www.isleofwightchallenge.com

For the Isle of Wight Challenge 2015, we have doneour best to give you the opportunity to complete thechallenge in any way you like. Whether it be as arunner, walker, half or full island challenger.

Once you have read the information, if you feel youwould like to attempt the challenge in a different wayor if any of your personal details change, such ashome address, email or medical details, pleasecontact a member of the Action Challenge team,info@isleofwightchallenge.com. Alternatively youcan log back into your registration and update yourpersonal details there, please take a look at theparticipant area for more information on how to dothis.

The Isle of Wight Challenge 2015 broadly consist of2 categories of participants. These are ‘runners’ or‘walkers’ for the purposes of on-eventlogistics/start.

Welcome to theIsle of WightChallenge 2015This ‘Challenge Manual’ should provideyou with a complete guide to the 2015Challenge and will contain all theinformation you will need in order toeffectively prepare yourself for the event.Please read it carefully and refer back toit as you get ready for the Isle of WightChallenge 2015.

2. The Challenge

3. Walking vs. Running

4. What's Included

4. The Start & Finish of theChallenge

5. Route & Support

6. Safety

Twilight on the challenge….

Support all the way….

2 www.isleofwightchallenge.com

There are two different distance options for thewalkers on the challenge (see below for details)

The full island challenge is just over 63 milesand the aim is to complete the course between16 - 33 hrs. This involves walking through boththe day and night to get from around thecircumference of the isle. The event is difficultand you will need to train for it in order to standa good chance of completing the course.

The half island event is just over a marathon andthe aim is to complete the challenge in 12 hrs.This event is still very difficult and a base levelof fitness would be required to complete thecourse

The half island course is from West Cowes toChale. Any participants considering thisdistance will need to gain a good understandingof their overall pace when choosing their starttime. This is because any participants who mayfeel that they will take much longer than 12 hrs,need to start the challenge as early as possiblein order for them to finish the challenge in timeto get a return shuttle to the ferry terminal andthen in time for the trains on the main land to stillbe running. Or it may be very difficult for thosenot staying on the island to get home.

The last ferry off the island is just before mid-night, therefore you will need to be looking tofinish your challenge by 10:00 pm at the latest inorder to give yourself enough time to betransferred to the Ferry terminal by one of ourshuttles, in order to catch the Ferry back to themainland.

For those who may live a little further afield, westrongly recommend booking accommodationeither on the Isle of Wight itself or on themainland close to the Ferry terminal for theSaturday night. You will be tired after thechallenge and will not want to have to withdrawbefore finishing because of youraccommodation situation.

Alternatively, if you are finding it difficult to findaccommodation on the island, we will be hostingour own Isle of Wight Challenge campsite, whichwill be available for booking on both Friday &Saturday night. For more information on thisplease take a look at the main event website.

Runners are participants who have specificallysigned up as such. Runners can take on either thehalf of the full island distance.

Runners should aim to complete the full islandChallenge in less than 16 hours. This category isfor people who are likely to have completed atleast one marathon before and are keen longdistance runners.

The half island running challenge is aimed to becompleted in less than 9 hours. From WestCowes to Chale. This is a great distance for thosewho may have completed a few 10 / 20 km runsand are looking to step up their distance.

Runners will be set off first to ensure they have aclear un-congested path ahead of them from circa6:30am.

For those of you who are planning on Joggingparts of the challenge, but will perhaps not makeit within the required 16hr time frame to beclassified as a runner, we recommend remainingas a walker on your registration. If you do later feelthat it may be more appropriate to classify yourselfas a runner, we can always change yourregistration over to reflect this.

However if you are planning on jogging thechallenge please be aware, that you may wellfinish the challenge before the ferry’s / trains arerunning in the morning - or after they have finishedat night; which may make it difficult for you to exitthe event. In that case you may want to considereither being collected from the finish line, orperhaps booking some accommodation on theisland.

After the runners have started their challenge, thewalkers will be released in 15 minute time slotsthroughout the rest of the morning. Participantscan select which hour they would like to start inupon registration (subject to availability) and willbe designated their 15 minute window a fewweeks before the event. If ‘walkers’ find they arequicker than they anticipated and complete thechallenge in sub 16 hours by jogging a bit hereand there – that’s fine, however they should stillclass themselves as walkers.

3 www.isleofwightchallenge.com

On the morning of the challenge all participantswill be expected to register at the start of thechallenge, to collect their event pass, maps andother items before the event. We recommendarriving at least 30 minutes before your start timein order to make sure you have plenty of time toregister before your start window and check yourbag in to be transferred if applicable.

Available at the start of the challenge will be acharity village, a corporate hospitality tent, accessto refreshments such as tea and coffee, as well ashot food. There will also be toilet facilities, an areato warm up for the event and medics on handshould you need them.

There will be a complimentary shuttle service fromthe finish locations to the local ferry port, duringthe hours in which the trains are running. Therewill also be a finishers meal for participants andfood and drinks available for purchase by friendsand family.

We encourage participants to get collected fromthe finish by supporters where possible. You willbe extremely tired, physically exhausted and willmost likely want to get home as quickly and ascomfortably as possible. Shuttle services to theferry port will be dependent on when coachesbecome full, so may involve some hangingaround. However there will be a medical team,masseurs and a quiet zone at the finish so thatparticipants can rest and relax after the event.

