Race day schedule (2019)
Saturday 5th October 2019
(2020 will be updated in March 2020 when entries open)
| 5:00pm | Race registration opens |
| 6:35pm | HIIT Factory aerobics warm up – Long Course runners |
| 6:40pm | START – Long Course (15km) |
| 6:50pm | HIIT Factory aerobics warm up – Short Course runners |
| 6:55pm | START – Short Course (5.2km) |
| 7:00pm | HIIT Factory aerobics warm up – Medium Course runners |
| 7:05pm | START – Medium Course (10.3km) |
| 7:15pm | Short course winner expected |
| 7:40pm | Long course winner expected |
| 7:45pm | Medium course race winner expected |
| 8:40pm | Race presentation and spot prize giveaways |
| 9:30pm | Courses close |
Finisher medals
All Gold Runners* will receive a finishers’ medal when you cross the line at the end of Race 5 as recognition of your achievement and participation in the 2019 Trail Running Series.
* Gold Runners are those runners who have a gold number plate and who entered at least 4 of the 5 races in the series.
CELEBRATION CENTRAL – Yarra Bend
All races will finish in our purpose built event expo area in Yarra Bend Park, at the end of Deep Rock Rd Fairfield and will also host our post event celebrations. There will be a bar and a number of food trucks providing a delicious selection of food, from tummy fillers to easy to eat snacks and meals.
We also have a few surprises in store to make the night as good as it can be – stay tuned! We strongly encourage everyone to hang around the finish line to buy a drink and a bite to eat and celebrate the end of the series and our winners with the Series Presentations at 8:30pm.
Lights & Reflective clothing
All runners in race 5 are required to bring their own torches to light the trail during your race. We recommend runners use a head torch because then your hands are free and the light swivels to where you are looking at all times. Generally we think the brighter the torch the better with a light over 300 lumens preferred. It is also required competitors wear reflective material on the rear of their clothing/backpack with a minimum area of 450 square centimetres. Material should meet AS/NZS 4602.1:2011 standard. We will have some reflective tape to distribute on the night that you can pin to your top if you cannot find any for yourself before the event.
Need a head torch? Get one from Rapid Ascent now FOR JUST $29 – click here
The location:
The event expo and race finish line is at the end of Deep Rock Rd. Yarra Bend Park, Fairfield.
Car parking and access to the event:
We recommend that people run, walk, ride or take public transport to the event to save fossil fuels, but if you choose to drive, there is a range of parking locations surrounding Yarra Bend as outlined below:
- Yarra Bend Rd . All parking on this side is accessed off Heidelberg Rd.
- Studley Park Boathouse, accessed off Yarra Boulevard (walk over the bridge!)
- Yarra Boulevard (walk over the bridge!)
The start
Start line location
On Deep Rock Rd.
Starting procedure
All distances will start racing with a single wave start at the following start times:
- 6:40pm LONG COURSE (15km) – all runners start
- 6:55pm SHORT COURSE (5.2km) – all runners start
- 7:05pm MEDIUM COURSE (10.3km) – all runners start
Self-seeding
Please place yourself in the start chute according to your honest running ability, with fast runners near the front, recreational runners in the middle and those who are here to enjoy yourself towards the back.
Competitor number plates
Number plate identification
All competitors are required to wear their race number plate whilst running in the race. Numbers must be safety pinned to the front of your race top so it is clearly visible from the front.
Your number plate will have a small timing tag stuck to the back so we can record your start and finish time. This tag looks just like a strip of foam, so please do not remove it from your number plate otherwise you will not get an official result.
- GOLD number plates denote runners who have entered the entire Trail Running Series, doing at least 4 of the 5 events in the series.
- RED, GREEN & BLUE number plates will be given to all other runners who are not entered into The Series
If you have a GOLD number plate and are doing all races in the series please KEEP YOUR NUMBER PLATE and timing tag to use for all of your races in the series. We will not be re-issuing number plates to series runners.
Number plate collection
Competitors who entered Race 5 before 8:00am Friday 20th September will receive their event number plate in the post before the event. If you are going to be away from home or if you have not received it in the post by Tuesday 3rd October then please call the Rapid Ascent office on 03 5261 5511.
Competitors who enter Race 5 after 8:00am Friday 20th September must collect their event number plate from Registration on race afternoon / evening.
Once you have received your number plate (either via post or collection) you do not need to ‘report in’ or register at the event venue on race morning, just warm up, arrive at the start line ready to race!
Headphones
We strongly encourage all runners NOT TO WEAR HEADPHONES or listen to music whilst running in the The Trail Running Series. This is primarily for your safety, so that runners wishing to overtake on a narrow section of track can communicate with you and advise where/how they’d like to pass without causing a crash. The courses also pass through some magnificent eucalypt bush land filled with birds and other wildlife that is all part of the trail running experience and if you’re pounding away to music you can’t hear that either!