Six Foot 2013 Entry Information

[SixFootTrack]

Dear all 6FT newsletter subscribers,

You may get this email twice if you also a previous entrant in last three years, I don’t want to miss anyone.

For those of you keen on the 2013 event, I hope your training is going well.

We are now two months away from our traditional online entry date and about time to clear up a few concerns especially in the light of our cancelled 2012 event.

• ·         Newsletter subscription: For those not on list, friends who want to be on list and/or email changes, please note that you have to submit your email to the newsletter list yourself. Please do not email the RD to do so on your behalf.

• ·         The Six Foot website is here. Please check there first for any changes/announcements.

• ·         Race date is Saturday 9^th March 2013.

• ·         Online entry:  The targeted entry date is once again 9am 1^st Dec. As this falls on a Saturday, we will most likely open the Guaranteed entry window at 9am 30^th Nov to 9pm 31^st Nov. As this falls on a Saturday, we will most likely open the entries on a weekday prior with the guaranteed entry window two days before. The feeling last year from many was that a Saturday wasn't ideal. Please stay tuned for any changes.

• ·         The online entry provider will be the same as the company that has done it for the past three 6FT’s because currently they are the only one able to provide as per our specifications. I know some felt there were issues last year, but these related entirely due to the demand vs. supply and the ‘throttling system’ that was designed to slow down that queue.  They are addressing this issue.

• ·         Entry price and package: The basic entry price- which has not risen at all in my tenure- will rise slightly.  The merchandise will still be mandatory because optional merchandise on its own does not pay its way. The race only returns a profit despite its logistical complexity due to the free time of organisers , the demand far outstrips supply and there is ample evidence that we are very cheap compared to what entrants are willing to pay for other events.

• ·         Qualification: As most know, my preference is that entrants qualify in the 15 month period from Dec 2011 to mid-January 2013. This has resulted in our best DNF rate and best wave allocation which is extremely important in managing the logjams on tight parts of the course.

• Due to the cancellation of 2012 6Ft and some qualification races, for next year only the following relaxation will apply:

         Veterans who were on the final start list for 2012 and finished 6FT in 2011, may use their 2011 6FT  time as the qualifier. You are still encouraged to use a more recent qualifier as an
          indication for wave allocation. 

• ·         Concessions to 2012 entrants: Please note that 2012 entrants are being rewarded in two ways.

Option to use 2011 6FT finish as qualifier

Preference on waitlist. If any 2012 entrant misses the entry they will be given preference at the head of the respective waitlist (veteran or novice) in the order in which they originally appear on waitlist.

• ·         Qualifier Races: There is a growing list of qualifiers on our website. If you have or able to run something similar, that is an organised race and above 30km on a trail, then by all means gather some corresponding finisher data, liaise with that race’s RD and get it added to the list. It is as easy as that, but we (I) don’t have the resources to do the equivalence calculations.

         Races such as Trailwalker are not general qualifiers because it is too open ended and specific to different courses, and does not have qualifying criteria. But if you have a ‘good’ time in
         that race, then you can try to use that, but please check if it is marginal. Do not use it on 1^st Dec if not sure, and don’t ask if you did it in say 25hrs. As a comparison TNF100 is a  
        qualifier at 3 x 6FT  i.e. 21hrs = 7hrs, but that doesn’t mean Sydney TW would be the same.
       
        Overseas ‘ultras’ e.g. Comrades, Kepler etc.  ‘reputable’ races which  generally already have qualifiers for their entries can be used.

 

• ·         Overseas Entrants: International entrants are welcomed and encouraged to enter to add to the flavour of our event. You would still be expected to meet the qualifying criteria, but you will most likely be added to our guaranteed section. Please email the RD before entries open so that you can get assurance to book flights and accommodation- I can’t guarantee the river height though ;-)

That’s all for now, keep training, stay tuned and look forward to seeing many of you again next March.

Cheers

 

Colin

RD