– If you are doing the half islandchallenge you are provided with:

● Event pack at registration.● Teas and Coffees at the start of the

challenge.● A mid-point meal stop where you are

provided with the option to purchase lunchor provide your own packed lunch.

● Snacks & drinks at mid point stops● Then a finishers BBQ on completion of the

challenge, a medal and a finishers t-shirt.

– If you are doing the full islandchallenge you are provided with:

● Event pack at registration.● Teas and Coffees at the start of the

challenge.● A mid-point meal stop at circa 25 km

where you are provided with the option topurchase lunch or provide your ownpacked lunch.

● Snacks & drinks every circa 12.5 km● Two further hot meal stops which are

included in the cost of your registration.● Then a finishers BBQ on completion of the

challenge, a medal and a finishers t-shirt.

4 www.isleofwightchallenge.com

In order to facilitate your challenge and ensureyour safety, our team will support you in a numberof ways throughout the event. All Event Staff willbe easily identifiable in high visibility vests. Theseinclude:

– Responsiblefor the set up and operational management ofeach Rest Stops and Mid-Points on route. Thereis also a Route Management Team responsiblefor ensuring signage stays in place and monitoringparticipant progress, and you are likely to meetthem en route.

– At Action Challenge we take safety veryseriously. There will be medics available at allRest Stops and Mid-Point Stops in the first aidzone, as well as mobile medics in rapid responsevehicles for emergencies, injuries and accidents.Medics vary from first aid qualified staff, nurses,paramedics and doctors. The latter checkpointswill also have a limited number ofmassage/sports/physiotherapist reserved forthose who need it as determined by our eventmedics staff available.

– Along the course we will haveofficial marshals who will run or walk sections ofthe course in a supporting role. Their jobs are tomotivate, encourage as well as advise the controlroom of any new hazards that should developalong the route. The size of the event means thatwe cannot guarantee that all participants wouldhave the opportunity to walk/run with marshals ifdesired (again a good reason for Individuals toteam up with others).

The full course is split into 4 stages ofapproximately 25 km each. Overall, the routefollows the circumference of the island. The routeselection criteria take in to account safety, sceneryand accessibility. Please ensure you are familiarwith and adhere to both the Countryside andHighway Code.

The route will be posted to the participant area as aPDF document, a GPX file, and KML file (for use onGoogle Earth and Google Maps). Google MapLinks will also be posted so that participants canaccess the entire route, and you will also be handeda hard copy of the route on the morning of thechallenge.

The route will be clearly signed with PINKARROWS (which are directional) and PINKRIBBONS (non- directional - that mean you are onthe right route), with WHITE GLOW STICKS alsoduring the night time. In the outskirts ofvillages/towns this signage may become harder tospot, so please familiarise yourselves with the routebefore the Challenge, and have the Route Map withyou and track your progress on it so you are awareof your assumed location. It is your responsibilitynot to get lost!

The route is divided into 4 stages with major foodand rest stops at approx. 30, 56, and 77 km, andthen broken down with midpoint checkpoints every12.5 km or so with a full supply of snacks, drinksand a chance for you to recuperate with medics,doctors, massage, and support staff on hand. Hotfood is supplied at the 25, 56 & 75 km and the finish.

Supporters are particularly encouraged to join in atthe start, the 56 km midpoint, and the finish – alllocations will have lots of car park space, and food/ drink for sale.

5 www.isleofwightchallenge.com

When on the event if you need to exit / drop-out at any stage, please inform the Event Staff.  Anyparticipant who drops out at a Rest Stop or Midpoint from the second half of the full challenge onwards willbe able to take a coach / minibus transfer to the ferry terminal (if during operational times) or the nextRest Stop (if dropping out at a Mid-Point only) with greater facilities. Prior to the half island finish it will beyour responsibility to make your own way back, unless it is an emergency situation. There are bus stopsen route.

Taxis can be organised for you from the ‘site info point’ at any time at any stop. If you feel like just droppingout between stops you should call a Taxi, get a bus, or arrange to be picked up.

The Event will have cut off departure times from each Rest Stop/Mid-Points based on the 33 hour upperend time for the 106 km challenge. If anyone fails to meet these cut off times, then Action Challenge, theOrganiser, reserves the right to withdraw participants from the event.

Based in our London office, the control room oversees the management and coordination of the event.They are the ‘eyes in the sky’ and the voice on the phone. All emergency and non - emergency calls arefielded through the central control room. If you find yourself in trouble, lose your way or have any questionsat all our team are on hand throughout the entire duration of the Challenge. The Control room is in constantcontact with all members of the Action Challenge team and will dispatch staff out to come and get youshould you require it!

Contact details will be provided in the Route Packs issued at registration – and remember - bring a fullycharged mobile phone and put the control room contact details in it, as you might need them!

The Challenge Manual is designed to be your base guide for the Isle of Wight Challenge and to be read inconjunction with the rest of the material on the Participants Area of the website, (such as the trainingguides, fundraising information, accommodation guide and joining and departure information.) This infor-mation will be updated constantly throughout the lead up to the challenge. Please keep returning to checkfor updates and also note down any key dates you will need.

6 www.isleofwightchallenge.com