2010 Circuit Races
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Frequently asked questions last update 19th March

Q23. What is the latest I can enter? A23. We will start placing orders with suppliers two days after the closing dates of 19th Feb based on the number of entries received. Most suppliers need 15 working days to process orders which cuts things very fine from the organisers side. The organisers also work fulltime and don't have free time to chase late orders based on late entries. It's possible that the 10 Day Race will be held again in either 2110 or 3010. In other words, the latest you can enter is 19th Feb. We suggest that you don't wait until the last minute. Q1. How much will it cost to enter? A1. The 6 Day race costs R1200, the 10 day R1800 while the 201,0km is R250. Q2. Will entry numbers be limited? A2. We don't want to overload the plumbing and electrical supplies or the worker pool. At the moment (11 Jan) , there are about 25 interested entries spread over both 6 Day and 10 Day events and about 22 for the 201km events. We also need to make sure that we can count everybody reliably. Expect a total limit of approx 60 - subject to change. Q3. Where can I get an entry form? A3. From the website from 9th December-make sure you have Ver 2.0 which has a "Ver 2.0" on the front page. Q4. Seeing that the 10 Day will only happen once, should I rather leave the 6 Day for a year and enter the 10 Day? A4. Be wary - although the 10 Day will be a walk (or run) in a park, it will be a very Looonnngggg walk. You cannot transfer to the 6 Day race on day 5 of the 10 day. If you don't finish 403 miles, then in the words of the quizmistress, you leave with nothing. Read the friendly warning on the front page of the 10 Day entry form Q5. Do I need to qualify on a long race to enter? A5. Yes. We no longer specify a marathon in 5 hours because that's a sprint for the walkers and would unfairly exclude most of them. However, for the 10 day event, we would want to discourage (not ban, just discourage) anybody who has not had the experience of being on their feet for an extended period. Any of the three events require a serious level of fitness and we need a clear indication that you know what you will be getting into. Q6. I only need to run 67km in a 24 hour period to finish the 6 or 10 Day Race. I have finished 90km in under 12 hours. What's the problem? A6. 67km on day 1 can feel like 100km on day 3 and up to 500 miles on day 6. Q7. How can I be sure if I'll make 6 Days even if I have finished the Comrades Marathon? A7. The first 6 Day event that you enter is a big mental challenge because you are going to go into uncharted territory which takes a lot of courage. You do not have to be a superathlete to reach the distance. Look at the picture galleries over the years - just normal everyday folk (mostly). Q8. Are the events IAU labelled events? A8. No. The events are nevertheless organised and run to very high standards Q9. What are the temperatures like? A9. Hot in the day. Crisp and cool at night Q10. What is the weather like? A10. We don't know yet. Somewhere between hot,cold , dry and wet Q11. Is it safe to run at night? A11. Yes. There is no traffic and there is never a minute when the track is empty Q12. I don't have seconds to help me A12. Many entrants complete the event on their own. You are never more than 500m from either your campsite or the toilets. Q13. Can I fly to the race? A13. The national carriers prefer not to land and take off from the nearby dirt airstrip but there are flights into Lanseria Airport. Lanseria is a better choice than O R Tambo because Lanseria is only 50km away while O R Tambo is 100km. Q14. After I land? A14. There are several taxi companies which will give you a ride if you give them money. Costs vary but seem to be about R400 for the first body with an additional R50 per extra body. Q15. What sort of powerpoints are available? A15. There are several electrical outlet boxes within the camping area with standard South African 3-pin switched sockets. Power is limited. If everybody brings microwaves and kettles, everything will trip at the same time and then nobody will have power. Q16. Do I need to bring my chef with me? A16. Breakfast , lunch and supper are available from the Race Kitchen. Breakfast and supper will cost you R40+/- per meal while lunchtime is a lighter meal and will be R25+/-. Extras such as icecream and Milo are available for small additional amounts. Q17. How much of the circuit is paved? A17. The section from 0m to 100m is paved. The next 870m is grass. The grass is not astroturf but if you have a few hundred meters lying in your garage, it can be put to good use in Hekpoort. Q18. Is it possible to take a short cut? A18. In previous years, it has unfortunately been possible to be dishonest and cut the loop in half. Would an ultra-distance athlete do such a thing? Apparently "yes". Not only at Hekpoort but on other circuits as well if the complainants are to be believed. Q19. What's the point of entering if others are taking shortcuts? A19. Prevention is better than cure. Serious attention is being given to this aspect of the race in 2010. Q21. How much will I drink? A21. It varies. ABI is the official drinks sponsor of Road Running events in Central Gauteng and will supply 2 liters of Coke per day to each athlete. Q22. I am a trail runner and don't have a roadrunning licence. Can I still enter? A22. It looks like you will be able to get a temporary licence. This will be confirmed soon as well as costs involved. Q23. What is the latest I can enter? A23. We will start placing orders with suppliers two days after the closing dates of 19th Feb based on the number of entries received. Most suppliers need 15 working days to process orders which cuts things very fine from the organisers side. The organisers also work fulltime and don't have free time to chase late orders based on late entries. Q24. If I finish my 201km after .say 3 days, do I need to wait for Sundays prizegiving? A24. No, you don't need to wait. You can choose whether you want to come on the Sunday or