On Sunday, Tom and I went live on the Saltire 24 Instagram channel to answer any questions participants, volunteers & potential runners had. It was also an opportunity to meet the team behind the event. In this blog post we're going to fire through the questions asked on the Live. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to watch the full video.
Whats the route like?
The route is 4.2 miles long with about 100m of elevation. The terrain is mostly trail / grass with a small part of tarmac. It's undulating, interesting and has some spectacular views. We have two favourite parts of the route. The bit that goes through the campsite as we think the vibe and atmosphere will be really good here and a small part that goes through the woods.
What kind of trainers would we recommend?
Trail trainers for the extra grip on the grassy paths and forest tracks. Shoes that you are comfortable in.
Can we do a recce of the route?
Yes you can! Knockburn Loch have said this is absolutely fine. They are closed to non members but you can park at Kerloch car park. You may have to jump over a few fences but feel free to take a wander around.
What size tents can we bring?
No restrictions on tent size. Any size is fine just try to accommodate the people in your team / support crew. i.e. don't all turn up with 6 men tents. Feel free to bring gazebos too!
How does the pairs work?
You can sign up solo, in a pair or in teams of 4 - 8 people. In the pairs you can do what you want and swap after however many laps you like. It is only the teams of 4-8 where you must do it relay style and stick to the same order you started with for the full 12 or 24 hours.
Will there be hot water facilities?
Yes we will have hot water urns inside the sports academy which we will try and keep topped up. Perfect for your pot noodles, cups of tea and hot water bottles!
Will there be food?
Knockburn have a cafe which will be open for a few hours through the day, we can't confirm the times until closer to the event. We're looking at food vendors but haven't got any confirmed yet, know a good food vendor you'd like to see at Saltire? Let us know! We recommend coming to the event with all your food prep and nutrition sorted rather then relying on the food at Knockburn. There is a Tescos in Banchory which is 15 mins drive from Knockburn Loch if you or your support crew need to pick up supplies. We also have a bring your own barbecue and fire pit zone so pick up some sausages / burgers for your BBQ set up.
What item, outside the obvious, would we recommend taking to Saltire?
VASELINE! Believe it or not we did not plan to both say the same thing after the count of three but it just proves how real the chafe is during these events. In Tom's words "nipples & thighs!!". Vaseline and other chafe creams will help prevent and soothe chafe and manage to keep you running for longer. Other items we mentioned were a foam roller to massage those tired muscles and plenty pairs of socks - so refreshing when you change socks for a new lap!
Can we edit team mates?
Yes, you can up until the beginning of May when we close entries. Some teams are struggling to edit team mates. Any issues drop us an email - saltire@rebelpt.co.uk it should not cost you anymore to edit teams. It will only cost you to add extra team mates on.
Will Tom do a burpee for every lap completed?
This made us laugh. Funnily enough we are trying to think of fun challenges for during the event to showcase the inclusivity of running. Saltire will be tough and you will have to train for it but we're thinking of fun novelty challenges that you can do during the 12 or 24 hours. This is not your average endurance running event. It will have a couple of twists along the way, all optional of course.
Can we have fires?
There will be a specific area for fire pits and barbecues. It is bring your own so if you have a fire bit / bbq please bring it with you and don't forget fire wood. If you don't have I'm sure other participants will let you hover around theirs but it might be worth taking some firewood to share.
There are more questions in our FAQ page. If you can't find an answer please send us an email, saltire@rebelpt.co.uk.