HARP24 2022 Race Manual - the 24-hour running festival in Essex, UK

HARP24 2022 -Race Manual

Timetable of Events

RECENT UPDATES

Section 4. Removed mention of lanyards explaining these are no longer needed.

Section 4. Changed from chips on laces to chips on race numbers

Camping Section - added link to Camping & Parking details

Food Section - removed mention of Wrapsters (Wraps and Sandwiches) as they are no longer able to attend

Saturday 18th June

8am-11am - Registration open, camping pitches allocated
8am - Course open for inspection
11.30am - Race briefing. Please attend so that we can run through some important points about HARP24
11.50am - Runners begin to line up at the start
12pm - HARP24 2022 begins!

2.30pm - HARP2.4 Junior Fun Run registration opens at the registration table
3pm - HARP2.4 Junior Fun Run begins
5pm-10pm - Evening BBQ begins
9.00pm - Sunset. All runners must carry a light from this point
11.30pm-7am - Quiet time on the campsite

Saturday 19th June

4.45am - Sunrise.....only 7 1/4 hours to go!
5 -10am - BBQ Breakfast
12pm - Race finishes. All runners to complete the lap they are on
12.30pm approx. Prize presentation for all categories, raffle drawn

Need to Know

Continuing to Go Green in 2022
HARP24 is continuing to go green in 2022 - with a greater focus on sustainability and the environment. Feedback from runners helped drive these changes and there will be different arrangements regarding plastic bottles, the water station and refreshments. Plastic waste is one of many types of waste that take too long to decompose. Sometimes, plastic items can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in landfill, and plastic bottles can take 450 years or more to decompose.

HARP24 is dedicated to reducing the amount of plastic waste that the event creates.

Refreshments will be available throughout the entire weekend however this year we will only be using recyclable “green” cups and we are encouraging everyone to bring their own reusable mugs for hot drinks and water bottles.

Whilst water will be freely available all weekend, unlike previous years, we will not be providing bottles of water for all runners. We will have a small number of HARP water bottles available, for a donation, on the day, but we urge you to bring your own bottle to the event.

Any plastic that we do provide for the event will be from recyclable materials and we aim to send as little to landfill from HARP24 as possible.

Rubbish

We would like to thank you in advance for keeping the grounds at Westcliff Rugby Club tidy.

Please use the rubbish bags provided, when you leave the site please take all your rubbish en-route to the skip provided by the clubhouse.

We also want to be as green as we can for HARP24 so please try to recycle wherever you can. Pink recycling bags are available on request. Please take home your recycling if possible.

Food
You’re going to burn off a lot of calories over the duration of the event, so making sure that you are fully fuelled is imperative to success. We will have refreshments on site that will be on hand night and day for you to buy, including our very popular HARP BBQ available on Saturday evening and early Sunday for breakfast rolls (for a suggested donation). This year we have delicious locally sourced burgers, sausages, bacon and vegetarian options. Mr Whippy will also be in attendance again over the weekend. Please bring cash/loose change. For all those of you with a sweet tooth, we will have all your favourites available in the refreshments tent.

Your time off the course is precious and you’ll want to spend as much of it as possible resting up. If possible rope in a partner or friend to be your chef for the weekend to take care of the food or take advantage of our BBQ.

Get a big meal down you the night before and expect to consume little and often when the race is on.

Remember to keep well hydrated at all times too. If you are not used to energy drinks, this isn’t the best time to start experimenting with them. Stick to what you’re used to!

Clothes
Take as many changes of clothes as possible. It doesn’t matter if the weather’s good or bad, there’s nothing quite as demoralising as having to put back on cold, wet kit. Likewise, bring more than one pair of trainers. Remember it will be cold at night and you may need sun cream during the day!

Solo Boxes

Boxes for solo runners to safely store their belongings in are available for a £2.50 surcharge. These can be booked prior to the event by contacting the HARP fundraising team. They may also be available on the day on a first come first served bases.

The Race
Remember how long the race is. Don’t go out like a bat out of hell and end up in a withered heap. Pace yourself. Learn the course, it is quite technical out there, so having good knowledge of what’s around the corner is valuable.

Change over
For a trouble free event without any hitches, good timing at the changeover is key. It is worth finding a willing volunteer to help with the timing and making sure everyone is woken up at the right time and at the change over area on schedule. Keep track of roughly how long everyone in the team takes to complete a lap, write things down and have a clock handy to work out the approximate hand over times. That way your team mates get as much rest as they can and spend as little as possible standing around waiting at the change over area.

Darkness
For many competitors this will be their first experience of running off-road in darkness. It adds a new dimension to the competition and should be treated with respect. Get a good light, test it and have a backup in case of emergencies. Wear hi-vis clothing, run in pairs and take a mobile phone with you.

