Thames Meander Marathon & Half – Summer

Your Entry Fee Includes:

• 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.
• Sports Action Photography, option to purchase some lovely photo’s at £4.95 each.
• 5 Well stocked Aid Stations with Tailwind, Chia Charge bars, jelly babies, crisps, bananas, pretzels, coca-cola, fruit cordial and water.
• Free on-site parking at the race HQ on a first come first served basis.
• Cue Medical professional medical support through the race for all runners.

The Marathon begins at 10am and the Half-Marathon begins at 10:30am

There is always a 10 minute mandatory pre-race briefing at the start, just to talk though course conditions. Race health and safety is vitally important, so you will be briefed as to what you need to do if you’re not feeling well. We want you to enjoy the race in every way so it’s mandatory that you attend this briefing!

The registration at the YMCA HQ will be open from 7.30am sharp; so you are encouraged to get there with plenty of time to spare in order to get changed and get your baggage secured in the designated area. There will be 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. There is no liability for any loss of personal possessions but there will be someone in charge of the baggage.

What is the time limit for the half / full marathon ?

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

Are there ample changing facilities, showers & toilets?

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.

Where will the aid stations / marshals be for both courses out / back?

• 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.

Where do I discard my litter?

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 Race Director Chip 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. Your race results will be sent though to you via the mobile number you provided at the point of registration and will be uploaded to the website directly after the event has taken place, via embedded links at the bottom of the event homepage.

What happens if I have to drop out?

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 the organisers also accept off line entries. They may additionally be accepting some entries on the day on a discretionary basis.

Will there be race photography?

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

Are there race permits for this event and is it an official qualifying event for big events?