Round The Rock
Round the Rock Jersey

Round The Rock 2 Man and 5 Man Relay

Where – Starting at The Steam Clock, St Helier, Jersey

 

When:

2023 Edition – 5/8/23 7am

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Solo Race – £70

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GPX Course File: Here

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2 Man Relay – £90

Scroll down for relay info

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Marathon – £55

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Marathon info

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1/2 Marathon – £40

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1/2 Marathon info

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Course Record

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Male – Paul Martelletti – 05:42.59 (2016)

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Female – Mel Varvel – 07:15.57(2013)

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Round the Rock Relay Races

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Unravel the enchanting charm of Jersey not as a solo endeavour, but as a thrilling team experience. Renowned for its famous potatoes, intriguing Bergerac, and charming cows, Jersey’s allure is undeniable. The Round The Rock Relay Races offer an opportunity for shared memories, the spirit of teamwork, and a showcase of the island’s captivating landscapes.

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Race Details:

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Dive into the captivating world of Relay Races, available in two exciting formats: the Five-person Relay and the Two-person Relay. Both Relay Races commence at the iconic Steam Clock, paving the way for a breath-taking adventure along the Jersey coast. Prepare to be awestruck by stunning views, encounter unique wildlife, and become a part of a tightly-knit community of passionate runners. This collective adventure is waiting for you – gather your team and register today!

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Route Description:

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The exciting relay race journey kicks off at the Steam Clock, the starting point for all relay participants. The route guides runners along the impressive landscapes of Jersey, unfolding stunning vistas at every turn. The Five-person Relay covers the full Ultra Marathon route, with each leg measuring roughly ten miles. On the other hand, the Two-person Relay allows each participant to cover half of the Ultra Marathon route.

For the Five-person Relay, runners will change over at the Ultra checkpoints, allowing a seamless transition between team members, while the Two-person Relay participants swap over at Les Fontaines. Prepare for an exhilarating challenge, whether it’s the ten miles per leg of the Five-person Relay or the half-course challenge of the Two-person Relay!

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History and Future:

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Managed by Trail Monkey, these relay races are an integral part of the signature Channel Isles event, following the tradition of Digby Ellis-Brecknell’s successful races. The Round The Rock Relay Races have become a treasured event, encouraging participants to explore the Round the Rock course as part of a team. Whether you’re aiming for a fun, collaborative challenge or a stepping stone to more extensive races, the Relay Races offer an exceptional experience.

Are you and your team ready to take on this shared challenge? Register now and immerse yourselves in the breathtaking beauty of Jersey’s coast!

For the complete Event and Kit Information, click here.

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Crucial Information Before You Register:

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Race Prerequisites:

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Bear in mind, Round the Rock Jersey is a formidable challenge, regardless of the race you choose. To register for the relay races participants must ideally have experience of having run trail races in the past, however we are trying to welcome all runners into this event, so please take note of the information below in particular:

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The race organizer might request confirmation of your previous race details to ensure entrants understand the challenge. However, this is not to deter anyone from registering. Whilst there are no formal cutoffs in place for the relay races, the ultra has a 12 hour cutoff, therefore relay runners who are still on the course and in a positions where they look like they are unable to complete the course by 7pm will be pulled from the race at the organizers discretion.

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Course Indicators:

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Please anticipate course markers to be primarily positioned at decision points where the route changes. This might mean several miles without any markers due to a straight path or road with no turnings off. It’s your responsibility to:

  • Keep an eye out for signage.
  • Be familiar with the course.
  • Have a GPS device with the course .gpx file (available to download at top of page)on it to help you navigate.

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Aid Stations:

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We offer food at aid stations as a supplement to your personal provisions. However, the food we supply is intended to top up your supplies and should not be your sole source of nutrition for the entire course. We will ensure an ample supply of water and sports drinks on the course and include extra hydration points if the weather is exceptionally hot.

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Mandatory Kitlist

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If you appear to not be carrying or equipped with any of the following at the start we will carry out a kit check. Anyone found not to be carrying or equipped with he following will be unable to start the race. By entering the race you agree to abide by these requirements (Kit list applies to all races within the event even relay races)

– Trail Shoes – Mandatory as the trails are slippery.

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-Sun Hat (or adequate head protection including a buff) – It gets hot in August!

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-Sunscreen – See above

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-A water receptacle (s) to carry at least 1 litre of water

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-A cup should you require coke at checkpoints or at race end. (we are a cup-less race at all points of the race)

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-Enough Calories to see you between each checkpoint

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-Charged Phone with my telephone number in – 07797827383 and what3wordsapp downloaded – please only use my phone number for emergencies and not for queries before the race. I will deal with all queries by email (paul@trailmonkeyjersey.com)

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-Spare layer in case of inclement weather, not so much to keep you warm whilst running, more if you get into any trouble and have to stop for any length of time you ahve something to put on to keep you warm.

Relay Change Over Points

Course Information and Info

Check out this great video from filmmyrun.com from 2017 – it perfectly captures the essence of Round the Rock.

