The Maravan

We’re almost there! The Vigilantes Maravan returns on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 November, and preparations are well underway. Here’s a peek behind the scenes at what’s sorted — and what’s still on the to-do list…

✅ What’s Ready

• Toilets confirmed — the park is kindly opening their permanent block for us this year, in exchange for donations to Cancer Research UK
• Medals boxed and ready — sustainably made from wood and waiting to be earned
• Snacks incoming — crisps, cola and other goodies are already piling up
• The Taphouse is booked — join us from 6pm on Friday 21st to pick up numbers, grab a pint, and say hello

🛠️ What’s Still to Come

• Goody bag prizes — a cash-and-carry raid is imminent
• Van pickup — still on the list
• Course marking — happening this weekend; if you fancy a recce next week, it’ll all be there to see!
• Entry deadline approaching — entries via EventEntry close this weekend so we can prep the timing app
  • After that, late entries will need to go through a different route and may cost a little more

🏃‍♀️ Still Room to Join

There are spaces available in most events, so if you’ve been thinking about it — now’s the time. Whether you’re going solo, joining a relay, or just coming for the atmosphere, we’d love to have you.

More info coming soon. For now, keep training, keep smiling, and keep your eyes peeled for the full race instructions next week.

We’re nearly there—and the excitement is building! I’ve now received all the entry payments I’ll see before the event, which means it’s goody bag shopping time! Expect some fun, thoughtful treats based on the budget we’ve got.

Entries are still open, and I’d love to see more runners take on the full marathon challenge—especially on Sunday. If you’ve been on the fence, now’s the time to jump in!

Saturday’s shaping up to be a brilliant day with 13 teams and 28 solo runners across all distances. It’s going to be lively, friendly, and full of Maravan magic. Whether you’re chasing a PB or just soaking up the atmosphere, there’s a place for you.

🏅 Plenty of medals left 🎽 Plenty of fun to be had 📬 Full info will land in inboxes the week before the event 📱 Updates will keep flowing via the website and socials

Let’s make this the most joyful, inclusive Maravan yet. See you at the start line!

Back in the very first year of Maravan, our toilet situation was… let’s say, character-building. The nearest loo was a quarter of a mile away in a local pub, which led to one unfortunate athlete being lapped mid-relief. It was a memorable moment — though probably not for the right reasons.

 

Since then, we’ve dutifully hired portable toilets each year. They did the job, but by Sunday evening, they were more “grin and bear it” than “comfort and joy.”

 

This year, we’re thrilled to announce a major upgrade: proper porcelain toilets, courtesy of the campsite. No more long treks or chemical cubicles — just clean, civilised facilities within easy reach. It’s a small detail, but one we know will make a big difference to your weekend.

 

In return for this luxury, the campsite has asked us to support Cancer Research UK, the chosen charity of Haven Holidays. We think that’s a brilliant cause, and we hope you’ll join us in making a donation — whether it’s a few coins or something more generous. Every bit helps.

 

Let’s make this year’s Maravan the most comfortable — and the most meaningful — yet.

I *love* this year’s wooden medal design. It has just the right amount of whimsy to really express the event.

I went for a kind of seaside postcard sort of theme, given the size of canvas I think it’s really paid off. What do you think?

Plenty of entries still available in all but the relay, if you want to get your hands on one of these. I realise that the new normal is to enter at the last minute, but I could really use another couple of entries coming in before I have to pay for the toilets…!

I’m recovering from a bit of a knack that I subjected myself to running the ABP half past weekend, and I’m resting it this week. It’s put me a couple of weeks behind where I want to be for the Lanzarote marathon, but that’s marathon running, I suppose.

Anyhow, I thought I’d better check the course, and make sure it’s measured as properly as I can. Because there’s a few metres more grass than allowed in a road race, there’s no point getting it measured with a calibrated bike, a GPS will suffice.

As we know, the lap is tantalisingly short of 6km. This is the third device now where I’ve measured the lap as 5.95km while walking the shortest route and taking the racing line wherever possible.

This means that 7 laps comes up 545m short of the full marathon distance.

A lap of the playing field where we finish the race is 375m.

In order to allow us to go slightly over, this year at least, we’re going to run as follows:

Starting from the hut, 2 laps of the small playing field, then 7 laps of the Maravan course.

This should bring the total distance down to a more acceptable Marathon distance.

Just need to check the half marathon variant now…

If you’re anything like Darren, fresh from the ABP Half Marathon yesterday, you’ll be jonesing to get out again.

Tape2Tape gave you a glimpse of what to look forward to in November, but their course barely scratches the surface of the Maravan. By the end of our race, you’ll have seen nearly every inch of one of Europe’s biggest holiday parks.

Plenty of entries still available in all categories:

https://www.evententry.co.uk/events/vigilantes-maravan-cic

I’m working with Zerowaste again this year on the medals for both the Maravan and the Marabank, and I hope to be able to share some design proposals soon.

Zerowaste are great – they understand the event and come up with some really nice designs. They also produced some trophies for the scout group I’m supporting, and even take back old medals that we’ve not issued for recycling.

As we look to become more and more sustainable as an event, I’m looking for ways to reduce our footprint, and Zerowaste was a good choice. I’m looking forward to sharing this year’s designs with you soon. 

Doing my weekly check of entries, I spotted that we’ve now got seven teams already in the relay.

Most exciting! I’ve been hoping for more relay teams for a while, and this yea looks like it’s setting up to be a fun one!

Still plenty of entries available. I’ll do my medal order at the end of the month, and once that’s done I’ll decide how many entries I’ll cap the event at.