Cupless Racing

In our ongoing quest to reduce plastic at running events, Yeovil Half Marathon will be a cupless event. This means at drink stations we will not be providing plastic cups or bottles of water. You will need to carry your own drinking vessel. We hope  to be working with Wessex Water Community Engagement Team, who will be staffing the water stations and will be happy to fill your water vessel on the route and they will be providing the water at the finish line in a bespoke YHM 10th anniversary recyclable, reusable, finisher’s souvenir cup for you to keep. There will be four drink stations 1. Ninesprings Country Park - 3.9k / 2.4m 2. Airfield Tavern, Bunford Lane - 8.6k / 5.3m 3. Montacute House - 12.8k / 7.9m 4. Thorne Lane -17.3k / 10.7m

USING HEADPHONES WHILST RUNNING 

The use of personal stereos, iPods, phones or other music devices is not allowed under UKA rule 240 S5 – the wearing of headphones, or similar devices, (other than those medically prescribed), is not permitted in races on any single carriageway road that is not wholly closed to traffic.  

• 
  

  The wearing of such equipment may prevent you from hearing instructions from marshals and other event staff as well as the hearing of sirens/horns from emergency services and other vehicles. By wearing such devices you are putting yourself and those around you at risk. 

  
  


• 
  

  Rule 240 S5 also accepts use of conductive headphones, however the final decision lies with the Event Organiser, and we DO NOT allow their use as it is impossible for marshal to differentiate between them and other types of headphones when runners pass them. 

  
  


• 
  

  The Event Organisers will have no responsibility should this rule be ignored. Please do not risk our ability to be granted a future licence.  

  
  


• 
  

  Runners seen to be wearing headphones will be disqualified by the Event Organisers 

  
  

FINISHERS T-SHIRTS 

We have taken the decision to stop giving away free t-shirts at our large half marathon events to be proactive in lessening the environmental impact at our events.  

We have already moved away from disposable plastic cups at drinks stations and bottled water at the finish line.  

The type of technical t-shirts given away at running events (ours included) are for the most part very cheaply made products, using materials derived from oil based plastics, which are polluting to the environment during their manufacture, and every time they are washed distribute small amounts of micro-plastics into our water supplies.  

Not only that, but we are well aware that those of you who take part in lots of races have drawers full of these types of t-shirts which may be worn once or twice but will soon be replaced by the newest giveaway item that is received.  

With these factors in mind, we have chosen to offer a good quality, lower impact t-shirt to our runners as we do realise that some of you do love your race t-shirts and we wouldn’t want to take that away from you.  Sadly, we are currently unable to offer these sustainable t-shirts as giveaways as production costs involved in making sustainable products is currently prohibitive, but we hope that given time the demand for sustainable products throughout the textile industry will mean that we’ll be able to review this.  

To make up for the loss of the t-shirts we will be offering FREE OF CHARGE event photographs for every single runner, as well as a sustainable memento and of course a fantastic medal!  

We hope that you will understand the reasoning behind our decision.