Bewl 15 on schedule for record entries in 2013
The 14th Bewl 15 takes place this year on 7 July and is fast tracking its way to a record number of entries due partly to the runbritain online entry system which is absolutely FREE for the runner to use.
The race, organised by the Wadhurst Runners of East Sussex, was first run in 2000 with 164 entries. There was steady growth, almost year by year, and by 2010 the attendance was up to 640, of which the runbritain online system contributed 9 entries. Once the users discovered the ease of our FREE online entry system runbritain's contribution leapt to 94 in 2011 and almost doubled to 167 in 2012.
Bewl 15 is consistently voted by readers of Runners World as one of the top races in the UK. The race is mainly a trail run of 15 miles, of which just three are on quiet country roads, run around the beautiful Bewl Water, which sits between the counties of East Sussex and Kent.
The race also has a fun day to entertain the runners accompanied persons and children with a sports hall crammed with games and entertainers for the children. Lined up for this year are free face painters, a Tai Chi instructor for children, a professional story-teller and the famous Charlie the Clown. The runners will receive a hefty goody bag, containing 15 items - not counting leaflets, free beer, tea, coffee and their famous cakes. Free massaging service is available and the finishers are greeted by the Wadhurst Brass band.
The record attendance is 776 entries which, strangely, has been reached twice in 2011 and 2012. The race is on schedule to top 800 for the first time. Albert Kemp, the honorary Race Director, expects to top 1,000 next year because of initiatives to be announced later. Also, as next year will be the 15th running of the event, the Wadhurst Runners are already planning to include a finishers memento. The club have canvassed every one of the entrants to vote for their choice of a memento.
The current race is showing further growth and already has 110 runbritain online entries and Kemp said, always with an eye on his statistics, that normally the race entries double in the closing month, so he is expecting close on 220 entries from runners, who have only had to pay the entry fee via the runbritain website. This is estimated to be 28% of the total race entry expected for 2013.
Remarkably the website growth is directly inversely proportional to mail entries which have declined from 100% in 2000 and is currently down to 25% of the total!
To enter this year's race through the runbritain FREE online entry service click here.