Welsh Castles Relay, 10-11 June 2022

Sign up for the Serpentine RC team has now opened. This year we plan to enter 1 team of 20 runners with entry grades to be determined depending on the make-up of club registrations. It will be a team in the 'Open' category, so it will be a mixed male and female team regardless of age category.

The weekend is very social with the chance to have a great race along some scenic countryside. Along the way there are loads of sheep, castles, a fair few car parks and plenty of great Serpie company.

On Friday and Saturday nights we stay as a group in B&Bs and we also organise a group meal on Saturday evening. All competitors will receive a Welsh Castles Relay T-shirt provided by the event organisers.

Race Information

Race information based on previous editions can be found on the Serpie website and the Les Croupiers website here.

The Welsh Castles Relay is a two day event starting in Caernarfon, North of Wales, on Saturday morning and ending in Cardiff on Sunday afternoon. Most people will leave London on Friday afternoon in mini vans, with the option to travel up Saturday morning as well. We can also work in an option to travel back Saturday evening (for those who run on Saturday) if this proves popular.

The race involves 20 stages (10 stages each day) run mainly on rural roads over a range of terrain from flat roads to mountain passes. Everybody runs once and stages vary between about 12km and 21km. If you’re targeting something specific, we can try find a stage that suits you best.

Each stage starts as its own race so you’re sure to get a good competitive run out of it, with individual Stage Winner’s t-shirts and trophies up for grabs. The times from each stage are then added up to determine the overall winning team. As well as running you get involved in marshalling, handing out water and we need a few minibus drivers too.

Note that due to the requirement for the race organisers to close roads, they impose cut-off times for each stage (approximately 9 min/mile or 5:30min/km) so runners should be capable to completing the distance in under the cut off time.

2022 Sign up

Sign up here to register your interest.

Following the sign-up period, team captains will be appointed to make the stage allocations.  If you know of others who would also be interested, please spread the word! - as long as they are 1st claim Serpentine, can comfortably cover the distance in under the cut-off times (approximately 9 minute miles) and are free for the majority of the weekend we would love to have them along too.

We also require a few more individuals to help with team captaining / management and weekend logistics to ensure things run smoothly. If you are interested please email us or indicate this during sign up.

2022 Costs

The club covers the Serpentine team race entries (£30 per athlete) and other administrative fees, and also subsidises some of the overall costs.

Costs per athlete for 2022 are expected to be:

1) Each participant will pay £50 deposit at the time of signing up

2) Final payment of around £100, to cover transport and accommodation costs for Friday and Saturday night (which includes breakfast).

3) In addition to the travel and accommodation costs, other own costs for each athlete include:

• Evening Saturday meal arranged for the group (estimated around £20 for 3 courses TBC).
• Own food and drink purchased along the way.

Mini Van Drivers