Dark Horse 2021 - The Dark Horse has morphed into the Having A Mare (Night) Race on Saturday 6th Feb. Same route, new location, we hope to see you there!
Dark Horse - Spooky night race with hog roast, beer and bonfire!
The Dark Horse is a fun, spooky night run around the top of the Cotswold Hills. A largely flat run (honestly is!), the route takes in a ghostly sculpture garden and offers amazing long reaching views over the Bristol Skyline. There is a 5km and 10km route option. You may notice the venue is the same as the Pipley Wood Mud Bath, but the route is completely different - no muddy woodland hills on the Dark Horse route. The Dark Horse is much flatter, not focused on the mud, though being Feb there will doubtless be a bit around the course.
This is very beginner friendly event, and as always all abilities are welcome. We will mark out the course with glow in the dark arrows, reflective paint sprayed on the ground and glow sticks to illuminate the way. All runners will need to provide their own torch (head or chest) to follow the markers. No head or chest torch - no run.
Warm yourself after the race with our post event bonfire and treat yourself to a pint of Bath ale's finest and a delicious hog roast for just £5! There are veggie, gluten free and soft drink options, please indicate on your entry form if you would like one of these options. Spectators can also order a hog roast in advance at £8 per head with beer, £6 per head with soft drink, please add to your entry form when you register.
We have toilets and changing tents at the venue. We would recommend bring a change of clothes for after the race, or extra clothes to put on top of your running kit.
Register
10km - £23 min age 14. £2 extra for on the day sign ups.
5km - £18 min age 12. £2 extra for on the day sign ups.
5km Adult Accompanied - £18 min age 10. £2 extra for on the day sign ups.
There is no charge for Accompanying Adults. Adults must be with their children at all times, max ratio of 2 children to 1 adult. There is no charge for accompanying adults. The registration form covers both the young runner and accompanying adult, no additional forms need to be completed. Accompanying Adults are not given race numbers, now are they awarded finishers medals.
Format
In order to keep everyone running we will be starting the event off in wave of 100 runners at a time at 10min intervals. The enables everyone to naturally spread out and enjoy the course. All waves are open to runners of all abilities so the choice is yours. Please confer with friends and family before you register to ensure you select the same wave if you wish to start together. The different start times are fully accounted for in the results so you can pick any wave and be sure of an accurate finish time. Please see the Race Day page for a provisional schedule.
Notes
The venue is the same as the Pipley Wood Mud Bath, but the route is completely different. The Mud Bath is slippery, narrow and has steeper trails through woodland with lots and lots of mud. The Dark Horse is on open trails with far reaching views, a bit of mud can be expected given the time of year, but it won't be excessively so. The Dark Horse route is largely flat, with one little rise per 5km lap.
There are no hidden booking or processing fees. The 5km and 10km prices are £2 extra on the day. There are great group discount rates for groups of 10 or more, the runners can cover any distance on race day. 10-19 runners save 15%, 20-49 runners save 20%, 50+ runners save 25%. All bookings must be made in advance of race day to qualify for the discounted rate. We ask for all groups to be booked in with at least 4 weeks notice so we can finalise our medal order with all groups in mind.
All finishers will take home a custom medal specific to the event and year. Designs to be revealed soon. As always, runners will get to enjoy our post race buffet of fresh fruit and tasty treats at the finish line.
Prizes
All our finishers receive a top of the range custom medal as well as a buffet of fresh fruit and other tasty treats. We also recognise a few of the speedy runners on the following basis.
Prize Categories
Top 3 male and top 3 female
First U20 male and female
First 20-39 male and female
First 40-49 male and female
First 50-50 male and female
First 60-69 male and female
First 70+ male and female
The final number of prizes awarded is determined by the number of finishers for each gender in a given race distance. If there are more than 50 finishers then the full range range of awards are made as shown above. If there are less than 50 finishers then the top 3 male and top 3 female finishers overall will be awarded a prize. We do not have any winner's prizes for any of the children's events as would like to keep this participation focused.
There is no on the day prize giving because of the multi wave, multi start time format of the events. Prize winners will be contacted mid week via email.
