SATURDAY 28 and SUNDAY 29 JULY – BUSH CAPITAL BUSH MARATHON FESTIVAL
SATURDAY 28 July Campbell High School, junction of Treloar Cres and Limestone Ave. 9am 16km bush run and 16km bush walk; 11am 5km and 10km walks; 12pm Under 13 years 2km children’s run; 12.30pm 10km run; 12.35pm 5km run
SUNDAY 29 July 2012 Goorooyarroo and Mulligans Flat Nature reserves, Horsepark Drive, Gungahlin (600 metres west of the Federal Highway). 7.30am 63.3km ultra run, marathon walk; 8.30am 42.2km bush marathon run; half marathon walk; 9.30am 21.1km bush half marathon run
Online entry is open until 5pm Friday 27 July. Please enter online to greatly reduce the post event data entry workload.
Full event information and online entry is available at http://www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au/events/bmarathon/2012/index.php
Late entries will be accepted on race day each day but please arrive to do so at least 45 minutes before the start time of your event as there will be queues for both registration and toilets. If you want to enter late for an event on Sunday, it will assist if you register on Saturday anytime between 9am and 12.30pm.
Bush Capital Bush Marathon Festival newsletter 2: 26 July 2012
1. Weather update
The current weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is
Saturday: Partly cloudy, light winds. Minus 1 to 14 degrees.
Sunday: Partly cloudy. Light winds. Minus 1 to 14 degrees.
Please bring appropriate clothing both to run or walk in, and to change into afterwards.
2. Race numbers and T shirt orders
Race numbers have been posted to all people entered by Wednesday and to Canberra residents who entered on Thursday by 5pm. If your chest number does not turn up in the post on Friday, a replacement can be provided at the registration tent. T shirts ordered can only be collected from the registration tent on race day. A limited number of high quality Coolmax T shirts will be on sale for $35 (please assist by having correct money).
Race numbers must be worn on the chest clothing and clearly visible as you approach the finish line, to assist the finish line recorder and to assist if a time is missed or some other recording mishap.
If you are competing on both Saturday and Sunday, please use your chest number from Saturday again on Sunday.
3. Pre event injuries and ill health
Each year some runners start the events with pre-existing injuries which they managed by taking pain killers pre-start and while out on the course. The Sports Medicine attendants have said that this is extremely dangerous, both to health and to masking pain from an impending stress fracture or muscle or ligament failure. Please DO NOT START in these circumstances.
You can also swap to a shorter distance or do one of the bush walks if those are manageable within the constraints of the injury.
4. Having a bad day on the day
If you are doing one of the longer events, you can cut short and just complete a shorter event and go in the results for that event. However, you must advise the finish recorder you have done this.
5. Toilets
There will be 3 portaloos just near the start/finish on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. There are no men’s and women’s toilets open at the school this year.
6. Parking
Saturday: We do not want to upset the War Memorial by filling up its carpark. Alternatives include Euree St, Reid only 100m from the registration area, Treloar Crescent, and the CSIRO carpark off Limestone Avenue.
Sunday: Please take care turning off Horsepark Drive (80 kms per hour road) to the assembly area. There is plenty of parking in the grassed areas either side of the dirt track, and to the left as you come off Horsepark Drive.
7. Campbell High School security system
Please do not walk close to the building as this will set off the security alarm.
8. Start arrangements
All competitors in each event must be at the start line 5 minutes before the start for a compulsory pre-race briefing. This is a compulsory requirement in respect of the event risk management procedures agreed by the ACT government approval agencies.
9. Finish arrangements
STEP 1: There will be a finish shute funnelling you to a finish recording tent. In that tent you must go to the finish recorder for your event and have your chest number recorded. If you have timed yourself with a GPS or stopwatch device, please advise your time to the recorder if there is not a significant queue. This helps double check times.
STEP 2: Take off your chest number and go to the Registration tent, hand in your chest number and collect your race mug .
STEP 3: You can get a muesli bar or chocolate bar and a cup of soft drink or sports drink from a table near the finish area.
Water: Providing sufficient water for hundreds of runners at the finish in addition to soft drink and sports drink is a major logistical problem. If you are a Canberra local, can you please assist by bringing your own water bottle. Thank you.
10. Results processing
The Bush Capital Bush Marathon Festival is wholly organised by volunteers who have real jobs and are doing this in their spare time. We try to keep entry fees low and do not hire an electronic chip company for timing. However, this means it can take a couple of days to process and double check the results before publishing the results as a news announcement on the website www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au Please be patient.
11. Out on the courses
Nearly all of each of the courses is within Canberra Nature Park. As a condition of access, Park Management has requested that runners and walkers do not drop empty cups or empty gels or other rubbish along the way, and that all such material is left in the garbage bags at each drink station.
Photographers will be taking photos of as many participants as possible. These will be published afterwards in online photo albums and some will be published in Run For Your Life magazine and similar magazines. If you do not want your photo published, please let me know your name and chest number to ensure it is deleted.
Finally, enjoy yourself and have a good time.
John Harding
Race Director