The St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race

St Helens Sutton AC and The Steve Prescott Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of the

 inaugural St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race on Sunday 11^th September.

Trail races involve a variety of surfaces including parkland paths, fields and pavements.  There will be 3 races and competitors of all ages and abilities are welcome.
 

10.00am - The St Helens Windows Dream Mini Trail - A short “taster” trail event for children between 6 and 11 years of age, parents welcome to run with their child. This event can be entered on the day £2 entry fee.

10.15am - The St Helens Windows Dream Challenge - Up to 4 km in length, the Challenge is open to anyone at Secondary school.  Entries must be completed in advance, £8 each, by following this link: Junior Race Entry Link

11.00am - The St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race - The main 8.5 km event is open to anyone over 16 years old* and will challenge elite runners and trail novices alike. Entries are strictly limited, cost £15 and must be completed in advance by following this link: Adult Race Entry Link

 *Elite runners from Under15 level and above can compete with formal parental approval and must be accompanied to the event.

Latest News

Well done to everyone who competed, helped out or supported today.

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***     Results    ***       ***   Official Photos  ***        ***     Runner's Snaps    ***
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Results will be posted as soon as possible, hopefully today.
Official Race Day photos will also be available within 48 hours from DE Photo (Category Athletics, Folder St Helens AC/Dream Trail).  We think they're going up tomorrow.
Runners Snaps If we get any Runners snaps - we'll post them here when we can - if you've any good ones email them to us using the email link to the left.

Don't forget to read the Report on our news page

Organiser's comments :

Huge thank you and well done to everyone that took part in today’s inaugural Dream Trail Race. It was a challenging course that tested the regular club runners so all of the novices should be immensely proud of themselves for finishing as quickly as you did.

Congratulations to all of the prize winners, I hope you enjoyed it and would take part in any future trail’s that we organise.

Thank you to all of the sponsors and officials that made today possible. Especially our main sponsor Gary Burgess and St Helens Windows.

Thank you also to St John’s Ambulance, DE Photos and The Smithy Manor for helping us out on the day.

And finally.... Thank you to everyone that took part, from the youngest to the oldest. You made all of the hard work worthwhile J

Best Wishes
Ant Young

To keep up to date on the St Helens Windows Trail news please return here in the future and become a Fan on Facebook

 Race Day information now available here

Prizes for ALL runners!

Up and Running are the latest sponsor to come on board and support the St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race and have offered discount vouchers to runners.

We have many prizes kindly donated by our sponsors.

As a result, we have calculated that each runner will receive a goody bag that is worth at least 200% of their entry fee. Donations so far include....

          Winners prizes – Donated by our Premier Sponsor, St Helens Windows and Co-Operative Membership

·         Harrods champagne & truffle hamper – Donated by Taylor Wimpey Homes

·         Fitness Bootcamp sessions – Donated by PBFit

·         Day passes for all gym and pool facilities at DW Sports – Donated by DW Sports

·         Golf club hire & range balls – Donated by Drivetime Warrington

·         Vouchers for holistic treatments / sports massages – Donated by Premier Physio Runcorn

·         Free driving lessons – Donated by Dave’s School of Motoring, St Helens

·         Pizzas and Garlic Breads – Donated by Domino’s Pizza

·         Marks & Spencer voucher – Donated by the charity committee at Marks & Spencer, Gemini Retail Park

Junior Prizes donated by OSAS Royal Mail will include Family Tickets to local attractions plus Cineworld Tickets. 

We would like to offer a huge Thank You to all of our sponsors, your support is truly appreciated.

Major New Sponsor signs up to the Trail!

We are pleased to announce the signing of St Helens Windows as the major sponsor for the Dream Trail Race. We’d like to thank Gary Burgess and the team at St Helens Windows for their support and look forward to making the event a huge success. On hearing the news, Steve Prescott from The Steve Prescott Foundation said ““It is fantastic that organisations like the St Helens Sutton Athletic Club and St Helens Windows can put on events like the St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race. The SPF are keen on promoting health and well being within the St Helens Community and this fits the criteria. The Dream Statue is an inspiring sculpture, I hope it will inspire many juniors and seniors to take part. The course will be extremely challenging but will offer a great sense of achievement to all participators!”

The announcement was made in this week’s St Helens Star and marks the start of an intensive campaign to sign up competitors for the race. If you haven’t already entered, get your entry in soon as places are strictly limited.

New Sponsor Announcement! - Premier Physio have very kindly donated vouchers for each adult trail runner. They can be redeemed against their awesome Massages     and Holistic Therapies. Their state of the art practice is just 10 minutes from The Dream. Huge thanks to Vicki and the Team for their generosity. Please follow the link and "Like" their page for news updates.

Course Details

Main Site Entrance is via The Smithy Manor, Jubits Lane, St Helens, WA9 4BB.

