2016 Bush Capital Bush Marathon Festival newsletter, 4 August 2016
NOTE: Online entries close at 5pm on Friday. Please enter online before then. Late entries will be accepted on the day on each race day but are an admin headache for the organisers.
1. Registration centre, start/finish, and car parking for both days
The start/finish and registration tent is on the north side of Campbell High School, outside the gymnasium which has male and female toilets and change rooms. Only 100 metres away there is plenty of parking at the CSIRO Headquarters car park. To access this from Limestone Avenue turn on to Quick Street in Ainslie then turn right in to Hayley Street and follow it south for 300 metres to the CSIRO car park.
Please download a copy of the start/finish map, event program, course maps and other event information at http://www.coolrunning.com.au/calendar/public_html/2016/2016e011.pdf
2. Course and drink station changes
The 16km and half marathon/marathon courses needed to be re-routed last weekend to avoid a flooded area on the eastern Mt Ainslie trail and avoid risking damaging the management trail. Distances are the same. Please study the new courses in the event information.
This has necessitated relocating the first drink station from north of Campbell Park offices to the Hackett hill fire trail after 6.5 km. The second drink station will be adjacent to the Canberra Nature Park carpark off Mackenzie Street Hackett, 100m north of the intersection with Grayson Street. A third drink station will be provided for Sunday’s half marathon and marathon at the course turnaround point in Oldfields Lane management trail, 100m from Antill Street, Watson.
A further change is that there will also be a portaloo on the course at the Mt Ainslie Road crossing and another in the Mackenzie Street carpark next to the Hackett drink station.
3. Event program
SATURDAY 6 August 2016
9.00am 16km bush run and 16km bush walk
11.00am 10km run and walk
11.10am Under 13 years 2km children’s run
11.40am 5km run & walk
SUNDAY 7 August 2016
8.00am 42.2km bush marathon run; half marathon walk
9.00am 21.1km bush half marathon run
Arrival time for your event
It is recommended that you aim to arrive 1 hour to 45 minutes prior to your start time to allow sufficient time to find a parking spot, walk to the start/finish area, (collect a pre-ordered race T shirt or purchase one), warm up, visit the toilets, and attend the compulsory pre-start briefing 5 minutes before each start.
4. Weather forecast (see http://www.bom.gov.au/act/forecasts/canberra.shtml)
The current weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is as follows but may change.
Both Saturday and Sunday: Minus 1 minimum, 13 maximum. Sunny. Partly cloudy. Patchy morning fog. Areas of morning frost. Light winds.
Please bring appropriate clothing both to run or walk in, and to change into afterwards. Such as beanie, gloves, and a windproof lightweight jacket. After all the rain, there are many puddles on the course and short patches of muddy ground. You should be able to avoid these but there is also a chance of getting wet shoes and socks. So a change of shoes and socks after finishing is recommended.
5. Race numbers and T shirt orders and sales
Race numbers have been posted to all people entered up to 9am Wednesday but make take a few days to arrive in the mail. If your chest number does not turn up in the post, 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 $30 (please assist by having correct money). Race numbers for all runners and walkers MUST be worn on the front of the chest clothing and clearly visible as you approach the finish line. This is essential for the finish line recorders and to assist in finalising results if a time is missed or there is some other recording mishap.
6. 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 Australia 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.
7. Having a bad day on the day
If you are doing the marathon on Sunday, you can cut short and just complete the half marathon and go in the results for that event. However, you must advise the finish recorder you have done this. You will not be eligible for a place getter trophy if you swap to a shorter distance.
8. Toilets and change rooms
There are male and female toilets and change rooms at ground floor level in the Campbell high gymnasium, just near the start/finish. See the map at http://www.coolrunning.com.au/calendar/public_html/2016/2016e011.pdf
Please arrive early and warm up early and visit the toilets early to avoid a queue. Races will be starting on time.
