Trail Running Series - Plenty Gorge - EVENT PROGRAM

WELCOME TO THE 2023 TRAIL RUNNING SERIES

We can’t wait to ESCAPE TO THE TRAILS with you as part of our 2023 Series!

We’ve got some great adventures to look forward to over winter as we visit 3 magnificent venues to run through the wilderness together. Trail runners are such a friendly community and each race has a relaxed vibe that makes you feel welcome from the moment you step out of the car. Its going to be awesome!

The first race for 2023 takes us to Plenty Gorge, one of our most popular venues where the trails crisscross the banks of the Plenty River just past Bundoora. This is ‘proper’ trail running - with single track that weaves through the eucalypt bushland, over rocky outcrops, up and down hills and through the river itself. It’s honest and enjoyable running that provides a great adventure on a Sunday morning. We love it here and we’re sure you will too. Have a great race!

The Rapid Ascent team

EVENT SCHEDULE

SUNDAY 4TH JUNE

7:00 - 9:00am Race Registration (race plate collection)

8:15am START - LONG COURSE (24km)

8:30am START – MEDIUM COURSE (13km)

9:00am START – SHORT COURSE RUNNERS (7km)

10:45am Short and Medium course presentations

11:45am Long course presentations

LOCATION & CAR PARKING

EVENT CENTRE AND FINISH LINE

Yellow Gum Park, at the end of Goldsworthy Rd, Plenty. (Do not put ‘Plenty Gorge’ into Google Maps, type in ‘Yellow Gum Park’)

DRIVING DIRECTIONS:

Depending on where you are coming from, navigate yourself to Greensborough and the Greensborough Highway heading North East towards Hurstbridge. Continue along the Diamond Creek Rd and then turn left onto Yan Yean Rd and left onto Memorial Rd at Plenty. Goldsworthy Lane turns off to the left and the start / finish area is in the picnic area at the end of the road. (If you are navigating via Google maps put in ‘Yellow Gum Park’ rather than ‘Plenty Gorge’ to go to the right location) .

EVENT ACCESS AND PARKING:

Event parking will be at the end of Goldsworthy Lane, immediately adjacent the start / finish area - although we encourage people to car pool where possible! The primary parking area is on the large grassy space on the right at the end of Goldsworthy Lane. Overflow parking is along the sides of Goldworthy Lane - but twoway access must be maintained.

THE EVENT CENTRE

The following competitor services and facilities will be set up at the Event Centre, making a welcoming environment for everyone to enjoy whether you are running or spectating:

• The start and finish line for all races

• Race registration and information marquee (from 7:00am)

• Displays by a range of sponsors including:

• Knog head torches and lighting

• Skratch Hydration and Nutrition

• Foot Pro retailing shoes, packs and accessories

• Blackmans Brewery bar

• Milo Communications

• Beyond physiotherapy massages

• Pro Feet Podiatry consultations

• Event merchandise sales marquee

• First Aid point

• Bag storage area for runners’ clothing during the race

• Live music, MC and commentary at the race finish

• A range of food, coffee and snacks including

• Jaffle It - toasties and more

• Banh Mi Brothers - Vietnamese rolls

• Road Show Coffee - coffee and more

NO DOGS ALLOWED: Yellow Gum Park, Plenty Gorge is a DOG-FREE PARK, so please leave your canine friends at home!

COMPETITOR SERVICES @ THE EVENT CENTRE

SOCIAL CHILL ZONE

We’ll set up a social chill zone where you can relax and enjoy your post race vibes with chairs, umbrellas and live music and more. Grab a seat, buy a coffee/food/beer and enjoy life!

BEYOND - HERE TO SUPPORT YOU WITH FREE MASSAGE +

Our new healthcare partner Beyond will have a Myotherapist, a Physio and an Exercise Physiologist on hand to help enhance your performance and avoid injuries. They’ll be providing some free massages as well as to answer your questions and provide you with guidance on how to maintain your physical health.

PROFEET PODIATRY

Will be in attendance to assist with footcare and provide free advice on shoes, blisters, strength and any other foot related mater.

