The Maravan

We’ve been asked a few times whether there’s any prospect of younger runners taking part in the Maravan. Sadly, the event format as it is has never allowed that. 

However, I have been speaking to the Association of Running Clubs, who provide our race licences and insurance every year about the possibility of younger runners taking part in our new event with their parents and receiving a medal.

I’ve had the go-ahead this afternoon that I will be able to open “Under the Bridge” up to runners aged between 12 and 18, subject to the rules of the Association of Running Clubs with regard to young athletes.

Children aged 12 and over are permitted to run 3km. This is equivalent to one small loop on the course we’ve planned. 

Children aged 14 and over are permitted to run 5km, which is one large loop.

Over 17s-18s can run 10km, or two loops.

Kids will need to be accompanied by an adult at the race venue.

Entry fees will be the same for children as for affiliated runners, ie £20.

We’ve just got to work out the finer points of this and we’ll open entries, hopefully this weekend.

Since 2013, when Darren first had the idea of running a race around a campsite, the Maravan has been run as a one-man-band, never turning a profit, but run year-to-year  Legally, Darren was working as a “sole trader”, so he couldn’t carry any revenues over from one year to the next without it becoming liable for tax. So every year he’d start again from scratch, underwriting all the costs until there was enough in the coffers to pay him back.

As the Maravan has become bigger, and with one eye towards a future with a few more races, that particular business model no longer works. We need to be able to carry money from one year to the next, to be able to sell merchandise, and to be able to put surplus made from one event into supplying other events as a year round concern.

It’s all still a labour of love, though, with one man at the helm and a gaggle of willing volunteers working alongside, doing this all for fun. It’s never going to be about profit, or even eking out a living. It’s always going to be about bringing people together for a bit of fun a couple of times a year.

So we’re pleased to announce the arrival of Vigilantes Maravan CIC, a community interest company with, at its heart, a focus on providing fun, low key and accessible athletic events for runners of all abilities in Lincolnshire and the Humber.

As a community interest company, we don’t have shareholders, we’re not obliged to make a profit, but we can operate all year round, commercially, and this is going to guarantee the sustainability of the event, and any new ones, going forwards. 

We’re now very much on the lookout for new events and new ideas, though, so if you know of a venue that might be fun, and would suit a Vigilantes Maravan day out, or if you’re thinking about setting up an event yourself but want some support doing it, please get in touch.

Vigilantes Maravan CIC is a Community Interest Company limited by guarantee.

Registered with Companies House: 13984584.

If, like us, you’ve received the rejection email, AGAIN, from the London Marathon, all is not lost.

Ask any member of the 100 Marathon Club, they’ll tell you, there are marathons going on the length and breadth of the country each and every weekend who would be delighted to have you run with them.

And if you want to run a marathon in autumn, come and experience the friendly fun of Cleethorpes’ own Maravan, a jewel in the running calendar of the East Coast and an superb event for established marathoners and first-timers alike.

Or if you have got into London, and you want a decent, fun “catered” training run with a fun atmosphere, friendly people and an iconic viewpoint, then we’d love to see you in June at “Under the Bridge” as well.

Enter the Maravan here.

Enter “Under the Bridge” here. 

Vigilantes Maravan are very excited to have received the relevant permissions for a pilot new event for June 11 and 12, 2022, at the foot of the iconic Humber Bridge in Barton upon Humber, in Northern Lincolnshire.

Taking inspiration from events that we’ve taken part in “down south”, we’ve decided to put on a simple, six hour daytime challenge, where we challenge you to run as many or as few 3 mile laps as you wish within a 6 hour time limit. There’s even a shorter final lap possible to round up to 26.2 miles if you want to stop there! That said, if you only want to do three miles, you can still have a result and a medal – this event is for everyone!

(We’re looking at whether we can find a way to allow accompanied children to do a short run on the course, but at the moment, it’s adults only.)

In fact, you’ve got a bit longer than six hours, as that’s the time you  have to begin your final lap.

We’ve been looking for a suitable venue for an event like this for a little while, and we’ve settled on the Humber Bridge Park in Barton because it’s flat, there’s plenty of parking, there’s a train station nearby, and there are toilets and a cafe on site.

For those of you who know the Viking Way, Barton is the start point of that particular long distance footpath, and that’s where we’ll be starting the run from.

This event is a bit more “no-frills” than the Maravan, it’s a first running, there might be teething troubles, so we’re charging what we’re hoping will be just enough to cover the costs of a smaller entry field. We reckon £20 is cracking value for 6 hours of permit race, with medical cover, food and a decent chunk of metal as a medal. 

We’re redeploying an old classic “Vigilantes Badge” medal for this event, with a new ribbon to make it bespoke to the event. This makes the event even more sustainable.

More info can be found here.

Entries can now be made through Timing Monkey, here.

Vigilantes Maravan are pleased to announce the seventh running of the Maravan Festival of Running will take place on the 19th and 20th November 2022.

More information about the events can be found here.

I have received an email from the park today.

They’re delighted that we had such an excellent weekend, and have granted us permission to hold the event there again next year.

MARAVAN 2022 WILL TAKE PLACE AT THORPE PARK HOLIDAY PARK, CLEETHORPES, ON 19-20 NOVEMBER 2022

I need a couple of weeks to work through some admin and to set the entry platform up, but I hope to be able to start taking entries before Christmas.

In the meantime, grab your diaries or calendars, and block off that whole weekend. Let’s have ourselves another party in the park!

Four key points, if you read nothing more than this:

1. Numbers and timing chips to be collected on race day from approx. 7.30am;
2. No parking on any grass areas in the park, nor on the hard standing next to established mobile homes;
3. Toilets are at the start/finish area, please don’t water, despoil or litter the park.
4. We may not be able to marshal all the road crossings this year, please take care and give way to any traffic.

Counting confirmations and transfers this evening, it has come to light that I have two more places for the Half Marathon on Sunday 21 Nov than expected.

I’m aware that this is the same date as Deepdale, but there has been great demand for HM places since it sold out, with twice the usual entry, in August.

I’ve reopened entries for the half until this weekend.

If you want one of these two places, you’ll need to go quickly.

https://www.evententry.co.uk/maravan-half-2021

Snacks taking up the back bedroom

What could be in this box?

The different medals up for grabs

A trophy, slightly mis engraved

Lots of trophies

Signage being made

The relevant legal paperwork

Crisps!!!

Final arrangements are well in hand now, I’ve started sending out emails, and also I’m in the throes of the fun bit, going shopping for supplies and bits and goody bag stuff. 

The back bedroom is now unusable for it’s intended purpose, it’s full of crisps and chocolate and sweets. It never ceases to amaze me how unhealthy we runners can be!

I’ve made sure there’s stuff for vegans, and hopefully some stuff for those who need GF as well, but I can’t promise there’ll be no cross contamination, as there’s just Norma, with some help from me, feeding you all.

I’ve paid for the toilets, timing and medical cover as well, so it’s absolutely all systems go.

I’ll contact everyone who has entered next week with final instructions – I have to make a final inspection and mark the course out first.

See you soon!

Wow!
Just ten places left for Saturday’s solo Marathon. It’s possible I might be able to keep entries open for a little while after the closing date just to squeeze a few latecomers in, but there’s a little bit of admin in that, so late entries might have to cost a couple of quid more.
Best bet, if you want to enter Saturday’s race, is to get entries in now, because once it’s full I can’t make any more spaces.
In other news, I’ve now booked and paid for toilets. Isn’t organising events exciting?