Raffle
Tickets are available from raffle ticket sellers or from the refreshment tent priced at £1 a strip. To be drawn at the closing ceremony. We hope that you’re lucky, but remember you have to be in it to win it!

Sports Therapist
Our resident Sports Therapist Kieran Mote will be available for massage sessions over the weekend, Saturday 11am - 9pm & Sunday 7am -12noon.

Race Rules

1.Teams
Teams are made up of two runners in the Duo category, three to five in the ‘Teams of Five’ category, six to eight in the ‘Teams of Eight’ category & nine-12 in the teams of 9-12 category.

For all teams, there are three categories: all female, all male, and mixed. Please note, to be eligible for a trophy as a mixed team, you must have no more than the maximum number of male team members as specified below. If your team exceeds the maximum number of male team members, you can still enter but will not be eligible to win a trophy within your category.

Teams of 3 - Max 2 male team members, Teams of 4 - Max 3 male team members, Teams of 5 - Max 3 male team members, Teams of 6 - Max 4 male team members, Teams of 7 - Max 4 male team members, Teams of 8 - Max 5 male team members. Teams of 9-12 - Max 7 male team members.

Once racing begins there can be no change to the team line up. The order in which the runners go out on the course may change, but team members cannot be substituted.

Solo competitors, obviously, must race on their own for the 24 hours. (No Pacing allowed!)

2. Cheating
Cheating will not be tolerated. Substituting unregistered runners, cutting through tapes, taking short-cuts and any other cheating will result in instant disqualification for the whole team.

Runners must race within the taped course. Where it has not been possible or practical to put out course tape, then they must stick to the obvious route.

3. Numbers
Your team numbers must be worn by all runners on the course and must be clearly visible whenever a team member starts and finishes a lap. Solo competitors must also observe this rule. Please wear them on the front of your clothing.

IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO MEDICATION OR ARE ON MEDICATION FOR THE RACE, THIS MUST BE WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF YOUR NUMBER. ALSO DETAILS OF ANY MEDICAL CONDITION AND A CONTACT NUMBER.

4. Timing/Lap Counting

Chip Timing – very important - please note details of our chip timing system

All teams, team members and individuals will be issued with a timing chip secured to the reverse of the race number. It is very important that this doesn't get dislodged during the race. In order to mitigate the risk of spreading Covid-19, we will not longer be issuing lanyards to be hole punched as a back-up to the chip timing system.

It is the responsibility of each runner to ensure they cross the timing sensor at the entrance and exit to the timing tent. Teams must ensure the next runner is ready for a smooth changeover. Each runner has their own chip so there is no physical item to handover between team members.

Please do not cross the timing sensors with your chip unless you are actually running, as this will confuse the lap count. Please keep the number of people in the timing tent to a minimum to allow the marshals to do their job and follow the signage for the correct way in and out. This should ensure a smooth, accurate race for all!

At the end of the race please return your timing chip to any of the HARP events team.

5. Minimum Laps
Every registered runner must complete at least one lap during the 24 hours. There is no maximum number of laps. If any team member does not race the minimum, then their team’s score will not count. If taking a break please leave the course after coming through the timing tent and tell the timing official that you are taking a rest period.

6. Lights
Being a 24 hour race, it is going to get dark and all racers who are on course between sunset and sunrise must have a working light, be it a head torch or hand held unit. Bear in mind that it gets dark at around 9pm and doesn’t get properly light again until 5am. That’s 8 hours of darkness – please make sure that your lights will see you through the whole night.

7. Quiet Time 11.30pm – 7.00am
After 11.30pm please keep the noise in the campsite down to a minimum. Believe it or not, but some runners will be trying to get some sleep, also there will be families and children at the event – please spare a thought for them!

8. Registration
All competitors details must be completed before the event. If you have not done so yet, please refer to your registration form confirmation email now to update.

Pre-event registration closes on 15th June. You may amend details of your team via the link in your confirmation email or by contacting the HARP Fundraising Team.

Any last minute team member absences or swaps must be notified before 11am on Saturday 18th June, together with a disclaimer signed by each team member.

Please make HARP staff aware of any medical conditions at registration.

IMPORTANT – Competitors must check that their details are correct and that they are entered into the correct category when they sign on.

9. Problems during the race
If you encounter any problems while racing – people messing with course markings or lurking around looking shifty, simply tell the next course marshal and they will send a race official to investigate.

10. Handover
While runner A is out on the course, runner B needs to go to the changeover area and wait for their team member to arrive. If the runner on course is doing a double lap, they will just be able to pass through the timing tent (to register their lap time) and continue on the next lap.