FREE TASTER BEER / SELTZER THANKS TO BLACKMANS BREWERY / COAST SELTZER

Our new friends and event sponsors Blackmans Brewery and Coast Sletzer will have a bar onsite and be providing free tastings and sales of their award winning beers and seltzers. This nationally respected brewery is based in Torquay with additional bars in Ocean Grove and Geelong - and not only do they make great beers they are also trail runners who share our love for the trails. Drop by for a chat / meal / beer anytime.

SKRATCH HYDRATION POINT - NO CUPS!!

There will be a hydration station located in the event expo / finish line area that will have water and Skratch hydration sports drink available – but you must BRING YOUR OWN CUPS OR BOTTLES…

KIDS ACTIVITY ZONE

We’ll have a bunch of games set up for kids (of any age) to play with during the morning, including Giant Jenga, Corn Hole and Quoits. “Fun for the whole family!”

NIGHT RUN THE

RUNNING HEADLAMPS BY KNOG KNOG.COM

BITUMEN IS BORING BACKDROP

We will have our Bitumen is Boring backdrop with a range of fun placard signs for you to hold up and have fun with. Snap a selfie or grab a photo with some friends to create your own unique event photo.

MC AND LIVE MUSIC

We’ll be calling finishers over the line and sharing the love on the mic, with some live music to add to the scene and relaxed post-race vibe.

BAG STORAGE

We will store your bags and keep an eye over them whilst you’re running. Put all items in a closed bag, attach the tear-off bag tag from the bottom of your number plate and hand the bag to the storage area before your run. All care no responsibility.

VIP GROUP EXPERIENCE

We’ll denote a specific group to enjoy some VIP treatment at each race – with their own VIP marquee, chairs, food hamper and free coffees right next to the finish line. Groups have a minimum of 5 runners so make sure you enter your group name when entering online and maybe you’ll get the VIP treatment at the next race!

BYO CLUB MARQUEE

Groups and clubs are welcome to bring your own marquee to set up near the finish line to create your own race hub. Send us a quick e-mail with the details to info@rapidascent.com.au beforehand then set up your home base and enjoy the scene. (Marquees must be well pegged down and made safe).

PLENTY OF SPOT PRIZES

We’ll be handing out plenty of spot prizes during the race and at presentations so keep an ear out for your race number or prize competitions.

COMPETITOR IDENTIFICATION

COMPETITOR NUMBER PLATE COLLECTION

If you entered:

• before 8:00am Thursday 18 May your number plate has been posted to you - bring it on the day. You do not need to ‘report in’ or do anything else on race day, just warm up and go!

• If you do not receive your plate in the post before race day then come and see us in the registration marquee and we’ll give you another one.

• after 8:00am Thursday 18 May you need to collect your number plate on race morning. Please bring your entry confirmation e-mail.

FORGOTTEN RACE PLATES - If you forget to bring your number plate there will be a $10 replacement charge. Please see Race Registration.

ON THE DAY ENTRIES - Entries will be accepted on the day at the event. Please enter via your phone and show the entry confirmation e-mail. (We will not be doing any paper based entries on race day).

NUMBER PLATES

• All competitors must race with their race plate attached to the front of your t-shirt / top (and not on your shorts or leggings) so it is clearly visible from the front during the race.

• If you have a GOLD race plate and are doing all 3 races The Series, please KEEP YOUR RACE PLATE to use it for your following races in The Series.

THE RACE COURSES

All runners will complete a scenic loop deep within local bushland made friendly with plenty of kangaroos, echidnas, galahs and other local Aussie wildlife to keep you company.

Runners will criss-cross the Plenty Gorge a couple of times, climbing up and down the sides of the valley and its steep sided walls. Each course allows competitors to enjoy the views from the valley top, but also sees Medium and Long course runners definitely getting your feet wet crossing the ankle-deep Plenty River at the valley bottom – this added adventure component is an often talked about feature and an excellent part of the experience #BitumenIsBoring !!

RACE DISTANCES (all race distances are +/- 500m)

• Long Course: 23.5km, includes 640m elevation gain / loss

• Medium Course: 12.5km, includes 320m elevation gain / loss

• Short Course: 7.1km, includes 145m elevation gain / loss.

