Welsh Castles Relay - 7th/8th June

We have three teams: men, women and (mixed) vets. If you'd like to take part this year please register your interest here as soon as possible.

Once again we have had three teams accepted, which is great news especially for the older runners, even if it gives our organising committee a much bigger headache finding accommodation and working out logistics. Note that this year male vets must now be aged 40 or over.

The race starts in Caernarfon on Saturday morning and ends in Cardiff on Sunday afternoon with an awards presentation once the final team has finished. It consists of 20 stages ranging in distance from 8 to 14 miles passing many Welsh Castles in some challenging terrain and each team has 20 runners who each run one stage over the course of the weekend, with ten stages on Saturday and ten on Sunday. It is all run on roads and footpaths - not off road.

I know the stats look daunting, with Serpies winning both the men's and women's races regularly over the last few years but don't be afraid to sign up if you'd like to take part. In a team of twenty the standard required even for a winning team is far wider than you might imagine. It's our strength in depth that gives us the edge.

Team Captains

Men: Simon Barrett
Women: Sarah Pemberton
Vets: Lars Olsen
Contact: welshcastles@serpentine.org.uk

Register herebefore 10th May (we must declare runners in advance)

Please note that registering does not guarantee a place on a team as we will be trying to get the best three teams to Wales. Volunteering to drive probably does guarantee a place! Keeping 6th-8th June free in your diary also helps (you'd be amazed how many sign up each year then forget to keep the weekend free!) The team captains will be in regular contact about the make-up of the teams over the coming weeks.

Logistics

Around 40-45 Serpies will travel to Caernarfon on Friday 6th June to be ready for the race start at 10am on the 7th. On Saturday 7th June, more Serpies will travel from London to meet the race around stage 5 or 6. Some Serpies will head back to London during Saturday once they have raced. Everyone stays in B&Bs near the half-way point in Newtown. On Sunday it's an early start for the first stage and the race finishes in Cardiff at tea-time. It's likely a few Serpies running later stages will join the teams during Sunday.

Taking over 60 Serpies to Wales is a major logistical challenge and behind the scenes I'm already indebted to Sarah Pemberton for sorting out accommodation, and to Liz Wynn and Paul Fromme for (once again) taking on the lead roles for logistics and planning. We'll be taking at least five, and probably six vehicles to Wales including at least three minibuses so we need drivers. Please volunteer to drive if you can.

Ian Hodge
Competition & Team Events Coordinator
ihodge@serpentine.org.uk

Submitted: 21 March 2014

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