locations where there have been navigation issues in previous years, there will also be stakes and tape to keep you on the right path. I'll ensure that the laps are clearly marked the weekend before and will double check. There is one corner which I know is awkward and I’ll have a marshal there. There are two crossings of minor public roads where YOU MUST ABIDE BY THE MARSHAL’S INSTRUCTIONS.
Shoes: The course is predominantly on-road, with a couple of short sections of off-road/grass running (it comes in at just over the 2.6km that I need to make it a road race). Road shoes would be my choice although it might be prudent to take care on the off-road section, which can get muddy. It should be wide enough for you to find a decent line. It’s recently been wet, so I don’t recommend box-fresh shoes. Carbon soles are no good to you here!
You'll pass through all areas of the park and briefly in the Fitties area along a public Right of Way. Most of the caravans on the park have been decommissioned for the winter, but there are still people living in the Fitties, so please be considerate. The Fitties houses look more like brick-built holiday homes than the caravans on Thorpe Park.
We are not forecast ice this year although we are forecast rain and it has been wet.
Finish: Once you have finished, (if you’ve run a solo race, collect some goodies), then do what you can to keep warm. I recommend going to the Trawlerman for their carvery, or to the Brewers’ Fayre. The ‘goody bag’ for the marathon runners contains food and drinks. It goes without saying that the pubs won't be happy if you consume those on their premises. I’ve bought a few cans of beer, which I’m happy to share with adult friends, whether they have entered a race or not, but I don’t have enough for everyone to go crazy.
I'll trust you to swap around goodies so that the vegans get a decent clutch. I don't need to know if you're a vegetarian, as I won't be forcing a rack of ribs onto anyone, but if you can let me know if you're vegan (I know of a few) I can keep back a packet of suitable crisps and maybe some cafe biscuits or Oreos for you. It'll also let me know if I might want to bake something special.
Relay: The relay starts at 9am on Saturday 25th November at the same time and place as the main event. We would like the relay runners and the bulk of the soloists to start together, but if you have a compelling reason to start early, let us know at Expo. We need the names of the runners in advance this year, please, so that we can give everyone a split time for their laps.
The relay consists of seven laps, each lap 3.7 miles with an additional 0.6 miles or so at the finish. Each runner in your team takes it in turns to run. Once you have run a total of seven laps between you, you have finished. There is no baton this year. The next runner may begin their lap as soon as the previous runner has crossed the finish mat.
Medals will be given to people who have completed at least one lap. You are welcome to have the drinks and snacks laid on for the maravan runners, but I request that you don't use it as your main meal of the day and leave some for maravan finishers. There are many lovely pubs and restaurants in Cleethorpes if you wish to make a day of it!
Any questions between now and then, please feel free to get in touch. I'm excited and nervous in equal measure of seeing you all on Saturday, or even Friday night.
Cheers,
Darren