Details Kong Mountain Marathon
Isle of Arran 2022
WHEN : Weekend of the 27th and 28th of August 2022
WHERE : Brodick, Isle of Arran
REGISTRATION : Brodick Public Hall, A841, Brodick KA27 8DL (12 mins walk from Ferry)
CAMPSITE: Arran Sports Association, Ormidale Park, A841, Brodick, KA27 8DL
We are very excited to have been given the opportunity by the landowners to organise the first Kong Mountain Marathon on the Isle of Arran. Beaches, palm trees, the Gulf Stream and mountains – what more could you want for a perfect weekend? There may be some midges, bogs, crags and enormous tussocks to add extra fun.
Arran can be easily and cheaply accessed by regular ferries from Ardrossan. There are linking trains from Glasgow Central Station to Ardrossan and the event centre is within walking distance of the ferry in Brodick. There are shops in Brodick including a large Co-op.
We strongly recommend making your way to the island on the Friday as ferries can sometimes be cancelled at short notice due to the weather. We are hoping most people will leave their cars on the mainland and will board the ferry as foot passenger as parking at the event centre is very limited. DO NOT BRING YOUR CAR TO THE ISLAND! There is a good sized public car park at the harbour in Ardrossan.
The Calmac 2022 summer schedule is available on their website – click HERE. We recommend making a booking as soon as you can to avoid disappointment. BOOK YOUR FERRY NOW IF YOU HAVEN’T DONE SO ALREADY.
Registration will be open on Friday evening and for a short time on Saturday morning. You can camp on the sports field close to registration and leave your tent there for the weekend with any equipment you are not taking on the race (please do NOT leave any valuables as we are not providing security for the sports field during the weekend). There is bag storage available. Food, soft drinks, tea and coffee will be available at the event centre on Friday evening and Saturday morning (NB order your food on SI Entries if you haven’t done so, this option closes 20th August, food only available on pre-order).
We have now organised something really nice for the Mid camp Saturday evening!! There will be a Ceilidh (Scottish entertainment) at walking distance of Mid camp and bar. Remember though you do have to be self sufficient in terms of food, there will be no food for sale! The Ceilidh is included in the entry cost.
After the race on Sunday a hearty meal is included in the entry cost for all competitors; there will also be a prize giving.
Over the next few months we will be updating the website with more details but links to the information we already have available can be found below:
A Mountain Marathon explained
A Mountain Marathon is a challenging two day navigation and fell running event held in mountainous terrain and often off footpaths and maybe (but hopefully not!) in difficult weather. The event is for teams of two for safety and for atmosphere. You and your partner can choose from different courses: there are linear (or line) courses where you navigate to a number of checkpoints in a set order or there are score courses where you determine your own route and you can visit as many checkpoints as you would like and in any order but within a time limit. The courses are not marked and you need to self navigate between all the control points.
At registration you and your partner receive a timing chip (also known as a dibber) which is used to ‘punch’ control boxes at the checkpoints you visit en-route which are all clearly marked on the ground by red and white orienteering kites. Every team has an allocated start time on Saturday morning and after you start you receive the map and control description sheet. You then navigate and run your course to the finish at the remote overnight camp. If you are doing a score course you have a time limit for collecting as many controls as you can after which penalty points will be deducted. The more difficult controls on the score course will generally have higher points values.
All teams must be self sufficient for the duration of the event and this means bringing and carrying full lightweight kit i.e. small tent, sleeping bags, cooking gear, food, etc for use at the overnight camp. At the camp you will usually find a great atmosphere with everybody catching up socially as well as discussing their Day 1 route choices. Sunday morning means an early wake up call with the leaders of the linear courses in a ‘chasing’ start followed by everybody else who have to start within a specified time window. At the finish a hearty meal awaits as well as a prize giving ceremony.