The course details can be found below and on Facebook.

Run for Charity

Any profits from the event entry fees will be divided between The Steve Prescott Foundation and St Helens Sutton Athletic Club. The club will be using any funds to buy junior sports equipment so that we can enable more young people (currently 100+) to enjoy sport and compete regularly.

We hope that as many participants as possible will seek sponsorship for the event and donate the funds to the Steve Prescott Foundation

The Steve Prescott Foundation equally divides all monies raised between

Christies Hospital - http://www.christies.org/    and  
Try Assist (formerly the RFL Benevolent Fund) – http://www.tryassist.co.uk
 

Thanks to our Sponsors

Fitness Requirements

Trail events are great fun but they are a challenge, that’s what makes their completion such an achievement.

The variety of terrain and altitude mean that a reasonable level of fitness is required. If you are participating in the Dream Trail Race you need to consider what level of fitness you currently have and then create a training programme that gradually gets you to where you need to be. If you aren’t already a runner then we strongly advise you to check with your doctor before launching into a training schedule.

As a guide, we would recommend that you should be able to run a mile in under 15 minutes to be able to complete and enjoy the event. Daunting as this may seem today, you have plenty of time to get there so don’t be afraid to enter and look forward to getting fitter over the next few months.

You’ll need to combine training sessions in the gym or street with a few hills sessions to acclimatise your body. To start off with, just try walking some of the hills around Dream or in your local area and see how fit you are. Gradually build this to a jog and eventually a run. You only need to do this once a week to soon notice an improvement. Your legs may get stiff at first but after a few weeks you will sail up and down without too many problems.

Many people find that training with others is easier. New members are always welcome at St Helens Sutton Athletic Club and we have training groups to suit all ages and abilities. Why not come down on a Tuesday or Thursday at 6.15pm to Sutton Leisure Centre and get some advice from one of our qualified and friendly coaches?

Throughout the summer we will run regular training sessions at The Dream to help you to get fitter and also have a sneak peak at where we’ll be going on race day. Please visit the latest news page and follow us on Facebook for up to date information.

 

Help & Questions

Hopefully we will answer many of your questions below but if not please Contact us.

1. How fit do I need to be?

Trail Running is not recommended for non-runners as it does involve varying terrain and some hills. However, there is plenty of time before the run for you to achieve the required level of fitness if you knuckle down and start getting fit now. As a guide, you should probably be able to complete a mile on the streets in under 15 minutes to be capable of finishing the course.

2. Is this only for Fun Runners?

No, regular athletes and those preparing for the Cross Country season are more than welcome. They will be allowed to set off at the front of the pack so that they can pit themselves against other club runners.

3. Do I need any special clothing or equipment?

Trail running shoes are recommended as the additional grip will help you, particularly when running downhill. We strongly advise against running in fashion footwear such as Converse Pumps or Court Trainers .Running spikes are not required as some of the Trail will be on tarmac and could therefore damage them (and potentially you also).

4. Is this like Hell Runner and other extreme events that I see advertised?

No. The St Helens Windows Dream Trail Race won’t have any bogs, obstacles or pipes to go through. We will be running over fields and crossings a couple of ditches so if the weather has been poor then it may be muddy but not intentionally so.

5. Do I have to get sponsored?

No, but it would be great if you do support The Steve Prescott Foundation.

6. What are the logistics on the day?

You will be emailed closer to the race date but we do plan to have a registration area, changing facilities, toilets and refreshments on site. Parking is a little limited so where possible we encourage people to car share and use public transport but there are plenty of roads in the area that are not restricted parking.

7. Is it dangerous?

   The race takes place over uneven terrain and parts of the course may be slippery. Competitors are responsible for their own safety during the race and should take care as they run but there will not be any major obstacles, ditches or pipes that you find at some extreme challenge events.
    

8. Can parents run with their Children in the Children's Race?

The children's race is a taster to get youngsters involved in the fun.  If your child is nervous or needs some encouragement then you are more than welcome to accompany your child round the course.

Contact Us

For more information please email: training-tips@st-helens-sutton.co.uk
 

Legal Disclaimer

This event by its very nature is hazardous and contains certain inherent risks. The race is run over land to which the public has free access and over which the race organisers have no control and which is subject to normal hazards to be expected on such a trail, e.g. partially or fully exposed tree roots, overhanging branches, non participants, dogs etc. Participants are responsible for their own safety. It is the participant’s responsibility to ensure that they are physically capable to start an event of this distance and terrain. Participants should contact their own doctor if they are uncertain on this point. By agreeing to these conditions the participant accepts that they enter this event at their own risk and accept that the event organisers and their employees are not liable for any loss, damage claim, expense, injury or accidents which may arise as a consequence of the participants negligence in this event.   
 

Any Questions?  Please Email-us