The location for the 2014 GL3D™ Event Centre is at Pooley Bridge at the North Eastern tip of Ullswater. Pooley Bridge is one of those quintessential Lake District villages surrounded by water and mountains and it will be a fantastic staging post for the adventure ahead.

Pooley Bridge is very accessible with Junction 40 of the M6 being just 5km away. This will minimise any need for GL3D competitors to drive through the centre of the Lake District on what is always a busy bank holiday weekend.

The exact location of the Event Centre is in the village community field immediately behind the Sun Inn. The Event Centre field is well drained, flat and has a gravel access road so it will provide a resilient base, whatever the weather! It will be clearly signed as competitors come into the village but the grid reference is NY484235 and the closest postcode is CA10 2LT. The StreetMap link below maybe helpful:

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=347113&y=524537&z=115&sv=347113,524537&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=517&ax=347113&ay=524537&lm=0

The Pooley Bridge Event Centre is where competitors can park for the weekend, where registration will take place (on the Friday night and Saturday morning) and where the event will start and finish from. Competitors can camp at the Event Centre on the Friday night and, if they have travelled with friends and family, they are also welcome to camp at the Event Centre on the Friday night.

The actually details of the courses are only revealed at registration when competitors are issued with their maps.

In an important change to previous years there will be a mass start for all courses at 0715 on the Saturday morning. Miss this start and you’ll miss the race! (Details will be provided at registration)

As in previous years, we can assure you that each of our four courses mixes classic summits, valleys and ridges with hidden gems and rarely visited tops in stunning combinations that will provide a compelling weekend of mountain running adventure!

Competitors must register before starting and they can only do this on the evening of Friday 2nd May (between 1800-2200) or on the morning of Saturday 3rd (between 0600-0700). Competitors can only registered at the Event Centre. At registration competitors will be issued with their map, which is pre-printed with checkpoints and control descriptions (for all course), and their SI card. We recommend arriving on the Friday night so that everyone has an opportunity to relax, meet fellow participants and discuss the following day’s route. The night before the GL3D™ the atmosphere is always good and many competitors sneak off to a local pub for an informal gathering. Camping is available on the Friday night and this is included in the entry fee. Competitors may also park their car at the Event Centre for the weekend at their own risk. The competitors beer tent will also be erected on the Friday night but GL3D™ beer is only served on the Saturday and Sunday evenings!

Our courses are described as Elite, A, B and C, as is usual for mountain marathons. However, it is important to note that the distances at the GL3D™ are greater. This is because our routes are more runnable (we stick to footpaths and tracks for much of the time) and the navigation is easier (generally mountain summits) than at the equivalent mountain marathon courses at the LAMM, OMM etc. We would describe our courses as roughly equivalent in terms of 'difficulty to finish' as the same standard mountain marathon course at one of these events. The approximate course details are:

Elite, A and B Course
These courses are definitely for runners and it is not possible for walkers to complete these courses within the cut-off times. Competitors must have finished an equivalent mountain marathon course within 50% of the winners time for the course that they are entering. Any competitor who is slower than 50% of the winners time and/or arrives at the overnight camp after the cut-off time will automatically be moved onto a shorter course for the following day.

C Course
The GL3D™ has always attracted long distance walkers but other than the most able, they have generally struggled with the long distances and significant height gain each year. Because of this, for the 2014 event we are introducing a C course (already coined the Café Class by the planning team), which will be specifically aimed at walkers or slower runners and will only have one checkpoint per day to allow competitors maximum route choice between the overnight camps… and time to visit the very best Lake District cafés!

The choice of four different courses means that competitors can choose from either an Elite, A, B or C Course. The really exciting component of the GL3D™ is that competitors simply enter the event, and then choose whichever course they prefer on the day. This could either be Elite for all three days, Elite, B then A or any ‘mix-and-match’ combination. All competitors will still share the same overnight camp.

To appear in the overall results, competitors must complete the same course each day. Obviously, on a daily basis we will publish results for each course.

Each day competitors start anytime between 0700 and 0900 (please note that there is a 0715 Mass Start for competitors on Day 1 in 2014) and should expect to spend a long day in the hills. The first two days will be the hardest and the last day will be easier. We anticipate that everyone would have finished by 1500 on day three.

The course will be roughly triangular with a different overnight camp each night. We will provide free tea/coffee, cakes and beer at the end of day one and two and a large, tasty meal at the end of day three.

The competitors 'beer tent' - a popular addition to the 2013 GL3D™- will be available at each overnight camp and can used by competitors to hangout in, cook meals in etc.

