THE BASTION SPECTATOR GUIDE

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1 HEVER CASTLE THE BASTION SPECTATOR GUIDE at Hever Castle National Charity Partner: w: castletriathlonseries.co.uk t: +44 (0) National Sponsors:

2 Prepare to watch The Bastion Dear Spectators, Congratulations on making it to the Bastion, the pinnacle of the Castle Triathlon Series racing calendar! This iconic endurance challenge will earn you and your competitor major bragging rights, as it earns its reputation as one of the toughest and most rewarding long-distance events in Europe. Our goal is to make The Bastion a truly memorable experience for you as well as your hard pressed loved one. The course itself is one of the most beautiful triathlon courses in the UK, starting in front of an Italianate Loggia, cycling and running through areas of outstanding natural beauty and significant historical interest and finishing right next to the Castle drawbridge that once welcomed visits from King Henry VIII. We want you to suck up the atmosphere, see the sights and make Hever and the stunning surrounding countryside your playground for the day. The castle, pubs, B&B owners, school children and locals are all ready to help you have a great experience and be at the right time and hopefully the right place to cheer on your champion out on the course. The Bastion race name was chosen in keeping with our castle theme. The Bastion was the most formidable part of a castle s defences i.e. the most difficult to breakthrough, but the word can also refer to a person with great fortitude - that s you! This guide aims to provide you with more details about key aspects of the event to help you and your fellow supporters prepare for and get the most out of the big day. I have no doubt you will have a memorable race day and look forward to welcoming you at Hever over the weekend of racing. Have a brilliant day and, most importantly, enjoy! Brian Adcock Race Director The Castle Triathlon Series

3 Entertainment There will be a variety of free of charge entertainment areas for you and your supporters to enjoy whilst your competitor is racing. Including a climbing wall, inflatables, a live band and archery (there will be a small charge for this).

4 Event village HEVER CASTLE LONG COURSE TRIATHLON SITE LAYOUT 2016 Cyclist De- Mount Point Registration Swim Start Village Bike In Gate Competitors Key Finish Line Changing Tents Competitor Arrivals & Spectators Cycle 2 nd & 3 rd Lap Route Cyclist Mount Point Transition Swim Exit to Transition Area Route Bike Route Out Bike Route In Run Route Spectator Crossing Point Bike Out Gate Your base on the day will be the event village. Here you will find a selection of food and drink providers along with entertainment. There is also the Registration marquee which has plenty of room for cover if it was to rain.

5 Timings and prize giving Friday 7th July Campsite in Hever Castle grounds opens Saturday 8th July :00 14:00 Practice swim Registration Transition/changing area open for bike/bag check in Race briefing by Race Director Sunday 9th July Car park open Transition open Transition closed The Bastion race start Aquabike briefing Aquabike start Gauntlet briefing Gauntlet start Aquathlon & swim only briefing Aquathlon & swim only start Marathon briefing Marathon start Half marathon briefing Half marathon start Transition open for collection of bikes and bags Prize awards ceremony Final race finish cut off

6 Parking This red line is the 60K cycle route we are trying to minimise the time that cars arriving at the event are on it KEY AA Signs All event traffic will be AA signed along these routes to get to the triathlon car park Triathlon Car Park Parking for the event will be in a field called Big Front which is part of the Hever estate and just to the north of the main entrance to the castle on the other side of the river Eden. You will be parking in the car park as shown on the map above. Please follow the yellow AA style signs that will direct you to the Triathlon Car Park. Please note that it is a ten-minute walk from the car park to registration. Parking is available for both competitors and spectators of the event in this location.

7 Swim vantage points The swim is two loops of the unique 1.9km swim course used for the first time in Hailed by some competitors as the best open water swim ever experienced the swim course leaves from the Italianate loggia taking competitors down the length of the main lake before passing the Japanese tea house and heading into the scenic river section. This tributary of the River Eden wraps around the estate s 16 Acre Island and is definitely the place to make for after the starting gun has gone off. After 900m swimming down the main section of the lake, competitors enter the river section underneath one of two pedestrian bridges and you will be able to follow them around this section literally from 10 yards away for the next 800m or so. After reappearing in front of the Loggia after Lap 1 the swimmers will then complete the same loop for a second time before emerging from the water via the Swim Exit immediately adjacent to the Loggia and Guthrie Pavilion restaurant (this restaurant will be open from 6.00am for coffees and bacon sandwiches). A 200m run from here through the formal gardens will see your competitor back in transition and then out onto the bike course.