9. Campbell High School security system
Please do not walk close to any parts of the school building apart from the gymnasium, as this will set off the security alarm.
10. 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.
11. Finish arrangements
STEP 1: Please ensure that your chest number is fully visible on the front of your jacket or T shirt as you approach the finish line. 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 Registration, 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. If you are on a gluten-free diet, there will be a box of gluten free muesli bars available.
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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
We are also required to advise you that Mt Ainslie many years ago was an army firing range and a few unexploded ordinances have been found in recent years. You will not encounter any such things on the Bush Capital Bush Marathon Festival trails. However, if you venture off the trail for any reason (such as answering a call of nature) and encounter any metal objects on the ground, stay right away from them and do not pick them up. If they look at all like an unexploded military device, please report the location to police.
14. Marathon drink stations
The marathon does 2 laps of the half marathon course. There will be a drink station at the start/finish turnaround where you may put your own special drinks and food. There will also be drink stations at the 6.5km, 9.4 km, 12.8km and 16km points on each lap, with water, sports drink, jubes and other lollies.
15. Race time limits and intermediate cut off times
In the interests of competitor safety and fairness to the volunteer helpers, there are time limits and cut off times. Competitors not achieving the cut off point time in the marathon at the end of 1 lap must withdraw from the marathon at that point but will be included in the results for the half marathon. The course is hilly by marathon standards, and the second 21.1 km lap tends to be significantly slower.
16. Photography
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 call ‘no photographs’ to any photographer you see.
17. Do you have friends who would like to participate?
Please encourage them to register online as soon as possible at https://www.registernow.com.au/secure/Register.aspx?E=21520 Online entries close at 5pm on Friday. While late entries on the day will be accepted, this causes a considerable data entry workload and delays publication of results. So please enter online.
You can also log in there and see who has entered.
18. Helpers
More helpers are needed on both days. If you can help, click on the Volunteer form on www.mountainrunning.coolrunning.com.au Helpers receive a reward: choice of a T shirt, bottle of wine or chocolate. Specific jobs where help is needed:
* lead bike for 16km run on Saturday
* registration tent helper on Saturday and Sunday
* finish marshal on Saturday and Sunday
* Start/finish drink station and post race drinks/food station on Saturday and Sunday
19. Event queries
Please do not email event queries on Friday. Course marking, finalising start lists, filling water containers and packing all the gear for the weekend takes all day from dawn until late at night. Please read this newsletter and the event information and your question should have been answered.
20. Events coming up after this weekend
Every month:
1st Tuesday Mt Ainslie Run Up and Power Walk , 2.3 km, 12.45pm Treloar Cres, Campbell
3rd Tuesday Black Mountain Run Up and Power Walk , 2.6 km, 12.45pm Clunies Ross St, Acton (200m east of Botanic Gardens entrance).
20 August: Bilpin bush run, http://www.bilpinbushrun.com.au/
20 & 21 August: Wagga Wagga Trail Running Weekend. http://waggatrailmarathon.com/
25 September: Sri Chinmy Trail Ultra, Canberra. http://au.srichinmoyraces.org/canberratrailultra
15-16 October: Hume & Hovell Ultra. NEW 100 mile and 22 km to add to the 100km, 100km relay and 50 km. Based at Tumbarumba.www.humehovellultra.com
16 October: Run With The Wind 5km and 10km fun runs, Tarago. runwiththewind.com.au
23 October – Mt Majura Vineyard One Peak 12km and Two Peaks 20 km runs and power walks, Mt Majura Vineyard ACT
13 November – Deep Space Mountain Marathon, Half Marathon 10k and 5k runs and Half Marathon 10k and 5k walks, Honeysuckle Creek camp ground, Apollo Road, Namadgi National Park.
18 December – Tour de Ridges 21.2k, 15.3k and 10.6k runs and 15.3k and 10.6k walks, Mawson Sports Fields.
Finally, enjoy yourself and have a good time.
John Harding
Race Director
Australian Mountain Running Association