Rainbow Challenge
The Rainbow Challenge is our way of saying thank you to our key workers helping keeping us fed and alive during the start of the pandemic. We have given away the majority of the entries for this event to keyworkers. There are some late spaces for entries however no more discount codes will be sent out. So if you’re looking to come along for your first 10K, aiming for a marathon or looking to see how far you can go in 6 hours then sign up to this event!
What’s a 6 hour event?
It is an event that enables all abilities of runner to run together (or hike/walk!). Ultimately you can run as many 5k laps as you wish in the time limit. You can run one lap in 20 minutes, pick up your medal, flapjack and beer and go home! Alternatively you can head out on your 15th lap at 14:55 and finish in 6hr30 having covered over 50 miles! It’s completely up to you. There is no pressure from us,but we’ll also see if you want one more lap! The format is great for people looking to run further than they’ve ever done before, do a long training run for future events or to enjoy a sociable event with your mates.
When is it?
We will set a date once the lock down has finished and races are allowed to be run again. We are looking at a date 3 months after the end of lock down though. Hopefully long enough for key workers lives to have settled down a little and for you to have got a bit of training in too!
If you’ve entered and cannot race on the eventual date (it will definitely be midweek and a 9am start) we will offer you a race credit for another event as per our standard withdrawal policy.
Course description
The route is along well maintained pathways. There isn't a meter of asphalt and they are mainly crushed stone. Obviously being in the middle of a forest the narrower ones are covered in tree detritus and can become a bit muddy and grimy, especially when wet. On a dry day road shoes will be perfectly acceptable, on a wet day trail shoes may be a better bet as some parts can become a bit slippy. During the summer there will be a mixture of shaded and exposed sections.
What does it cost?
The event was previously closed due to entries being full and the waiting list being very full. However due to a number of withdrawals we are opening this event to paying entries.
The majority of runners at the event are running for free as a thank you from us to you for your hard work during the early days of pandemic (when this event originally went on sale!)
£35
Where is it?
Salcey Forest is a Forestry Commission site with a cafe and toilets near Northampton. Use the post code NN7 2HX for Sat Navs.
You do have to pay to park (between £4-£6 at the time of writing). That said, be a hero and car share, save money and the world!
It is 18 minutes from Northampton and 9 minutes from Junction 15 of the M1. The closest train station is Northampton.
How far is the race?
You decide! The 3.3-mile off-road loop means your race can be 5k or even over 80K and anywhere in between. You decide how many laps you're going to do on the day within the 6-hour time limit. If you're looking to cover a marathon distance you'll need to complete 8 laps and a half marathon will be 4 laps.
Permissions
Permission for this event has been obtained from Forestry England.
I’ve heard you do cupless events?
That’s right! Read all about how we do cupless events here
Has the event been run before?
Yes. We’ve run at Salcey Forest many times in the past.
What are you defining as a key worker?
We are using the UK governments definition of a keyworker. Essentially if you’ve got kids and they are still at school or nursery - you’re a key worker. Hopefully this is something we can trust people to not abuse so we aren’t going to ask for “proof” but it would be great if you could send a picture of you “keyworking” and a few lines when you do email us for the code. Would be lovely to celebrate people’s hard work!
What are your refund/withdrawal rules?
You can find them here
I have a question.
No problem, check out our FAQ’s
“The lap system was great, not only for the new snacks to look forward to at the end of each one, but to catch up with other members of our group to see how everyone was doing. The organisation was spot on and the atmosphere was really supportive. ”
