Wye Valley Tunnel Run
Sunday 12th September - Registrations now open!
Photos by Wye Valley Greenway
March 2021 Update
We can't wait for our first race along the Wye Valley Greenway.Here is how the event plan looks in relation to the current guidance.
- We should be back to normal wave sizes of around 75-100 at this point, but we retain a back up plan for waves of 30 runners. Waves determined by runners when they enter.
- Self serve number collection, bag drop and refreshments. All manned by a member of the Relish team to help with any questions. Please be as self sufficient with your refreshments as much as possible when out on the course.
- Covid secure environment; extra hygiene measures, social distancing etc where relevant. Spectators likely, but runners should be prepared to attend the race without spectators incase the guidance changes.
- A really excited marshal and event team who can't wait to put on an event for you!
Safe Race
Our new event format has been approved by Public Health England the Safety Advisory Group for Events. We have very detailed plans to ensure social distancing measures are in place through out your race day, along with additional hygiene measures in place through out the venue.
It is very important you familiarise yourself with our updated event plan, check out our safety plan and measures, so you can not what we will be asking of you on race day, and what you can expect from us. You can see all this info on our Safe Race page.
Enjoyable Events
Don't just take our word for it, here are what our runners think from our first two events back; 16th Aug Two Tunnels, 12th Sept Having A Mare.
Photos by Wye Valley Greenway
Wye Valley Greenway and the Tidenham Tunnel
The Wye Valley Greenway will open for the time in its history on the 1st April 2021 and we are extremely excited to be bringing the first organised event to the Greenway and the Tidenham Tunnel. The charitable organisation Greenways and Cycleroutes has been behind reinvigorating this section of the Wye Valley Railway with a new lease of life; removing the old track, refurbishing and lighting the 1.1km long Tidenham Tunnel and resufacing a large portion of the route with a mix of compact stone path and tarmac. The Wye Valley Greenway is a shared use path, to be used and enjoyed by cyclists, walkers and runners.
The original railway ran from Chepstow to Monmouth. The last passenger train ran in 1959, but trains from nearby quarries only finally stopped in 1990. We are in fact based at one of these quarries for our event. dayhouse quarry, now known as the National Diving and Activity Centre, offers a huge array of exciting adventurous activities and overnight accommodation.
The race starts at the quarry station and heads along the rail path towards Tintern. Tidenham tunnel is 1km into the race and is itself over 1km long. There are great views along the wye valley as the two routes head to their turn around points before retracing their steps back to the finish line at the station.
If you would like to visit the tunnel and wye valley greenway please take a look at the visitors information page on the Wye Valley Greenway website which includes info on opening times and access points.
Register
Format
We anticipate that we will be able to hold this race in normal race conditions, whilst maintaining a covid safe environment. This means runners will register in wave of up to 100 runners, but we retain the option to reduce the wave sizes to 30 for example, should this be the prevailing guidance of the time.
Runners will register for Wave 1-6 when they register, but we retain the option to make a Wave 1A, 1B etc. To ensure you start with friends, should we need to chop the wave sizes down, please enter exactly the same predicted finish time, to the second. For example, a lot of runners will select 1hr (1:00:00) as the predicted finish time for a 10km, but to help us find pairs of runners who might wave to start together, please enter an unusual finish time such as 1:00:11 for example.
Notes
There are no cut offs for 5km and 10km races, we welcome runners of all abilities. Please note the event is not open to people would like to purely walk the event, but if you need to do a mix of running/jogging/walking to complete your distance then we are very happy with that.
Runners with buggies are very welcome for the 5km and 10km races. Please note the terrain is a mix of compact stone path, forest path and tarmac for the 5km. The 10km has some very uneven sections which we would be more suited to a specific off road running buggy and you may need to walk over these short sections. We would ask you start at the back of your wave when we move to wave starts. Unfortunately none of the events are suitable for canicross.
There are great group discount rates for groups of 10 or more runners taking part in races of any distance, on the same date. 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 all groups to be registered at least four weeks in advance of the race date to we have the opportunity to top up our medal order if necessary.
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 100 finishers then the full range range of awards are made as shown above. If there are less than 50-100 finishers then the top 3 finishers overall will be awarded a prize. If there are less than 50 then only the winner 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.