We will transport competitors overnight kit from the Event Centre to each of the campsites on day one and two, and then back to Event Centre on day three.

However, we will ONLY transport drybags of a maximum size of 59L and weight of 13kg. Although other drybags are available we highly recommend the heavy duty Ortlieb drybag. We insist on a standardised drybag for all competitors for four reasons:

1) The maximum capacity of the overnight kit each competitor can bring is therefore the same and fair.
2) We have limited transportation space.
3) The dry bags need to very similar sizes so that they can be packed efficiently in the vans that transport them.
4) Once at the overnight camp/finish, the drybags are stored outside.

There will be weigh-in before competitors dry bags are accepted for transport. See the photos here>>>.

Competitors will quickly find that packing for the GL3D™ is a skill that requires careful selection of food, equipment and clothing.

Some good and bad examples of dry bags are included below.

A = Acceptable B = Unacceptable (this is not a dry bag and contents will get wet in heavy rain) C = Acceptable

D = Unacceptable (this is a lightweight dry bag that will be easily damaged) E = Unacceptable (We will not transport extra items outside of the dry bag)

F & G = Unacceptable (the dry bag must be sealed)

The overnight campsites are usually rural rather than remote but competitors should NOT expect any shops, pubs or cafes to be in the vicinity. Facilities will be very basic with water available from a stream, and portaloos rather than a campsite toilet/wash block. We will provide tea/coffee, cakes and beer for everyone as they finish on days one and two. Hot water will also be available for competitors to use for hot drinks but we cannot guarantee availability at all times and competitors must bring a stove and sufficient fuel for cooking ALL their own food. We will not provide mugs or any kind of drinking implement – competitors will need to bring their own!

The competitors 'beer tent' - a popular addition to the 2013 GL3D™- will be available at each overnight camp and can used by competitors to hangout in, cook meals in etc.

Whilst family and friends are welcome to stay at the Event Centre campsite on the Friday night, we do NOT allow ANY visitors to the overnight campsites on the Saturday and Sunday nights.
 

The addition of Rin's Coffee to our overnight campsites was a great success in 2013. Rin's spectacularly good specialty coffee was served from his mobile van each morning and we very pleased to confirm that Rin will be joining us again in 2014. Check out Rin's Coffee website here>>>.

The GL3D™ is an informal event and we don’t want to be overly prescriptive about what kit you take. Also, as an experienced mountain runner or walker, we expect competitors to be able to make your own decisions about kit selection. Competitors will need two bags: one hill bag and their overnight drybag. We do insist on the following minimum safety items being carried at all times in competitors hill bag:

Mandatory ‘Hill’ Kit
The following kit must be worn or carried by the competitors in their ‘hill bags’ at all times:

• Waterproof Jacket or Smock (with taped seams and a hood)
• Waterproof Trousers (with taped seams)
• Survival bag (not a blanket)
• Map (supplied) and compass
• Headtorch with spare batteries (with sufficient light to be able to navigate in the darkness)
• Whistle
• Sufficient food
• Spare warm top
• Hat and gloves suitable for the weather conditions
• Water bottle and / or hydration system
• Fell or mountain running shoes (road trainers are NOT acceptable) for runners and appropiate mountain walking boots for walkers
• Money (a combination of plastic and cash is best)
• Waterproof pen/pencil

Recommend ‘Hill’ Kit
The following kit is also recommended:

• Mobile Phone (Although we recommend that all competitors carry a mobile phone there is no guarantee of phone reception along many sections of the route).
• Altimeter (Very useful aid for navigation in low visibility conditions).
• GPS (For competitors who are not completely confident of their map and compass skills in all conditions).

In is worth noting that possession of a GPS and / or mobile phone is no substitute for sound mountain judgment on behalf of the competitors.

Mandatory ‘Camp’ Kit
The following kit must be included in competitors 59L Overnight Dry Bag:

• A complete change of clothing that can be worn at the overnight camp.
• Warm sleeping bag (3 Season recommended)
• Sleeping mat (ThermaRest style inflatable mat recommended)
• Tent
• Stove, sufficient fuel for three days, lighter/matches, pan/bowl and any cutlery you may need (Note that NO mugs etc are provided for use with hot water - you will need your own!)
• Personal First Aid kit to include plasters, blister treatment, antiseptic ointment and painkillers as a minimum.
• Sufficient personal food for eating on the hill each day, three breakfast meals and 2 large evening meals.

