VIRTU-OWL FAQ
Q. So I have to pay for each race? A. No, you pay for one entry and you can enter as many races as you like!
Q. So when can I start submitting times? As soon as you’re registered, you do not have to wait for your race pack to be delivered.
Q. Once we've done a distance and uploaded our time, can we replace it with a faster one at a later date? YES
Q. What happens if you do multiple attempts at the same distance can you submit them all? Our form works one at a time. We ask that you only submit improved times. As it is only your best time that counts towards your score for each distance. Submitting a slower time could even override your previous time and lose you points.
Q. In terms of the virtual runs do they have to start and end at the same point? No, you can start and finish your run wherever you like.
Q. Are there any elevation restrictions in place? Not at all, you can find a big hill and bomb down it to your hearts contempt. Finding a good ‘line’ or ‘route’ is part of the challenge.
Q. Does it count if the run is slightly too long (rather than short)? No, but if you are a Strava user they have a way you can ‘split’ your run, shaving off those excess miles.
Q. WTF is a Vertical Challenge? You have one hour to get as much total elevation gain (UP) as possible. When submitting your result for this please put your elevation gain in the additional comments section.
Q. For the vertical challenge, are you allowed to find a big hill and just run up and down it for an hour? Yes, you can achieve your goals by any means necessary, the spirit of this challenge is that you can do it anywhere. Live in Lincolnshire? Might need to find a car park for the Vertical Challenge! Live in the Peak District? Might need a car park for everything else!
Q. When will my t-shirt arrive? As we are taking orders of different sizes and colours we will be printing and posting t-shirts out in batches in order to minimise any unnecessary stock. The first batch will be sent out around the 15th June and the following a week or so later etc.
Q. I prefer the men’s fit t-shirt, can I have one of those please? A. Of course! Simply fill out your request in the ‘additional information tab in the entry system.
Q. I don’t have a watch, can I take part? You must have something in order to register your time ie: phone linked with Garmin connect or Strava etc. When submitting times it’s important for the fairness to all entrants that we have evidence of winners times etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (GREAT OWL RUNNING EVENTS Pre Covid19)
Q. I am injured / unable to attend, can I transfer my race entry to someone else or defer my entry?
A. Yes, but only until 14 days before race day. We get a load of requests for this and we have previously been dealing with deferral requests days before an event when we need to be focussing on race day. All requests within 14 days of an event will be ignored.
If you are injured but still want to be involved you can always consider volunteering for the day for a full refund and £20 donation to your club or to the races chosen charity!
Q. Are the results out yet? Where can I find the results?
A. We time our races manually. You can find all results on the individual race pages on this website. We try to get them out as soon as possible and will publish them as soon as they are processed. If you feel there are any major errors you can get in touch with us up to 24 hours after they are published.
Q. Can I leave my bag?
A. Yes. All our races will have a bag drop. We understand that many runners may not want to stand around getting cold for too long. We will always provide a bag drop right before the start of the race, and be accessbile immediately after a race.
Q. Are there Water Stations? What does ‘Cupless’ mean?
A. As of 2020 all Great Owl Races are cupless. A cupless race requires all runners to bring their own receptacle whether that be your own water bottle, hydrapak cup, collapsable camping cup or camelback style hydration backpack. We will supply water (and snacks) at all our races but cannot emphasise enough that we aim to use zero disposable cups of any kind.
Q. Are there a medals and a T Shirt?
A. No, unless stated otherwise for a particular event.
OK, this is a hot topic! For environmental and sustainability reasons similar to our cup policy we don’t believe that handing out mass produced items to every entrant is a particularly good idea and we know many of these items get discarded or relegated to bottoms of drawers. In fact we believe that many events have become subject to normalisation and submit to expectations. So we try to do our bit when it comes to the environment around us. As a result we can charge much less for our races. That said, it is actually really nice that people want to support our company by wearing our merch so for those that really want them we do have merchandise available to those who want to purchase them for a charitable donation.
Q. When is prize giving?
A. This depends on the race and we will inform runners before the race. Prize giving will generally take place after all the prize winners have completed the race. We try to be flexible and in an ideal world we would wait for every competitor to finish before prize giving but understand that the some runners might need dash off.
Q. I won a prize but did not attend prize giving?
A. In this instance we usually try to find a club mate or someone who knows you to take the prize on your behalf. If there is no one to accept your prize simply get in touch! We will try and get your prize to you. Please note we will not post trophies!
