Endurancelife

Series Overview

The Endurancelife Coast 2 Coast Adventure Race Series is a unique line up of exciting challenge events in which solos or pairs race from one coast to another, across some of Britain’s most spectacular National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. These are genuine linear journeys through amazing landscapes incorporating a popular blend of multi-sport endurance, and adventure racing disciplines.

Coast 2 Coasters run, mountain bike, kayak & navigate their way across the most beautiful and dramatic locations in the UK, following a course that is only revealed hours before the event begins. For two or three days it’s action all the way pausing only briefly at transitions and overnight camps.

The courses are designed to take in the most demanding and exciting terrain that each region has to offer. In addition to the multi-sport action, each course has a special activity section that may involve anything from coasteering to canyoning to high ropes to night navigation.

Taking part in an Endurancelife Coast 2 Coast AR event is a total adventure, and a fantastic way to challenge yourself whilst moving through some of Britain’s most renowned landscapes under your own steam. All you need is a mountain bike, a good base of fitness, some navigational ability and a sense of adventure. We supply the kayaks and take care of everything else.

Venues

Devon: The original event in the series, this two day odyssey takes you from the counties northern-most to its southern-most point, across two fantastic National Parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor, and through a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the South Hams.

Snowdonia: The scale and majesty of Snowdonia ups the ante. Three days of multi-sport, multi terrain action takes you across the wildest National Park in Wales. The route from north to south includes Wales’ highest peak, Mt Snowdon and some of the best mountain biking terrain in the UK. More Info

Lake District: The latest addition, this epic three day journey weaves through England’s grandest and most famous National Park. A fantastic offering, that takes in the country’s highest summit, Scafell Pike, its’ largest lake, Lake Windermere, plus officially, the nations favourite view, Wast Water.

Disciplines

Kayaking: Endurancelife supplies all the kayaking kit and equipment you will need to complete a Coast 2 Coast AR. We have a large fleet of excellent sit on top kayaks which are very user friendly, unsinkable and suited to paddlers of all experience levels. Solo participants use single kayaks, teams of two use doubles. It is possible to take part in a Coast 2 Coast AR event with no prior kayaking experience providing you are physically fit, and can swim confidently; we do however recommend that some prior experience is sought. Paddle sections range between 5 and 9 miles and take place on rivers, estuaries and lakes.

Running: During a Coast 2 Coast you can expect to run on all types of terrain in all types of conditions. Running sections are always challenging and include; roads, bridal ways, footpaths, mountain tracks and coastal paths. Running sections vary between 7 and 20 miles and there are also considerable amounts of vertical gain and loss to add into the mix.

Mountain Biking: Owing to the distances that need to be covered each day, there are plenty of exciting miles in the saddle. Again mixed terrain is the order of the day, and as well as some road sections you will ride on farm tracks, bridal ways, green lanes and technical trails. Expect grinding climbs, exhilarating descents and section lengths of between 15 and 60 miles.

Navigation: Basic navigation is required for a C2C. We use a variety of pre-marked maps, route narratives, and simple orienteering as means of navigating the differing stages of the course. You need to be able to orientate a compass and read and follow a route from a map. Physical course markings are rarely used. Some stages are tailored to suit better navigators, but this does not prevent participants with more basic navigation skills from competing or completing the course.

Adventure disciplines: That may be included in a C2C are; coasteering, canyoning, white water kayaking, Go Ape! high wire, adventure courses and night navigation. These disciplines are exciting and fun and give participants the opportunity to experience the best of what the region has to offer.

History

The 1st Coast 2 Coast multi-sport race was hosted in 2004 in Devon; the idea was partly inspired by the now famous annual event held in New Zealand. The Devon event is now in its 5th year and has developed into a very popular multi-sport challenge that attracts a cosmopolitan crowd of adventure seekers, from the UK’s top adventure racers to those for whom just making it to the finish is the goal. The Devon event finishes at the most southerly pub in Devon and in common with all Endurancelife challenges there is always a fantastic atmosphere at the finishers BBQ & Party.