Competitors should be careful not to underestimate the quantity of food they should bring as there will be no additional food available to purchase at the overnight camps. Anticipate approximately 1/3 of your drybag being filled with food!

Other Recommended Kit
The following equipment is strongly recommended for increasing your personal comfort (and would need to be included in your overnight bag):

• An insulated ‘duvet’ jacket
• Travel pillow or pillow case
• A fresh set of running clothes for each day
• Sponge and cloth for washing and drying your plate etc
• Personal washing things and towel
• Ear plugs
• Anti-chaffing / lubrication ointment
• Wallet, credit card and / or sufficient cash to enable you to return to the Event Centre early if needed.
• Note pad and pen
• Book
• Any luxury food items you want.

As the overnight camps may be wet and muddy we recommend that competitors have a spare pair of waterproof shoes and consider taking a spare waterproof jacket and trousers.

For competitors who are used to two-day mountain marathons and small sacks, you may think that a 59L drybag is huge. However, competitors will quickly find that packing for the GL3D™ is a skill that requires careful selection of food, equipment and clothing.
 

In an important change to previous years there will be a mass start for all courses at 0715 on the Saturday morning for the 2014 event. Miss this start and you’ll miss the race! Details will be provided at registration.

Competitors should be ready to start between 0700 and 0900 each morning. It is competitors responsibility to plan their route and start time so that they have safely arrived at the next overnight camp by the Finish Time. We expect walkers and slower runners to start at 0700 and only the fastest runners waiting until 0900 to start. You MUST remember to punch the start with your SI card.

The event will use digital SPORTident timing; know as SI. At registration competitors will be issued with their own SI Card, which must be ‘punched’ into the SI timing boxes at each checkpoint and at the finish. For those unfamiliar with this simple and reliable system, full instructions will be given. The SI system is an important safety feature of the event and when competitors ‘download’ their SI data at the end of each day, we generate a record of who is safely off the hill. For those who are interested, we will display daily and cumulative results each evening.

The most important safety rule is that ALL COMPETITORS must download their SI data at the end of each day with the organisers at the specified end point of that day (the overnight camp or Event Centre), regardless of whether they have completed their course or not.

Printed on the map is an emergency telephone number that competitors can use in the case of an emergency or if they are running late and may miss the specified Finish Time.

Once the specified Finish Time has passed the organisers may contact the competitors next of kin to try and ascertain any information about their whereabouts. The police and mountain rescue will NOT be automatically informed unless there is a specific reason for alarm.

The GL3D™ is a relaxed and informal event and if competitors are having a tough day, they can simply miss out a checkpoint or two. The courses are usually designed so that you can do this although competitors should still expect a long day with plenty of climb. Within the results we will list any competitors who have missed a checkpoint (or two... or caught a taxi between two checkpoints... yes, this did happen in 2012!) below another competitor who has visited them all, regardless of their overall time.

Remember that in 2014 we will be offering four different length courses, which competitors can 'mix-and-match' between. Full details here.

In the unfortunate circumstances that a competitor must retire, it is essential that they notify us if they have been unable to reach the overnight camp. We would recommend that competitors have sufficient money to enable them to get a taxi back to the overnight camp and/or Event Centre if necessary. We will be able to transport a limited number of retired competitors from one overnight camp to the next but are unable to provide transport back to the Event Centre on day 1 and 2.

Competitors will be issued with a bespoke Harvey's Map at registration.

The map is based on the British Mountain Map series and will be waterproof.

The map is pre-marked with all the checkpoints for all four courses.

Whether running or walking we expect you to have sufficient fitness and mountain experience to safely complete all three days. Typical experience would include Mountain Marathons, long fell races, Long Distance Walkers Association events such as The Fellsman and experience of long mountain days.

Elite, A and B Course
These courses are definitely for runners and it is not possible for walkers to complete these courses within the cut-off times. Competitors must have finished an equivalent mountain marathon course within 50% of the winners time for the course that they are entering. Any competitor who is slower than 50% of the winners time and/or arrives at the overnight camp after the cut-off time will automatically be moved onto a shorter course for the following day.

C Course
The GL3D™ has always attracted long distance walkers but other than the most able, they have generally struggled with the long distances and significant height gain each year. Because of this, for the 2014 event we are introducing a C course (already coined the Café Class by the planning team), which will be specifically aimed at walkers or slower runners and will only have one checkpoint per day to allow competitors maximum route choice between the overnight camps… and time to visit the very best Lake District cafés!

A few - very well behaved - dogs have completed the GL3D™ over the years! If you would like to bring your dog please check with us first.