Do I really need Trail Shoes? Yes, you do – the north coast is very technical and rocky in places and if it rains as it may do the rocks then become very slippery. Trail Shoes are the only suitable footwear for a race of this type – please purchase them and break them in in plenty of time for the race. The only exception to this is for the relay on leg one – leg one is on the road so runners running this leg only can wear road shoes. 

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Am I allowed a crew or pacers? This is a solo challenge, we provide a drop-bag facility as well as food and rink at regular intervals. We can’t monitor every participant on the course, however if a runner is perceived to have received outside help then action may be taken in line with the event rules at the bottom of the page. 

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Is there a drop bag facility? Yes we take your bag from the start to the Grosnez checkpoint for you (half marathon) and we will take any bags for you from both race starts to the finish – this is available to both Ultra and Marathon runners. 

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Are all items on the mandatory kit list really needed? We prescribe these items as you are out on the course for a long time and the weather can change. If you fall over or get into difficulty whilst on the course, then warm clothing might be required. Even for runners taking part in the relay, marathon or half marathon events all runners will require mandatory kit items as the shortest leg of the relay is 10 miles, which if it’s a hot day or you get into bother is still a long way to run and our duty of care is to ensure that all runners are adequately equipped. Anyone who clearly appears to not be carrying the mandatory kit will be unable to start the race until they are able to show that they have the necessary kit – no exceptions.

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Is the course marked?  Yes -The course is marked to ensure that at decision points along the course you will be told where to go, the general principle of these types of races is one of adventure so each explicit twist and turn will not be marked, however as long as you keep the sea on your right all the way round, follow footpaths unless indicated to do otherwise and pay attention to the signage on the course you will be fine. If you are in any doubt as to your ability to navigate the course, please do download the gps file (available on entry page) and utilise it to ensure your success on race day. 

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How far apart are the aid stations? Water stations are approx 10 miles apart on this course: you are expected to carry water receptacles to carry enough water to sustain yourself between these stations and if it is a hot day whilst we will ensure we have sufficient water at the checkpoints to ensure your safety – it is your responsibility to carry enough water to hydrate yourself. We will also be going cupless, therefore if you wish to drink coke or squash at water checkpoints you will be required to carry your own re usable cup.

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What foods and drinks are at Checkpoints? CP1 is primarily water, at CP2 and CP3 there will be supplies such as coke, sweets, fruit and some savoury food, however runners are expected to bring enough calories to support themselves, with the food at CP’s being supplementary to this. 

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Are there any pre-requisites for this race? It is a requirement of entry that all entrants for the Ultra event have completed a trail race, long distance walk or road race of at least marathon distance. The race organiser may seek confirmation of your race information.

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How far is the race?  The race is a 48 mile race, however the distance will definitely not be bang on 48 miles, so please mentally prepare yourself for this. If you run the beach rather than the road at St Ouen’s and St Brelaide’s  (tides allowing) you can make quite significant distance savings but it can get quite bumpy!!

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How stringent are the cutoffs? This is a tough challenge – please do not enter if you are unprepared for the possibility of not completing the race within the 12-hour cut-off – cutoffs are strict and you will not receive a medal if you finish past this time. Please do not put us in the awkward position of having to justify this to you on the day should you fail to meet the cut-off.

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Why all these rules and requirements?  Every rule that is specified in our race info is there to either ensure the safety, the comfort of participants or to preserve the intended spirit of the race – each of the rules have usually been borne out of a situation that occurred previously and has been implemented to mitigate this. Essentially we are all adults and know right, wrong and the common sense way to do things -if we stick to these we won’t go far wrong! 

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What weather can I expect? Because the race is in August, it will generally be expected that it will be warm – please train in anticipation of this and take all necessary precautions to ensure your comfort and safety on the day.

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What if I have any medical conditions?  If you suffer from any medical conditions please ensure that you place a Red Cross on your race number before race day, and write your medical conditions on the back of the race number with a I.C.E. contact also.

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What do I do in the event of an emergency?  If in case of an accident or a runner wishing to retire and no mobile signal being available: Either walk to the nearest checkpoint if it is safe to do so or ask a passing runner / walker / marshal to pass on details of incident and personal details to the nearest checkpoint. If you do retire from the race between checkpoints please contact race director as soon as possible to explain the situation, we do not want to be alerting emergency services when a runner is actually sitting in a pub. If you come across a runner who is injured or in distress, you must stop and see if you can assist, contact race director or inform marshals. There will be non competing runners on the course who will act as sweepers; they will be there to help.

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What about hazards on the course? The route follows cliff paths and is hazardous in certain places. As organisers we will highlight potential hazards but you must be aware that there may be other hidden dangers. Do not attempt to overtake on narrow / dangerous sections, please wait until it is safe to do so and please allow faster runners to overtake when safe. If you do not feel that you can continue, please inform a marshal at the next check point /contact race director / inform other runners. Remember it may be hot or windy or wet… so please take care! 

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Are there shuttle buses for the relay, marathon and half marathon? There is no shuttle bus for the above races, we are a very small race and don’t have resources to facilitate this here are the bus and taxi company details.

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More FAQ’s here