If no runner is there to hand over to (i.e. they are still asleep in the tent!), then the racer on course can either elect to race another lap or go to find them but please tell the timing official if you are going to leave the course.

11. Retiring
If a runner drops out of your team, tell the start/finish marshals so they can be struck off the register. Remember that your team cannot get a result unless everyone has raced a minimum of one lap. (This excludes serious injury).

12. Finishing
HARP24 officially finishes at 12pm on Sunday afternoon.

So long as a runner has started a lap before the 24 hours has elapsed, that lap will count to their total lap score. Teams can stop at any point and their lap total will still stand.

The winning team will be the one that completes the most laps in the shortest time. Results will be as number of laps, plus time taken to finish after 12pm and might look like this:

1. Team A 13 laps, 24:02:00
2. Team B 13 laps, 24:15:00
3. Team C 12 laps, 23:01:00

Team A wins with 13 laps and a finish time of 12.02pm.
Team B come in next with 13 laps, finishing at 12.15pm.
Team C have less laps so come in third even though they decided to finish at 11.01am.

13. Prizes
The winners will receive a trophy for the following categories:

Solo Male Winner
Solo Female Winner
Duo Male Winners
Duo Female Winners
Duo Mixed Winners
Teams of 3-5 Male Winners
Teams of 3-5 Female Winners
Teams of 3-5 Mixed Winners
Teams of 6-8 Male Winners
Teams of 6-8 Female Winners
Teams of 6-8 Mixed Winners
Teams of 9-12 Male Winners
Teams of 9-12 Female Winners
Teams of 9-12 Mixed Winners
Spirit of the Event

14. Medical

IF YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO MEDICATION OR ARE ON MEDICATION FOR THE RACE, THIS MUST BE WRITTEN ON THE BACK OF YOUR NUMBER. ALSO DETAILS OF ANY MEDICAL CONDITION AND A CONTACT NUMBER.

There is a qualified medical team on site to deal with medical emergencies for the whole event, including a team of First Aid staff stationed in the main arena. All marshals will be able to summon help for you if needed. Please note: the medical team will only do pre-race strapping if runners bring the necessary tape or bandages. Please check with your doctor before running if you have a heart condition or similar.

15. Course Marshals

All competitors to obey all instructions from course marshals.

16. Dogs

Runners are not allowed to run the course with a dog. However, well behaved dogs on leads are welcome in the camping area under supervision.

17. Organisers decision is final in respect of all rules and results

Venue

Seasoned HARP24 runners please note, the venue and race base for 2022 has moved as our hosts Westcliff Rubgy Club have relocated to The Gables, Airport Business Park, Cherry Orchard Way, Southend-on-Sea, SS4 1YG. As a result of the move, the route is now 5 miles per lap.

Camping

Please see Camping and Parking Info here.

Camping is included for all runners, and is available from 8am Saturday all the way through to Sunday afternoon.

PLEASE NOTE space at the new Westcliff Rugby Club grounds is more limited than in previous years. This means we have had to make the decision to not allow cars onto the camping area.

Instead, cars can enter the rugby club car park, drive up to the unloading bay, and remove their camping equipment to carry to a camping spot by hand. Cars must then be parked in the Ipeco car park nearby.

Please make every effort to arrive with team mates or companions to ensure smooth unloading and carrying of camping equipment.

If you are unable to travel with team mates or companions, you may briefly park your car in the rugby club car park whilst you transfer your camping equipment to your camping spot. You must return as soon as possible to move your car to the Ipeco car park.

Solo and Duo camp spots will be closer to the Chip Timing and Refreshment tents. Larger teams and Running Clubs will be situated further away. More precise camping allocations will be issued closer to the event. Individual camping pitches will not be marked out, you will need to roughly stick to the allocated area and be respectful of other campers, taking up as little space as possible.

Unfortunately there are no electricity hook-ups.

Please use the portaloos available in the camping areas and whilst we will make every effort to fill them up with supplies please let us know if they run low. Toilets will be operational from 8am on Saturday through to 2pm on Sunday.

Refreshments will be available through the duration of the weekend.

Please remember a few simple rules when pitching your camp

DO NOT CAMP IN OR OBSTRUCT EMERGENCY ROUTES/FIRE LANES or on ROADS
Pitch boundaries must be observed due to space constraints
PLEASE DO NOT DRIVE CAMP ON ANY OF THE RUGBY PITCHES
Do enjoy yourselves, but please abide by the quiet time
Barbecues are welcome – but NO digging fire pits or open fires please.
There is to be no glassware at all on the field or campsite

Timetable

Need to Know

Race Rules

Venue

Camping