The following are hopefully a series of answers to many of the questions you may already have. We will be updating this continually as race day approaches.
If you need any further information or have a question that has not been answered here, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us using the contact details at the bottom of this page.
Yes, for safety reasons there is a mandatory set of kit you are required to carry at all times. This will be checked at registration, with further random checks during and at the finish. Failure to produce items will result in disqualification. Further details can be found on our mandatory kit page.
As per UKA rules for races of these distances, you must be a minimum of 20 years old on the date of the Sunset Ultra, or a minimum of 18 years old for Sunset Marathon.
For the Sunset Ultra, you have 9.5 hours to complete the 35-mile journey to Snettisham, with the finish line closing at midnight on Sunday. There are no cut-offs along the route. For the Sunset Marathon, you have 7.5 hours to complete the 26.5 miles, with the finish line also closing at midnight on Sunday. There are no cut-offs along the route.
You are welcome to use your own crew, however, please consider that this race passes through local communities and avoid disturbing local residents by meeting your crew away from residential areas. You are still required to visit all race checkpoints for safety reasons. Checkpoints are for runners and race officials primarily and we, therefore, reserve the right to ask the crew to leave if space is at a premium. Further guidance on the use of crew and suggested locations will be shared closer to the race.
A full menu will be published closer to the event itself but expect a small selection of cold simple sweet and savoury snacks at the mobile checkpoints out on the course.
Soup, snacks and drink will be provided for all runners at the finish line.
Details of our refund policy can be found in our terms and conditions but in short, we are able to offer some sort of refund up to eight weeks before the race and transfer to another runner up to two weeks before.
Should the events sell-out we will operate a waiting list and can transfer a place for a £10 admin fee.
No transfers are possible two weeks before the race. Read our full terms and conditions for further details on our refund and transfer policy.
Use of the bus is purely optional. Please select if you would like to take advantage of this when entering. As parking is limited at Blakeney, we would encourage entrants to use the bus or look to car share with other entrants.
We will not be providing transport back to the start after the finish and entrants are responsible for their own onward travel and safety at the end of the race.
We have taken the decision to not provide a race t-shirt to all our entrants for environmental reasons. Some people love them, others hate them but one thing is for sure, a large number end up in landfill and with the average technical t-shirt having the same amount of plastic in it as five plastic bottles, this is something we are keen to avoid. For those that would like to have a t-shirt, there will be the option to order one (organic cotton or technical tee) or a premium hoodie as part of your race entry, as an additional cost option. This will then be provided at race registration.
Yes and yes! A GPS track will be sent to all competitors prior to the event and also provided through OS Maps, ViewRanger and Garmin Connect.
All events are self-navigation events along a designated national trail. This means that aside from some markings we may add around the checkpoints, you will be required to navigate yourself using map, compass and the existing signposts and acorn markers positioned along the route.
The route will be marked from the finish of the Norfolk Coast Path in Hunstanton to the finish line in Snettisham. While the signs are fairly well placed, familiarity with navigating in the dark using a map and compass is essential, for those that expect to be out after sunset.
Darkside Running Ltd. 18 The Beach, Snettisham, Norfolk, PE31 7RB
