SURREY BADGER HALF, Leatherhead Leisure Centre, Surrey

5 September 2010, 9am, out and back (NOW FULL)

Runners World readers voted this race as one of the top 50 in the UK last year.  This fantastic event in the beautiful Mole Valley Countryside offers a challenging target for those wishing to complete a scenic half marathon for the first time.  It is also perfectly placed for those training for an autumn marathon.

Starting from Leatherhead Town Centre the route follows bridle ways heading out towards Mickleham before turning right into Norbury Park allowing exploration of the beautiful Surrey Countryside.  In fact, the managers of the land, the Surrey Wildlife trust, were the inspiration for the name of the race, the Badger being their logo.   The course is an out and back over multi terrain and has a fast, flat start and finish but is a tad bumpy in the middle.  If you're really lucky, you might see one of the Surrey Badgers the area is famed for.

The historic market town of Leatherhead is billed as 'the gateway to the Surrey Hills'.  It provides an excellent base for visitors wishing to explore the area.  Located just off Junction 9 of the M25, Leatherhead is very easy to get to.  Fast road and rail links also provide easy access to central London.

Race Entry

Entries are now open for this event.  Click here to down load an entry form or enter online at Sport Systems.  You will be presented with a goodie bag with technical tee-shirt and bottle of Badger Ale.

Registration

Final instructions can be downloaded here.  You will be required to pick your number up on the day.  Please ensure you leave plenty of time to do so.  The final entry list is here.

The Route

The first and last 4 miles of the course are out and back on a fairly flat route with a single loop of around 5 miles.  The course is mult-terrain encompassing tarmac, bridlepaths, grass and muddy tracks.  The course is undulating with a steady climb for about 2 miles up to the Sawmill (of course, that does mean a steady descent on the way back).  There are five water stations en route.  As well as water, jelly babies will be available.  Energy drink will also be located at around 5 and 8 mile markers.

Race HQ

The race HQ is Leatherhead Leisure Centre.  There are toilets, showers and secure baggage facilities available.  Run to Live, the local running specialist will be onsite with a store with lots of goodies available for purchase.  Refreshments will also be available for purchase at the HQ.

Team Fine Fettle with be there with a massage team to massage your aches away for a small fee.

Getting There and Parking

Leatherhead is situated just off Junction 9 of the M25.  Use the Google gadget on this page for directions.  There is plenty of car parking at the Race HQ and in various public car parks around the town centre.  Leatherhead British Rail station has very good rail links from London Victoria, London Waterloo and Dorking. 

Race Start

Please note there is a 10 minute walk from the Race HQ to the start.  Please ensure you get there in plenty of time.  The toilets in the town centre will be open early on race morning.

Race Photography

Sussex Sport photography will be taking photographs around the course.  The link will appear here shortly.

Health and Safety

There is no doubt that this course is challenging.  You need to be fit and well to start this race.

Do not run the race if you feel unwell or have recently been unwell, even if you are raising money for charity.  Most medical emergencies during races occur in people who have been unwell but do not wish to miss the event.  If you feel feverish, have been vomiting, have had severe diarrhoea or any chest pains, or otherwise feel unwell, then it is unfair to you, your family, your charity and the race support staff to risk serious illness and become a medical emergency.  You are unlikely to do yourself justice, and there are many other races that you will be able to compete in.

Please note, in the interest of safety, MP3 players and similar devices using headphones will not be allowed.  You will be disqualified if you are seen to use them.

Withdrawals & Transfers

From the moment we begin to organise an event, we start to incur costs. Your entry fee is invested into the cost of staging the event – everything from the start and finish venues, to printing, to safety pins, from race numbers to marketing and VAT. Organising any event requires a considerable amount of forward planning, risk and expense.  For this reason we are not able to offer a refund if you wish to withdraw. 

However, in the event you are not able to run, if you can find a replacement, your place may be transferred.  Please contact Sport Systems on 01737 814844 with any changes.  The deadline for any changes is the Sunday before the race.  Most race directors will charge an admin fee for this service, we do not.  Please do not run with someone else’s number, you will not be covered under UK Athletics Insurance and in the event of you becoming unwell out on the course, we will not have any contact details for you or your family. 

Race Awarding Body

This race is run under UK Athletics rules.  Permit number 2010-100737 applies.

Marshals

As always, the success of any race is often determined by the selfless volunteering of many marshals.  If you would like to help, then please see our marshal page for more details

The Charity

A donation from the Badger will go to the Rainbow Trust Children's Charity.  Rainbow Trust's family support workers provide non-medical care in a family's own home by helping out with practical chores such as taking siblings to school, doing the food shopping and attending hospital appointments.

If you would like to raise money to celebrate your half marathon and support the charity then just giving.com can assist with this.  You can down load instructions for setting up your own justgiving page here.  If you wish to find out more about the great work the Rainbow Trust do or access other events run by them, the link to their website is here.  So far, the Badger has raised £5,000 for the Rainbow Trust.

The Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is a Registered Charity No. 1070532

Thanks

This event is generously supported in 2010 by Asics running shoes and apparel, Ronhill, the leading British apparel running brand, Powerbar nutrition and Hall and Woodhouse Brewery.