Sunday 14th June 2015 Welcome to the first Yeovil Marathon and thanks for joining us. Parking and Loos Keep it Clean The Event Car Park is situated by the Nuffield Sports Pavilion opposite the Fleet Air Arm Museum. This is a purpose built Car Park but please obey the directions from any marshals if it is full. BA22 8HT The Race is held on Public roads and small Villages around the route, pleased help by disposing of any Gels, Bottles or any other rubbish at the Aid Stations or rubbish bags on the route. There are plenty of Aid stations to dispose of Rubbish. Thanks Changing and Toilets. There are several changing rooms and will be designated male and female. These are situated at the Nuffield Sports Pavilions and another set by the athletics track close to the Start/Finish. Toilets are situated at the Nuffield pavilions and there will be 6 portaloos and 1 urinal unit close to the athletics track. Registration Your race number and timing chip will be available for collection from 07.45 and will close at 08.45 from one of our large marquees. The packs will be separated alphabetically, so please help us by queuing behind your own relevant Surname letter. Road Protocol The Route is around the roads of RNAS Yeovilton and they are narrow in places so please run on the left hand side of the road in single file wherever possible. Traffic should be light but there are Churches on Route and being a Sunday there will be Services on in the morning. Bag Drop Off Race Start We will have an undercover bag collection point in one of the large marquees. Make sure you bag is clearly labelled with your race number before dropping it off. Your registration pack will have a luggage label for this purpose. The race start is on the athletics track, look for the banners and start/finish arch. The start will be at 09.00 so please get to the start area by 08.50 ready for a race brief. There will be sections at the start that correspond to race duration, please stick to your estimated race time, this way we will reduce the amount of tripping up at the start. Don’t forget to make sure your race chip is securely fitted to your trainers, no chip – no time. Marathon Route Water Stations Once you leave the athletics track you are on open public roads. There will be marshals at all road junctions, they are there for your protection but they have no power to stop traffic, so obey all INSTRUCTIONS from the marshals. The use of headphones that cover your ears or are placed in your ear are banned from the race and anyone with them will be disqualified and your time will not be published, however “open ear” (bone conducting) headphones will be permitted. The Race Director’s decision will be final in any dispute. There are 4 water stations around the lap, roughly spaced every 3 miles. At each station there will be bottles of water with sports caps. We will have Jelly Babies available at some and we are still awaiting delivery of some GU gels that will be placed at some. We will also be giving you the chance to be treated as an elite athlete, how, by providing you with the opportunity to have your own energy drinks placed at the water stations. At the registration area there will be 4 boxes for you to place your clearly labelled bottles that will then be taken to the water stations and placed on the tables ready for you to collect on your way round. All discarded bottles will be placed in bin bags for the recycling. Could you keep any empty gel packs with you till a water station and not just discard them along the route please. Finish Area When you get back to the athletics track you will run the final 300 meters anti-clockwise around the track and finish next to the grandstand. As you make your way through the finishing funnel we will have people there to remove your race chips, then you will receive your medal, goody bag and some hydration. Please make your way back to the tented area to collect your bag and take advantage of a massage. Inside your goody bags will be various items and if you are lucky enough there will be spot prizes, so please have a good look through whilst you are still on the site. Presentation of Prizes Children’s Fun Run Prizes will be presented at 1300 by Mark Ormrod, a former Royal Marine and now a motivational speaker. The Yeovilton Military Wives Choir will be singing either side of the presentations. These will be in the same marquee as the bag drop off. There will be a children’s fun run starting at 10.00 and will be free to enter for children up to the age of 16, but we will be asking for a small donation of £1 that will go to the 2 charities. All the entrants will receive a medal and a tub of ice cream on completion. Register your child/children next to the marathon registration point. Event Area Food and Refreshments Inside the event area will be a number of stalls for you to browse. There will be a sweet and gift stall, Usborne books, Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity, Yeovilton Military Wives Choir, Tony Pryce and Juice Plus. Em-Ben Bouncy castle hire will be there and will be free to use, but they will ask for a small donation. They will also have their ice cream wagon too that will be chargeable. Sodexo will be operating the Nuffield Pavilion bar and a BBQ which will be chargeable. On the Yeovilton Military Wives Choir stall will be cakes as well. Spectators A few notices for anyone coming to spectate. Although the event is being held on a Sunday and is fairly enclosed I would like to ask that you keep an eye on your children as the access roads will become very busy especially at the beginning of the event, race start and finish and as people are leaving the site. Dogs are allowed but please can you keep them on their leash and if applicable keep a muzzle fitted. If you are planning on going around the route to spectate then please be considerate to the athletes that are running. Where appropriate please use the paths or wide grassed areas. If you would like to smoke then can you please use the smoking area outside the Nuffield Pavilions.