Thames Meander Marathon & Half – Summer

• Lovely Thames Meander bespoke medal.
• Winners’ trophies for the 1st, 2nd & 3rd Male / Female runners for each event.
• R & R free race certificate with personalised chip time.
• R & R Race Photography, option to purchase some lovely photo’s at £4.95 each.
• Well stocked Aid Stations with HIGH 5 Gels, jelly babies, crisps, bananas, fruit cordial and water.
• Free on-site parking at the race HQ on a first come first served basis.
• Expert medical support provided by The Response Group.

Marathon Route: A flat scenic riverside trail marathon starting and finishing at the YMCA Hawker Centre HQ.The course meanders along the Thames Path out to the far side of Canbury Gardens and then returns past the HQ and along the Thames Path trail as far as the Barn Elms Rowing Club turnaround point, returning past the HQ again to the far side of Canbury Gardens which is the final turnaround point, returning to finish at the YMCA HQ.

Half Marathon Route: A flat scenic riverside trail half marathon starting and finishing at the YMCA Hawker Centre HQ.The course starts in the opposite direction to the marathon and meanders along the Thames Path out to the first turnaround point at the Kew Gardens car park, then returning past the race HQ and on towards Canbury Gardens just past the Boaters Inn Pub which is the final half marathon turnaround point, returning to finish at the YMCA HQ.

Course Marking/Signage: Both routes will be very well marked throughout with Hermes Running yellow / black chevron fixed directional signage and pink ribbons all along the run routes.The courses will be also be well marshalled at both turnaround points and at the respective check points which will be well stocked.These courses are both flat and fast so we’re expecting some great PB’s.

The registration at the YMCA HQ will be open from 7.30am sharp; so we would suggest that you get here with plenty of time to spare in order to get changed and get your baggage secured in the designated area. We will have tear off Tyvek baggage tags that correspond numerically with your colour coded race numbers on the day, so please ensure that these are tagged onto your bag when you hand your bag to the baggage marshal.

When you collect your race bags you will need to show your race bib number for security purposes, in order to collect your bag. We don’t accept liability for any loss of personal possessions but there will be someone in charge of the baggage.

The time limit for the half marathon course is 6hrs and it’s 6.5hrs for the marathon course.

The race YMCA HQ has adequate changing facilities for both male / female runners. In addition there will be shower facilities for runners wanting to freshen up post-race, though we would ask you to be courteous if someone is waiting for a shower. The same applies to the toilet facilities which will be adequate, as there will be a number of toilets inside the YMCA (clearly marked) and in addition we have numerous portable toilets that will be positioned on the sports field at the front of the YMCA. Again please understand that your fellow runners may also require urgent calls of nature pre-race too.

• Aid Station 1 YMCA HQ start / finish
• Aid Station 2 Petersham fields
• Aid Station 3 Kew Gardens car park (half marathon turnaround)
• Aid Station 4 Barnes Bridge (marathon runners only)
• Aid Station 5 Barn Elms Boat Club (marathon turnaround point)

*Additional marshals will be positioned at Canbury Gardens (far side) for the marathon turning point and just past the Boaters Arms Public House for the half marathon turning point.

There will be plastic pop-up bins provided at all the Aid Stations for your water cups / gel sachets to be discarded. We would urge you not to discard any litter on the Thames Path trail please. The marshals will take any litter from you too, so please just keep it until you get to a marshal, or use the bins provided.

Will the course be chip timed?

Chip Timing will be provided by Chris Mills from the Race Director RFID timing you will be issued with your race number containing your electronic timing chip which is at the back of the race bib Registration on the day. The provisional results will be recorded initially and will be pinned to a notice board directly by the race start / finish, but please note that these will only be provisional and will be subject to final verification.

Is there a limit to the number of entries for each distance?

There is an on-line entry limit of 700 runners inclusive for the full / half marathons, although we also accept off line entries, and may additionally be accepting some entries on the day on a discretionary basis.

Can mp3 players / ipod’s be used whilst running this race?

We have taken the decision to ban the use of MP3 Players / iPod’s as there are some busy road crossing sections on all of our courses and in addition we have a duty of care to maintain relationships with members of the public that use these trails. Your heath and safety is our primary concern so please do not wear these devices as you’ll be DQ’d if you contravene these rules