1066 Relay

Runner in Hyde Park

The 1066 Relay is a 5 stage off-road team relay following the historic route of the 1066 Country Walk from Pevensey in East Sussex, where William the Conqueror landed, to Rye. The 34 mile event starts in the grounds of Pevensey Castle, one of Britain's oldest fortresses, and passes by such iconic landmarks as Herstmonceux Castle and Battle Abbey before passing through Battle Great Wood. The final two stages cover some glorious countryside, including a fantastic panoramic view at Icklesham next to the windmill which Paul McCartney uses as a recording studio, before a fast, flat finish along National Cycle Network route 2 into the charming town of Rye. The route is on undulating trails and rural rounds, with legs ranging from 3.5 miles to 11miles.

The 1066 relay will be open to all Serpentine members, and we hope it will appeal to those who have never participated in a club relay before or are only available for a day trip from London as well as our more experienced relay runners. Entry to this relay is on a first come first served basis, no-one is too slow or too new to the club to participate. We will be opening up entries at the end of February, so if you are interested in participating keep the weekend of the 5th/6th May free. Registration will be via http://www.serpentine.org.uk/pages/race_1066relay.html

In order to make the start time for the earlier legs, last year we stayed in Hastings the night before the race, and some of us took time the previous day to visit the 1066 battle ground, making a weekend of the event. The race will be finished by lunchtime, so we will be back in London in the late afternoon.

As in Ian's email a few weeks ago the club will continue to have teams in the Green Belt and Welsh Castles relays, with the intention of winning prizes. The 1066 relay will be open to all Serpentine members, and we hope it will appeal to those who have never participated in a club relay before or are only available for a day trip from London as well as our more experienced relay runners.

For more details of the event, see the event website at http://www.spanglefish.com/1066relay/index.asp

Catherine Sowerby
csowerby@talktalk.net

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