Wendover Woods Weekender^®

Date and Time

The race will start at 2200 on Saturday 8th July 2023. A cut off of 9 hours will be in place, with 0700 Sunday the final time for runners to complete the course. There are further cut offs at the end of each loop.

Entries

Entries for 2023 will open at 1000 on Saturday 29th October 2022 and are available up to and including on the day. 

Those who volunteered over 8 hours of service to the race in 2022 are guaranteed 2023 entry. 

Entry fee is £70.

Qualification Standard

There are no minimum standards to achieve in order to take part in this event.

Cut Offs

Runners must finish the course within a 9 hour time limit. There is a cut off of 3 hours for each loop eg. Runners leaving to start Loop 2 more than 3 hours into the race, or Loop 3 more than 6 hours into the race will not be permitted to continue.

Start/ Finish Location

Registration, Start & Finish are in 'Trig Point Field', Aston Hill, Halton, Aylesbury, HP22 5NQ. The field is opposite Aston Hill Bike Park. 

Route

The race route consists of 3 x 10 mile loops on forest trails and tracks within Wendover Woods, woodland operated by Forestry England. 

The loop itself is a fraction over 10 miles bringing the course out at just under 50km. But remember it has 6,000ft of climb and GPS accuracy in the woods is not great! Come ready for roughly 30-31 miles of incredible forest trails.

A map of the route and a downloadable GPX file can be found at the bottom of this page. The route has 6,000 feet of climb, and 6,000 feet of descent.

Awards

Medal to finishers only. No Tee Shirts at this event. Additional Prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd Male and Female, plus Male and Female V40, V50, V60 and V70 age categories.

Aid Stations

The start/ finish location also acts as the aid station at the start/ end of each loop. Runners will make two visits there before finishing at the end of their third loop. The Hale Lane Aid Station falls at mile 5.5 of each lap and will therefore also be visited three times. Both aid stations will carry as a minimum: Tailwind, water, coke, chocolate, sweets, sandwiches, nuts, lots of fruit, Gu gels, wraps, sandwiches and other sweet and savoury snacks.

Drop Bags/ Finish Line Bags

Drop/ Finish Line Bags may be deposited at registration, whereupon they will be stored in number order and accessible to runners at the end of each loop. Bags should be clearly labelled with runners name and bib number. Drop bags must NOT exceed 45cm x 25cm x 25cm in size ie. the size of a large shoe box.

Course Markings

The course will be marked with Centurion reflective ribbons and Centurion reflective marker arrows. There are road crossings to negotiate but all roads are closed during the night so no vehicular traffic will be seen on the course.

Pacers

No pacers are permitted at any point on the route. 

Crew

No crews are permitted at any point on the route.

Supporters

Supporters are welcome anywhere out on course, with the exception of Hale Lane Aid Station.Please note, nothing must be handed to or received from runners out on course or in the field, that is deemed as crewing.

Medical

There will be a dedicated team of race medics available throughout the race including a static first aid team at the start/ finish check point and a roving team within the Woods. If you suffer an injury or accident that warrants direct medical attention, the medics will be on hand to provide you with exactly that. Contact numbers and full details of what to do in an emergency will be given to you in the pre race information packs and again at race registration. Due to the nature of the course ie. some remote and far from roads, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact tending to other runners. In those instances you should contact the emergency services on 999 AS WELL AS the race medics.

Kit

99% of the course is on trail, therefore trail shoes are advised. There are sections of trail which can become very muddy in wet conditions. The course takes a number of steep ascents and descents, many of which will become hard going in wet conditions, particularly as the race progresses. These sections must be negotiated carefully in both the dry and the wet. Runners must carry the following mandatory equipment at all times. 

There will be kit checks prior, during and after the race. Runners must carry the following mandatory equipment at all times. A time penalty of one hour will be imposed for any item found to be missing at any point on course. Please refer to this page for explanations on the inclusion of the below items. 

There are many options regards kit for fulfilling these requirements and those of other events. We stock what we believe to be the best options at our online store available by clicking here under the Mandatory Gear Section. Please ask us if you have any questions.

• Fully Charged Mobile Phone including the numbers for the Race Medic and Race Director (on the number you have given at registration)
• Survival Blanket: 1.4m x 2m minimum
• Whistle
• Waterproof Jacket: Gore-tex or similar, minimum 10000mm+ & must have sealed seams.
• The race is cupless which means you must bring a cup with you. Soft cups are available at the store here. 
• Primary light source/ head lamp out with them on the course - Minimum 75 Lumens
• Back Up Light source out with them on the course - Minimum 25 Lumens

The video below takes you through the mandatory gear for the race and gives some tips and advice on how to pack it.