THE START START TIMES:

• 8:15am - Long course

• 8:30am - Medium course

• 9:00am - Short course

STARTING PROCEDURE: All distances will start racing with a single wave start at the times listed above. There is plenty of space for runners to spread out before you get to the single track and your time doesn’t start until you cross over the start mat.

START LINE LOCATION: In Yellow Gum Park, just east of the little dam at the road end. This is adjacent to the finish 100m away.

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 purely here to enjoy yourself towards the back.

WATER POINTS

ON COURSE WATER POINTS: Water points on the course will have water and Skratch sports drink available but you must BYO your own cup or water bottle to drink from.

• Long course: There will be 3 water points on the long course located at the 5.5km, 12.5km and 17km pts.

• Medium course: There will be 1 water point on the medium course located at the 8km pt.

• Short course: There will be no water points on the short course.

FINISH LINE WATER POINT: There will be a water station at the finish line but you need to BRING YOUR OWN CUP OR WATER BOTTLE and fill it up from the taps provided. See explanation under Competitor Services.

RIVER CROSSINGS

The Medium and Long courses cross the Plenty River on several occasions (Medium cross it twice and Long course cross it six times) many crossings are on small timber or log bridges but some crossings will definitely result in you getting wet feet up to knee deep (exact height depends on recent rainfall).

We advise all runners to TAKE CARE crossing the river - we recommend you walk across and take your time to avoid falling.

PASSING ETIQUETTE

With a large number of runners sharing a narrow trail there are a few points of common etiquette when it comes to passing another runner. If you are a faster runner who wants to pass a slower runner on a narrow bit of track:

• Let the slower runner know you are there and want to pass. Say something like, “Can I go past when there’s a chance...” or even “Track please” then wait for a wider section of track – don’t barge through

• The slower runner can then say, “OK, go past on the right” or “just up here it’s a bit wider, go there”. But it’s good to acknowledge that you heard them and give direction for when they can go past.

• Only pass if you are legitimately faster. If you’re pushing at 120% to overtake then stay behind for now.

• Slower runners - you don’t have to totally stop when a faster runner comes through, make space but keep trotting along as well.

HEADPHONES

We strongly recommend that runners DO NOT WEAR HEADPHONES and listen to music during the race. This is primarily for your safety, so that other runners and marshals can communicate with you. The courses also pass through some beautiful 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!

90%

We use science to inform what will help your body perform its best. We use nature to make it taste as good as possible so you’ll enjoy it. Nobody knows your body better than you. But nobody knows sports nutrition better than us. The human body is complex but the solutions to help it perform aren’t. We follow this rule when we create products that solve problems and simple ingredients that each have a purpose

COURSE MARKING - IMPORTANT!!

The course will be clearly marked with the colours listed below. Note that you need to keep an eye out for and follow the course markings, there will not be marshals every 100m ready to direct you!

LONG COURSE:

• red and/or orange arrows (pegged into the ground and fixed to trees or bushes)

• fluoro pink coloured plastic surveyor’s tape (tied to trees or bushes)

MEDIUM COURSE:

• green arrows (pegged into the ground and fixed to trees or bushes)

• green coloured plastic surveyor’s tape (tied to trees or bushes)

SHORT COURSE:

• blue arrows (pegged into the ground and fixed to trees or bushes)

• aqua blue coloured plastic surveyor’s tape (tied to trees or bushes)

The colours of these course markings match the colour of the race plate for runners in that particular course distance (except Series Entrants who have a GOLD race plate).

TRACK INTERSECTIONS: All track intersections will be clearly marked. Surveyor’s tape will be placed immediately following a track junction to confirm you are on the correct track. Unless otherwise marked or directed, competitors should follow the most major track at all intersections. If there is no arrow at a minor track junction then continue along the major track.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

LONG COURSE - 23.5KM

If you look at the course map you’ll see that the overall course involves a 6km loop north of the start/finish area (called the ‘northern loop’) and a larger 10km loop south of the start / finish area (called the ‘northern loop’).

The long course race sees runners first complete the ‘northern loop’ in an anticlockwise direction (that involves 2 river crossings), finishing the loop by coming close to the start / finish area at the 6km pt. Then you complete the ‘southern loop’ in a clockwise direction (also involving 2 river crossings), coming close to the start / finish area at the 16.5km pt. Then you complete the ‘northern loop’ again but in a clockwise direction (and the 2 river crossings) before reaching the finish line at the 23.5km pt. All in all it’s a challenging but rewarding course with plenty of variety and adventure.

