The Plan

Stonehaven Running Club brings to you the Fetteresso Forest Marathon. We set out to organise this race with three things in mind:

1. All on forest tracks, no roads, no road crossings, entire route contained within the forest

2. No frills, hill race mentality, keep entry as cheap as possible

3. Full marathon distance

    

The Facts

Start location: Half way between Stonehaven and Crathes  at a car park on the Slug Road here.

We will mark this car park on the day so it's obvious. There is parking available, but car sharing is strongly advised - please speak to your friends who are running to see if you can go together.

Weather: Cold, potentially snow.

Kit: All runners MUST carry Scottish Hill Running minimum kit (waterproof full body cover, hat, gloves, map, compass, whistle). No kit, no run. Expect a kit check. You may want to carry Yak Trax or equivalent if its snowy/icy, but these are optional.

Map: Available on the website here FFM Map.pdf. This MUST be printed and carried. No map, no run.

GPX: Click here for it. Remember, you still need a map and compass, and are expected to know how to use it.

Water Stations: One water station which you will access twice at approximately 19.5 km (12.2 miles) and 27.8 km (17.3 miles). Only water will be provided. There are streams along the route which are all sourced within the forest and have no agricultural or farm land upstream; I have personally drank out of all of them. PLEASE NOTE that this is a cupless race. This means that our marshalls will be happy to fill up your own bottles or cup at the water stations, but we will not be providing plastic cups in order to reduce waste.

Cut offs: To ensure the safety of our Race Team and runners, the race has an imposed cut off time of 2 hours 20 minute at 12.3 miles (19.8 km). If you do not reach this point by this time, an X will be placed through your number and you will be told to skip out the easternmost 5.15 miles (8.3 km) of the course, and the out and back section of 1.56 miles (2.5 km). You will still be able to continue running on the reduced version of the route which will total 19.7 miles (31.7 km). All runners, regardless as to whether they ran the full course, the reduced course (or DNF at the event) will be entitled to everything provided at the finish. Please respect the marshals if they inform you that you must run the reduced course.

Food: No food will be provided during the race. There will be soup and cakes etc at the end.

Course Marking: Fully marked, you shouldn’t need to refer to your map.

Littering: DO NOT LITTER! No excuses.

Anticipated FAQ

Is it a race?

Yes, but run as easy or as hard as you like.

What complex timing system will you be using?

A stopwatch.

Is it hilly?

It's constantly undulating. There will be around 880 m climb and not too many flat bits. Profile:

Can I see the route?

Yes, here: FFM Map.pdf. You must carry a map during the race.

Can I have a GPX file of the route?

Of course. Click here.

I'm not the fastest runner, does that matter?

No - all are welcome!

Can I bring my dog?

Sadly no dogs allowed during the race, for insurance purposes.

That’s crazy, no dogs? Who are you insured through?

Scottish Hill Runners

Drop bags?

No.

Do you have a waiting list, or offer transfers between runners?

No. This is to limit the amount of administration involved in the organisation of the race. In order to ensure that we allow as many people to take part in the race as possible, the race is deliberately oversubscribed to account for people not showing up on the day due to injury or a change in circumstances.

Who is the run designed for?

You (providing you can and want to run a marathon)! It will slot in perfectly as a final long training run prior to the D33 Ultra.

Are there cutoffs?

YES! These are detailed above. Cutoffs will only impact those at the back of the field, and they are in place to ensure that our lovely wonderful considerate volunteer marshals are suitably looked after. Don't worry, you won't be simply driven home or abandoned in the forest, you will be pointed to a short-cut that skips out part of the course. You will still be welcome to all of the benfits at the end of the race.

What mammals live in the forest?

Foxes, badgers, pine martens, red squirrels, red deer, roe deer, bank voles and field voles.

And how about birds?

Star species include crossbills, bullfinches, red kites, buzzards, woodcock, long-eared owls, jays, great spotted woodpeckers (and if you're really lucky there may be an eagle or two!).