In 2007, the three day Snowdonia C2C event was introduced and was a great success. All those involved relished the extra day of competition and the opportunity to take in even more of this wonderful National Park. The event was described as ‘extreme sight seeing’ by one participant owing to the route which takes in the best of this celebrated area.

In 2008, the Lake District was added as a Coast 2 Coast location, and the Endurancelife Coast 2 Coast Adventure Race Series was born. As part of our continuous commitment to keep all the events interesting, challenging and exciting, we have tweaked the format just a little and added some more adventure race elements to the already popular and proven endurance race format. As a result, participants can now expect to be faced with a tough endurance challenge involving some basic navigation and some exciting adventure race disciplines.

Entry Fees
Devon	Snowdonia	Lakes
Solo: £175	Solo: £265	Solo: £265
Team: £320	Team: £500	Team: £500

Early Bird Discount Register before the 30th April and save 10% off your entry fee - details below.
Devon	Snowdonia	Lakes
N/A	Solo: £238 - Save £27	Solo: £238 - Save £27
N/A	Team: £450 - Save £50	Team: £450 - Save £50

Multiple Entry Discount Register for both Snowdonia and the Lakes events and recieve a MASSIVE 20% discount off the total entry fee. Please call us if you wish to benefit from this offer.

Payment Register Online Now! Alternatively download the paper entry form and return it by post with a cheque made out to "endurancelife".

Cancellation Policy In the event of a cancellation more than 14 days before the event, a refund of the entry fee minus �50 per person admin cost will be given. Alternatively you may transfer your place to another person or �roll over� your entry fee towards another Endurancelife event. Please Note: No refund or transfer can be offered for cancellations made 14 days or less before the event date. Please contact us in the first instance.

What is included? � Professionally organised sporting challenge event � Public liability insurance � Medical cover � Logistical support � An 80 liter labeled transition dry bag (yours to keep after the event) � Sport ident electronic timing system � Race bib � Maps, narratives � Kayaks and associated equipment � Safety boat � Organised checkpoints & transitions with food & water � Camping sites and facilities � Breakfast & dinner on race days � Complementary tea / coffee � Post event meal / BBQ / party � Quality event T-shirt � An awesome experience

Rules � Over 18�s only with a good base of fitness � Only mountain bikes may be used � LED lights must be fitted to cycles at all times and a repair kit carried � Participants must be physically prepared � Adequate and appropriate personal clothing and equipment are the responsibility of the individual, appropriate spare clothing, kit, food & water must be carried for each stage � The organisers reserve the right to change the course or itinerary in any way before or during the event � One mobile phone per person must be carried during all stages of the challenge � Participants are required to check in at pre positioned electronic check points throughout the challenge � Participants must be able to swim 50 meters fully clothed � Participants must read, date & sign a personal liability waiver and a medical declaration form before starting the event

Safety Note Coast 2 Coast events are physically and mentally challenging and take place whatever the weather. Participants must be capable of maintaining a concerted physical effort for up to 10 hours a day, for two or three days. The events are very achievable if the correct training and preparation is undertaken. It is important that you are both already fit and experienced, or have undergone some training and are aware of the demands the event will make of you. If you would like to take part in an event but are unsure about your fitness levels or it�s suitability for you, please give us a call for a chat, alternatively have a look at the training and preparation pages for some advice on how to get ready.

What is involved?

� Multi-day, multi-sport race

� Navigate a linear, journey through the UK�s finest National Parks

� Endurance challenge of 110+ miles

� Exciting, fun adventure disciplines

� Overnight camps en route

What Actually Happens

The course is kept secret until the day itself. Each day is split into stages, each requiring the use of a different multi-sport discipline. Days may be split into as few as two or as many as five stages. At the start of each stage you will be given the appropriate map / narrative for that particular section of the course.

Participants are semi supported during the race by the Endurancelife team. Whilst on the course, participants carry all the kit, food and water that they require for that stage. At pre-determined checkpoints, participants must ‘dib’ their electronic timing devices to register their progress. At transition points, participants change between disciplines and are able to access kit from their event transition bag in preparation for the next stage; a large labeled dry bag is provided for this purpose.