NOTE: The long course starts with runners going along the last 300m of Goldsworthy Lane (so watch out for cars), other than that, the course is almost all on single track and is continually undulating with a number of small climbs and descents, twists and turns that provide for fun, dynamic running in a beautiful bushland setting. The course will be well marked provided you have your eyes up and look for the course markings ahead of you.

MEDIUM COURSE - 12.5KM

The medium course basically follows the middle section of the long course route, running the ‘southern loop’ in a clockwise direction.

The medium course starts with runners going along the last 300m of Goldsworthy Lane (so watch out for

Long Course elevation profile

cars) before looping around the bottom of Green Lake, after which you run uphill (coming close to the start / finish area at the 1.4km pt) and then onto the ‘southern loop’. The course includes 2 river crossings, is almost all single track and is continually undulating with a number of small climbs and descents, twists and turns that provide for fun, dynamic running in a beautiful bushland setting. The course will be well marked provided you have your eyes up and look for the course markings ahead of you.

Medium Course elevation profile

SHORT COURSE - 7.1KM

The short course starts by heading downhill – away from the start / finish area (this is the opposite direction to the direction the long and medium courses started). Soon after starting you turn left to run an abbreviated version of the ‘southern loop’ avoiding the river crossings but still providing an adventurous, scenic and varied run through the Plenty Gorge bushland. The course is almost all on single track and is continually undulating with a couple of long climbs and descents early on before shorter (and steeper) hills in the second half.

The course twists and turns a lot with numerous junctions so make sure you have your eyes up and look for the course markings ahead of you.

Short Course elevation profile

RACE 1 COURSE MAP

Plenty Gorge

CATEGORIES & PRIZES

ENTRY CATEGORIES

The following categories will be recognised at each race, categories determined by your age on race day.

• Under 15 Male and Female – Short Course only

• Under 20 Male and Female

• 20-39yrs Male and Female

• 40-49yrs Male and Female

• 50-59yrs Male and Female

• 60-69yrs Male and Female

• 70+yrs Male and Female

GOLD RUNNER REQUIREMENTS

RACE MEDALS AND PRIZES

Medals will be presented to 1st, 2nd and 3rd in each category in each race distance.

In 2023 we will be awarding the vast majority of our prizes as spot prizes anyone can win rather than giving them exclusively to race winners.

To receive an overall ranking in the 2023 Series runners must:

• Compete in all 3 races in the 2023 Series, entering either individually for each race, OR be entered as a ‘Gold Runner’

• Runners must compete in the same distance event at each race – eg. all long course events.

• If a runner changes category during the course of the series (i.e. because of a birthday) for the purposes of the series they will be ranked in the category they races the first race in Race 1 or Race 2).

• Points will be awarded according to your overall place in your category at each race, the runner with the lowest number of points wins

• If points are tied between two or more runners, then the runner with the best result in Race 3 will win.

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Share the moment in the moment

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BITUMEN IS BORING MERCHANDISE

Share the message that ‘Bitumen is Boring’ with our range of branded merchandise that says what we all know is true...!

GOLD RUNNERS please collect your free draw string sports bag at race 1 at Plenty Gorge.

BITUMEN IS BORING T-SHIRTS $35

TRAIL RUN SERIES

TRAIL RUN SERIES

Made of a high performance sports fabric by Indigo Wolf these are great for running and all sports. Womens and mens’ sizes.

BITUMEN IS BORING HOODIE $75

Our new Event Hoodies are definitely a must have item with black fleecey fabric and striking coloured print. With tunnel pocket and hood for those cold mornings they are the perfect item.

BITUMEN IS BORING SOCKS $25

These high performance technical running socks are custom made by Geelong based business Steigen. ‘Half’ length, one-size-fits-all with elasticated midfoot and cuff.

RUNNING VISOR $20

Adjustable size, sports fabric visor that’s great for running in.

HEAD TORCH $29

A small but very bright headtorch to keep you on the trails through winter’s darkness. 300lumens, rechargeable, 3 light strengths + SOS strobe.