maybe dash off to that other race in Cape Town where it is often wet and rainy and windy and cold. Q25. Do I need more than one pair of shoes? A25. It depends which event you're entering. If the rain comes down hard, it might be comfortable to have an extra pair. They don't have to be running shoes. Past entrants have used crocodile shoes, sandals, bedroom (not ballroom) slippers and anything else that has worked. They have also cut and slashed existing running shoes to accommodate extra things on their feet. Try not to bring a brand new pair to try out for the first time. Q26. Is the 201,0km, the 6 Day or the 10 Day an official qualifier for Comrades? A26. No, no and no. Q27. I don't yet have my 2010 CGA licence number. A27. The licence Numbers have been late this year but are now available. You can still enter and forward your 2010 licence number when you get it (before the race starts) Q28. Can I pay Accommodation and entry fee into the same account in one payment. A28. The race entry fee goes into the 6 Day Circuit Race account. The accommodation money goes to a separate account. Contact Ian for details. (before the race starts) Q29. Can I pay for meals in advance so that I don't have to have lots of cash lying around waiting to get lost? A29. Yes. R120 per day that you need meals from the kitchen can be paid into the same account no as the entry fee. Let the organisers know that you have done this. We will keep a tab and debit it for each meal (or ice-cream or doughnut etc). What you don't use, will be returned to you at the end of your race but please remember that we don't have fulltime accountants on standby 24/7. Q30. If an entrant finishes 550km within 6 days of the Ten Day race and then has to stop, can the entrant transfer those km to the 6 Day Race and be an official finisher of the 6 Day Race? A30. No, in the same way that you cannot tranfer 32km of your marathon to the half marathon in a 21/42 and be an official finisher of the half-marathon. We know life can be harsh. If an entrant (or his/her friend) has any doubts about completing 10 Days and said athlete is chasing official distance, rather be safer and enter the 6 Day. Q31. Are the entrants lists on this website the final lists? A31. No, there has been the usual last minute dash for the closing date line and the various received entry forms and payments are being matched up. Some payments made late on Friday night might only reflect by the middle of the week. Cheque payments might be worse. Q32. How do I know if my entry has been received? A32. If you entered up to a week ago, you are not on the list, please notify us ASAP. Entries received during the last 7 days should appear by the end of the week. Q33. How far is the nearest groceery store? A33. About 900m down the road Q34. How far is the nearest pizza oven? A34. About 40km down many roads. Q35. I've entered. Now what? A35. Watch nearer the end of the week for the "What to do next" page particularly if you are taking part at Hekpoort for the first time. Q36. Can the organisers collect me from the airport? A36. Unfortunately not. Two of the organisers are taking part in the Ten Day. Another one is attempting the 5 Day together with updating the website and checking the lapcounting system. Two others are taking 12 hour shifts womanning the counting station. The catering manager will be busy from dusk to dawn and beyond. Watch nearer the end of the week for the "What to do next" page particularly if you are taking part at Hekpoort for the first time. Q37. How do my laps get counted? A37. By transponder and a couple of PC's. Q38. The entrants lists are changing like the stock market. Why A38. As the bank statement gets tied up with the entry forms, some of which have been mistakenly allocated to the wrong event, people move form list to list, or disappear altogether or appear out of nowhere. Expect final toals of 18 in the 10 Day, 5 in the 6 Day and 30 in the 201,0km. Q39. Has the website died? A39. No, not completely. With only some handfuls of days to go, and the last miinute flurry of entries and entry changes and misplaced entries and ordering and and and...., some areas of the race end up on the temporary backburner for a while. Q40. Is the race kitchen open 24/7? A40. No. Morning meal is available 07:30 - 09:00 Midday from 12:30 -14:00 Evening from 17:30-19:00. Please remember that this is not a large-scale commercial catering organisation. Carol Archer, who is the director of catering operations (and head chef and bottlewasher) also needs time to sleep and clear upin between meal sessions. Meals will be pre-ordered on the supplied forms which you will get on arrival. If you have not prepaid, please bring along smaller denomination monies as we will run out of change if you buy packets of ice with R200 notes. Q41. Do I need to count my own laps? A41. You are welcome to bring a clipboard and paper and pens along to keep tabs on your laps. It gives your brain something to do. We will be monitoring your progress every lap and recording your times at the 0/1000m mark and at the (approx) 650m mark. At these two points, we need you to be in single file so that you aren't missed. You don't need to stop but you also need to not sprint past either. You will see your race number appear on the display with your current lap count and lapsplit and you move on. The lapcounting station is not a resting point. Q42. It is said that the lapcount manager is also a competitor in the 201/211km event. Isn't that a conflict of interest/ i.e can he fiddle the books? A42. Very easily. He could slip in an extra lap every 10km almost without anybody being any the wiser but he is not that way inclined and hopefully neither is anybody else. The format of the lapcount is quite straightforward. You earn one voyager lap for every 1000m, not 400m or some other shorter distance. If you are logged at the 1000m mark twice in succession without registering at the 650m mark, we will have to investigate. It could be equipment failure or competitor failure. If you have any questions at all, email them to tgdrew @ultradistance.co.za.