Overnight Camps

Participants finish the race day at the overnight camp. The Endurancelife team will have the race base set up, the kettle on and competitors’ personal / overnight kit bags ready for their arrival. Participants camp in their own tents, but will be able to sit and relax in the shelter of the race base marquee. In the mean time the Endurancelife team will prepare a hot tasty meal for everyone. The atmosphere at camp is relaxed, and provides a great opportunity to take in the surroundings, chat about the day’s events, sort out your kit and get some well earned rest.

Overnight camp locations are made known prior to the event so that friends and family are able to join the participants at the end of the race day. Supporters are also welcome at the overnight camp, but we ask that they check availability with the campsite beforehand and make their own arrangements.

All overnight camps are carefully selected to meet our and our participants’ needs. All camps have basic toilet and shower facilities. We do not ‘wild’ camp to prevent putting the environment under un-due pressure.

Support

The Endurancelife team transports all mountain bikes, kayaking equipment and transition bags between transition points. They also transport participants� personal / overnight kit between overnight camps; this kit must be neatly packed into a rucksack or hold all and given to the EL team prior to the day�s start. The Endurancelife team organises all of the logistical support required during the event. Please note; due to logistical and environmental impact considerations, participants are not permitted to use their own support teams during the event.

Sport Ident

Each participant wears a small Sport Ident electronic �dibber� attached to their wrist for the duration of the event. At each checkpoint and transition the �dibber� must be inserted into an electronic timing station which records the time and provides proves passage through that point. At the end of each day the accumulative time is downloaded and used to determine overall position. Please note; the event director may occasionally deem it necessary to �stop the clock� and introduce short breaks between stages for safety reasons.

Prize Categories

1st / 2nd / 3rd Solo Male / Female
1st / 2nd / 3rd Team of 2
Spot Prizes

What is up for grabs?

Completing a Coast 2 Coast is reward enough for most participants; however we do like to acknowledge outstanding performances and supreme acts of sportsmanship. In addition to a coveted Coast 2 Coast T-shirt there will also be some great prizes up for grabs including; complementary places in future events and assorted trail sport kit and equipment.

Post Event Party

At Endurancelife we like to celebrate after finishing a big challenge and always save some energy for the post event festivities, one of the most notable aspects of the Coast 2 Coast events is the fantastic spirit in which everyone competes. The camaraderie generated amongst the competitors and the crew is always a highlight and makes for a memorable post event party. We always recommend you stay over an extra night if you can, so that you can relax and revel in the moment.

Mandatory Items

� Mountain bike

� Helmet

� Front & rear lights

� Repair kit & spare inner tubes

� 20ltr race pack / hydration system

� Trail / fell shoes

� Adequate �active� clothing

� Waterproof jacket & trousers

� Head torch

� Hydration system (bladder or bottles)

� Survival bag

� Tent

� Sleeping bag

� Sleeping mat

� Warm overnight / camp clothing

� Hat & gloves

� Mobile phone

� Compass or GPS and whistle

� First aid kit

Please note; some additional mandatory items might be required depending on the particular Coast 2 Coast location; please consult the appropriate kit tabs for more information.

Recommended Items

� Warm hat / gloves

� Mug, bowl & racing spoon

� Old trainers for kayaking

� Neoprene gloves

� Endurancelife Buff

� Favorite energy snacks

Kayaks

We have a large fleet of quality Sit on Top (SOT) kayaks for use in the Coast 2 Coast events. These single and double kayaks are rigid, stable and practically unsinkable. They are supremely well suited to adventure racing and have been specially selected for their good all round performance and portability. If you have limited or even no previous kayaking experience these boats are very simple to master and paddling in a straight line is simple owing to the latest hull designs. Quality paddles and buoyancy aids are also provided.

FAQ's

Can anyone do a Coast 2 Coast?