8 Cycle vantage points and pubs There are many pubs on the cycle course which make for a nice refreshment for you and good base to cheer your competitor on. You can see a list of the pubs below who are placed on the cycle route. Henry VIII (TN8 7NG) Kentish Horse (TN8 5NT) The Anchor Inn (TN7 4AG) Chequers (TN22 2EH) The Crown Inn (TN3 9QH) The Chafford Arms (TN3 0SA) The Leicester Arms (TN11 8BT) The Little Brown Jug (TN11 8JJ) The Wheatsheaf (TN8 7NU)

9 Run vantage points We hope you ve brought your wellies for a walk in some of the most stunning countryside The Garden of England has to offer! You have a number of options available depending on who is in your party, your own fitness and how much time you ve got. If you ve got little ones then I would recommend you stay on the estate as there are loads of great vantage points to see the runners and they will be doing four circuits of a 10.5K loop so there will lots of opportunities for cheering! 3K of the run is on the Estate and 7.5K is on surrounding tracks and paths as well as the historic village of Chiddingstone and Chiddingstone Castle itself (also worth a visit). If you would rather just kick back then just stay in an around the Finish Area where each of the competitors must pass through 3 times before finally being allowed to turn into the finishing straight on their final lap.

10 Athlete tracking Tracking your athletes is very easy using our mobile and and onsite tracking tools. Friends and family can see where you on are on the course, through a dedicated tracking page and predicted splits will also allow them to be at stations to anticipate your arrival at key points along the route. This is supported through Facebook updates and SMS services through our partners at BulkSMS.

11 Medical emergency If your competitor, you or one of your party fall ill or have an accident at one of our events this is the medical protocol that we will follow: Competitor On Course: 1. Competitor falls ill or has an accident. Marshals on course either via other competitors or motorists act as our eyes and ears. They all have radios and a full brief on who to call and what to say over the radio. 2. Event Control and Medical Control contacted by radio and/or mobile phone. Full contact report taken and decision on response made. 3. If Medical Emergency, on course ambulance immediately dispatched to attend and local NHS Ambulance called direct by our Medical Team (please do not call 999 yourself). Ambulance attends the scene, gives immediate first aid and stabilises. NHS dispatch ambulance (or helicopter) from the local A&E unit and effect an ambulance transfer. Patient then taken to Pembury A&E by ambulance (or air ambulance if available/required). Event Control will then contact the next of kin (please ensure the correct details have been entered on your forms) and explain the details of the situation and where the competitor has been taken. Assistance to get the hospital will be given if required. 4. If Medical Non-Emergency, ambulance will attend and patch up competitor with a view to helping them continue their race. If walking wounded but unable to carry on either the ambulance or one of our on-course vehicles will bring the competitor back to Hever Castle for ongoing treatment and repatriation with their supporters. If on the cycle, the on-course vehicle will bring the bicycle back to Hever and return it to the transition area. Again next of kin will be informed if this has happened out on the course. Competitor or Spectator In the grounds of Hever Castle: All details the same as above. Spectator Outside of the Grounds of Hever Castle: Call 999 if suspected medical emergency.

12 Accommodation We are privileged to offer you discounted accommodation in Hever Castle itself. The Castle s luxurious Bed & Breakfast will allow you to roll out of bed with a five-minute walk to the swim start. stay@hevercastle.co.uk to enquire/book. Many competitors enjoyed the experience last year with a perfect environment for R&R post race!

13 Contact We hope that this spectator guide has answered any questions that you may have had, but please don t hesitate to contact the office if you have any further questions. castletriathlonseries.co.uk +44 (0) admin@castletriathlonseries.co.uk Look forward to seeing you in July! Sponsors Thanks to our National Sponsors