FAQ'S

On this page, we hope to anticipate and answer most of your questions about the race. If you can't find the information you need, please mail the webmaster and we'll do our best to answer.
Hopefully your questions will fall into the following sections!	The Route Hazards Start / Finish Changing Race Numbers Photographs Parking Mile Markers Water Stations Safety Food & Drink Accommodation Training Teams Weather

The Route:

• The race starts in Princes Park and mostly follows the seafront promenades towards Beachy Head and back to Sovereign Harbour where the course loops back to the finish back in Princes Park.
• The course profile is predominantly flat with a gradual steady incline to the west in the approach to the Meads for about a mile. Running surface is mixed with sections of road, pavement, and gravel paths.
• PLEASE NOTE – the course around Sovereign Harbour is twisting with some sharp turns, and runners will cross 3 metal bridges (which will be closed!). In very cold weather, the bridge surfaces are prone to icing and can be very slippery if wet so please take care when crossing the bridges.

Route Hazards:

• Side Roads: Parts of the race (especially around Sovereign Harbour) will cross side roads and, whilst marshalled, all runners are responsible for their own safety whilst crossing these roads. Please be aware of traffic entering and leaving these side roads.
• Pedestrians: We cannot close the seafront promenades and pavements to pedestrians so runners should note these as potential hazards. We would ask all runners to be courteous to pedestrians, and anyone found verbally abusing pedestrians will have their number noted and will be disqualified.
• Street furniture: Please take care with seats, bollards, bus shelters etc.
• The organisers will not be held responsible for any loss, personal injury or damage to any runner as a result of entering or participating in this event.
• Bridges – see above

Start/Finish:

• All runners should be in place by 9:50am for a 10am start. The start will not be delayed for late arrivals
• On crossing the finish line, all runners should move quickly forward to collect medals, and should not crowd the finish area

Changing:

• A changing tent will be available on the day and luggage can be stored here safely at your own risk.
• The Sovereign Centre is about 400m away and whilst there is no arrangement with them they do have (normal entrance fee) shower and changing facilities. The Centre has a leisure pool and cafe facility for use throughout the day. No luggage storage is available at the Centre during the race.

Parking:

• The race car park is approx .5 a mile west from the start at Princes Park. It is free to runners with a permit available from the entrance and is at Fishermans Green (opposite Beach Road on the Seafront – there will be a marshal at the entrance.  Please note that whilst it will be possible to use Fort Fun car park – charges do apply and it will be closed to vehicle access in and out during the race duration, as the road immediately in front will be closed for the event.
• Additional parking is available at the Sovereign Centre. You will need to purchase a barrier token to exit the car park from the Cash Desk at the centre.
• It is possible to park on certain roads close to Princes Park free of charge but please be courteous and do not obstruct the highways for other users.

Race Numbers:

• Race numbers will be sent out with Sports System timing chips following closure of entries on 17^th February 2008.

Photographs
The official photographer for the event is Marathon Photo's.  Click on the link or the logo on the home page to go to the site for more information after the event.

Water Stations:

• Water stations will be provided around the course

Mile Markers:

Will be placed every mile up to Mile 12.

Safety:

It is each runners responsibility to take care of their own safety and welfare before, during, and after the event. St John's Ambulance personnel will be on duty in case of need. If you feel unwell during the event, please go the closest marshal on the course and seek assistance. RAYNET are on hand to offer emergency radio services on the day.

Food & Drink:

Refreshments are available locally in Princes Park, the Sovereign Centre and Fort Fun. (opposite)

Accommodation:

For runners looking for accommodation in Eastbourne, there are numerous hotels and B&B's available in the town.

More information can be found on Eastbourne's Tourism website.

Training:

• For many runners, a ½ marathon is the pinnacle of their ambition; for others it is a a competitive race or a stage on the way to completing a full marathon (or greater). Either way, it should be treated seriously and you need to be in good physical shape to attempt it, and hopefully, complete it.
• Do NOT attempt to run on the day if you are feeling under the weather – you may do yourself more harm than good.
• If you are new to running, follow a training plan to prepare yourself for the day. Good advice on training and how to prepare for the event can be found on the Runners World website – www.runnersworld.co.uk. Specific details can be found here:

“Your First Race” http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=49

“RW Big Race Training menu” http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/news/article.asp?UAN=1500

Follow the page links for more specific details

• Make sure you have appropriate footwear suitable to running a ½ marathon. If in doubt, visit a good running store to seek advice.
• Wearing appropriate running kit will help to keep you comfortable, warm and dry if the weather is adverse. Again a good running store can advise.

Teams:

There are no plans to have team entries on this occasion. All runners who wish to participate as part of a team, should be responsible for compiling their own results.

Weather:

Eastbourne is known as the “Sunshine Coast” as it has an above UK average of sunny days. Unfortunately we cannot predict what the weather will do on the day, so please use the following links to check the forecast. Naturally we are hoping the weather will be great on the day!

BBC Weather
The Met Office
The Weather Channel
XC Weather (great for checking wind direction and strength)
The Weather Shop (a specialist weather instrument shop based at Sovereign Harbour – this shows weather at the Harbour)