No is the simple and responsible answer. Whilst we encourage and believe that people of all abilities can succeed on challenges of this nature, you do need to be well prepared physically. If you are not already fit and experienced, it is recommended you undertake a training programme and gain some experience riding and running across different types of terrain. Additionally we recommend that you get some basic sit on top kayaking experience. A great way to check if your fitness is on target and to get some kayaking practice is to take part in an Endurancelife MST event. These multi-sport trail-athlons take between 3 and 6 hours, and you will paddle the same sit on top kayaks as used in the C2C.

Do I have to use a mountain bike?

Yes, due to the mixed terrain nature of the Coast 2 Coast courses, a mountain bike is the best all round bike for the job. Even the road sections can be very steep and are often wet, the extra braking power from disc brakes and front suspension (neither are essential but definitely help) are important. Logistically it is also only possible for the support team to transport one bike for each participant.

Why can’t I bring my own support team?

We have been to events before where each participant has their own support team. This can result in serious congestion and environmental impact on beautiful places that are already popular and fragile destinations.

The simple concept behind the Coast 2 Coast AR events is that once you have started, our dedicated support team takes care of the logistical side of things for you. We transport your personal kit between stages (you carry the mandatory kit and clothing whilst on a stage) set up the check points, transitions, overnight camps, prepare the meals, organise the courses, maps, narratives, kayaks, medical cover & insurance. There is even the option to park your vehicle at the finish and get a lift to the start.

In this way; We can support up to 150 participants (depending on the specific event) using only a small number of specialised vehicles and trailers, thus minimizing our / your environmental impact
The atmosphere of friendly competition is greatly enhanced by the camp experiences
You can concentrate on getting the maximum out of the journey
By purposely limiting the number of participants and not over crowding the areas we pass through and the facilities we use, the Coast 2 Coast events are a richer experience. They are designed to naturally flow over the landscapes they pass through, avoiding clog ups and bottle necks.

Where can I leave my car during the event?

As part of our ambitions to minimise our environmental impact and to give you as much flexibility as possible when planning your logistics, we offer you the option to park your car at the finish for the duration of the challenge, and provide transport to get you to the start. This way, you work your way back to your vehicle and can concentrate on enjoying the journey, it also means you can partake in the post event celebrations.

Feedback

The extracts below are taken from real emails and letters sent to us after past C2C Events. We strive to continually improve our events and services so please keep sending us your comments as this is the only way we can keep learning how to make things better.

Just a quick note to thank you and the endurancelife team for the fantastic Coast to Coast event. I thought it was absolutely brilliant!!..I loved it!...well done. The whole event was 'spot on' in my books! And I thought you did amazingly given the horrendous weather conditions and problems with farmer’s trucks blocking gates etc! I will definitely be encouraging others to have a go as it is a 'one off' experience in spectacular landscape........not for the faint hearted though as it was bloody tough! Please pass on my thanks to all your team who worked so hard and I hope to enter again in the future.

Just thought I would send you a quick email to say a massive thank you for the coast to coast last weekend. I thought it was a great event, far harder than I thought it would be, but a great experience. The weather, I thought, made it more interesting. The only advice I can give you, don't tell us on day one that the weather gods are always on your side, it’s only gonna piss them off!

Thanks for the coast to coast; I really enjoyed it although the kayaking was probably better looking back on it than at the time - it was certainly a challenge. I didn't pick up a t-shirt at the end as I could only see small ones - are there any large/extra large left or have I missed out. If so, my fault for being too slow. My friends who have only done triathlon before said it was the best thing they'd ever done and we are all looking forward to next year!

I just wanted to write and thank-you for organising an amazing event at the weekend. I think the weather presented some obvious challenges but it was obvious that all the work you'd put in earlier paid off and despite a few signs being washed away everything seemed to go more or less to plan. I was particularly impressed with your control of the weather. I really didn't think it was going to clear up at 9.30am on Sunday morning but sure enough at 9.44 there was a break in the weather…good outdoormanship.
I've done a few triathlons this year which have represented a good challenge for me as before I started training but I can honestly say that whilst I got a bit of a sense of achievement from competing I really didn't enjoy any of them…the Coast to Coast pushed all the right buttons. I'd like to put myself and Jim Watson down for next year and I'll also be there for the Coastal half. I'm also considering having a crack at the Norseman! (Getting a bit ahead of myself now).

