Folly Farm
Folly Farm: Basingstoke and Mid Hants Athletic Club invite you toFolly Farm, six miles northwest of Basingstoke. This is a new course for the SCCL, and we are grateful to Kingsclere Estates, and especially their Managing Director, Tim May, for his support. Kingsclere Estates have an approach to sustainable land management that is innovative and commendable, with a circular community ethos, and you may be interested to find out more at their website https://www.kingsclere-estates.co.uk/ .The race is a single lap of approximately 8km using undulating fields and trails. There is a 0.5km section that will be very familiar to those that have competed in The Hampshire Hoppit Marathon* 😊
Directions and Parking: Please use Post Code RG26 5RJ to the Main Car Park, or the What3Words reference https://w3w.co/breakfast.glosses.vest You must use the entrance to Folly Farm that is west of the A339 (i.e. turn left if travelling from Basingstoke direction, or turn right if travelling from Kingsclere direction). There is a large parking area adjacent to the start/finish at £5 per car. All revenue from parking will go to Kingsclere Estates to help fund their community.
Race Start: The race will start at 11:00am. The start (and finish) is adjacent to the parking field. In line with Government guidelines, face masks and social distancing will not be mandated but we request that you respect the personal space of others. The start is a large field that will allow runners to spread out during the early stages of the race.
Facilities at Race HQ: This year, due to COVID safety considerations, there will be no post-race refreshments at any SCCL event, unfortunately. We hope that food will return next season. Similarly, it has been agreed that race results will be posted online only, i.e. no post-race announcements.
First Aid: First Aid will be available at the start/finish supplied by Collingwood Medical Services.
Toilets: There will 6 portable cubicles, and also a 6-man urinal. They will be sprayed with anti-viral electrostatic pre-cleaning prior to delivery to site. For a 28-day duration, this kills 99.9% of known viruses and bacteria including COVID should it touch its sprayed surfaces.
Race Finish: At the end of the race, in the finish funnel, you will be given a token that identifies your M/F finish position. Please ensure that you give this to your Team Captain asap. This is how SCCL work out the team positions on the day. Can all Team Captains ensure that they give the completed race results envelopes to John Bigg, our results officer, as soon you have the finish tokens for all your runners.
Competition Rules: All runners must wear their club vest to compete in the race. There may be livestock in the fields so no dogs, sorry. A reminder that that you are too fast for the Southern Cross Country League if you run at 5:30 minute mile pace for men and 6:00 minute mile pace for women. This equates to running a 10 Km in 34:11 (men) or 37:17 (women). Full race rules (including pace eligibility) at https://www.southerncrosscountryleague.co.uk/rules.aspx
Race Enquiries: tim.fowler@hotmail.co.uk, 07595 486930.
Finally, there is a charity Clay Pigeon Shooting event at Folly Farm on the same day. If you are interested in a ‘come and try it’ experience, at £10 per person for 10 shots, it is walking distance from the parking.
* Entries for The Hampshire Hoppit 2022 are open now at https://hampshiretrailmarathon.co.uk/.