Thanks very much for organising a great weekend against the weather odds! It was incredible that you and your team still managed to remain organised and upbeat through monsoon season in Devon.Many thanks again.

Just wanted to say - thanks very much to you and your team for organising such a fabulous event. I have no idea how you all coped in those weather conditions, getting all ourbags to the right transition places, picking people up who were still walkingin the middle of the night and of course pulling them out of the river etc, and generally being so flexible and good natured ALL the time. Your whole team were really helpful, polite and sympathetic to every weird worry or nag which came their way. I'm wearing my T-Shirt with pride and can't wait to book up for next year as have some mates who'd really like to do this. Emma (the one with the dodgy 5 speed bike! sorry about that!)

I - just wanted to say, following two days of solid drinking, what an excellent experience completing the Coast to Coast was at the weekendMany congrats to the team for putting the event together, for running the transition and check points and for arranging both a solid head wind and the thunderstorm for Saturday night!A shame that the rain destroyed the mountain bike course and I guess that this will have thrown calculations off somewhat, regarding split times...awesome event, will definitely not be entering it again...:)!!

I thought this years Coast to Coast was awesome, what a massive event!!

First and foremost a massive thank you for putting on such a great event and especially in such poor weather conditions. As an ex -rugby player and occasional mountain biker and slow triathlete, this was a fairly daunting undertaking. I have never been tempted to do anything this long distance before but I absolutely loved it – great format, great location and, for me, the right balance of organisation versus self sufficiency. Just a quick e-mail, in my short lunch break, to thank you and the rest of the Endurancelife team for another great event. Coming back to work in London, the vast majority of my colleagues think I'm mad for spending 15hrs over the weekend running, biking and canoeing from one end of Devon to the other. I think they're mad for not doing it! Having taken part in two contrasting years (in terms of weather) I can only say that the whole experience was probably heightened by the extremes of wind and rain.

Sorry this is a bit overdue, it's been a manic week! I just wanted to say a huge thank you to you and the team for a brilliant event. This and an mtb enduro in Austria have been the highlight of my year and amassive confidence boost. I'm still grinning a week later and wearing myt-shirt with pride. I look forward to catching up with you on an event next year - I reckon that Norseman sounds intriguing.....

Hi, I would just like to take this opportunity (sitting in absolute agony) to thank you and your staff for running the coast to coast so well. I thought that the event was an extreme challenge, both mentally and physically, but still had a fun and relaxed atmosphere.

This event was, without doubt, the hardest physical activity I have ever done, and the way I feel today, probably will do for a couple of years!!! (I will try for a couple of the classics and lites) The route scenery (we were that slow that we had the opportunity to take it in) and the whole “adventure” experience made it one of the most memorable experiences of my life. Thanks again Russell Newmarch. Consultant, Crisis Solutions Ltd

Hi, Just to say thank you to you and all your team for running and organising and supporting during the Coast to Coast. I've never done a race on this scale, and I'm glad I chose this one as the setting for the race was so stunning and the people were really friendly and supportive. As a result, I'm now drawn toward doing another adventure race (once my legs start to work again...). Please pass on my thanks to the rest of your team.

Great event. I'm still in a bit of daze physically & emotionally but overall really chuffed to have done it. Faultless organisation. Well done and thank you all
Mike Derry

Just an overdue quick message to compliment you guy's on a job well done for the C2C. In our own business, we have a 5minute max exposure with each customer and that can be difficult some of the time. So, credit to you all for 48hrs+ of consumer contact and without a hiccup along the way! Julian Hollis BP.

Hello Quick email to say thanks to you and your guys for the C2C this w/e, great organisation, a great bunch of people and great weather for a change. Thanks again.

Hi Endurancelife team.Thanks for a superb experience, it certainly was the journey you were predicting and more!Everyone’s feelings seem to be the same, in that you ran a great event which had a unique atmosphere that is sadly lacking in most other events hosted by other organisers.

Please pass great thanks on to James, Andrew and Will who helped you make such a great event. and were a real crack in the pub last night!! I look forward to catching up again soon!