Pre Race Safety Briefing - Shotover Moonlight

Moonlight Ultra, Mountain Marathon and 30km Adventure Run

Welcome to the Shotover Moonlight Mountain Marathon & Trail Runs. The Foster family has farmed Ben Lomond Station for over 30 years and we’re very excited to share our favourite parts of the station with you.We sincerely thank our sponsors, marshalls and volunteers without which we would not be able to hold such a fantastic event.

The Course

The Shotover Moonlight courses follow abandoned gold mining water races, sheep track, ridgelines, scree, riverbed, 4WD farm track and sections of no formed track. Some areas are fast running, some areas are walking and scrambling with most somewhere in between.

Course Marking

The course is marked in the following ways:

• Orange Triangles on flat standards, trees etc
• Pink ribbon and yellow caution tape
• Blue Arrows and blue printed signs

Stick to the marked course - please don’t stray. 

Terrain underfoot

The terrain varies throughout the race.  Take particular care when travelling in rivers/streams as rocks and logs are likely to be extremely slippery.

Tree roots, logs, wet rocks etc are often very slippery and these should be treated with caution.

Long grass and cut grass can conceal rabbit holes, rocks, hollows etc and should be carefully traversed.

Stoney Creek Water Race

This section of the course is an abandoned gold mining water race that in places is dug into bluffs and steep hills.  It is spectacular and one of the highlights of the course. It is also very narrow, steep and exposed in places.  Take extreme care during this section:

• It is single track and narrow - foot placement is critical or you may slip over.  
• It is difficult to pass without cooperation - please call out to pass people and wait for a safe location, please let people past as required.
• Run within yourselves (don’t push it), particularly this first section - there is plenty more course ahead.  
• If you haven’t done this event before, don’t be surprised to see your time per km a lot below what you’re expecting - don’t push it - it’s a tough course on challenging terrain.  
• Take your time - don’t rush this section

Aid Stations and Marshalls

There are numerous checkpoints located along the course, approx 4-6km apart.  Most have just water. The Highpoint (Ultra only). Moonlight Lodge, and Sefferstown Hill will have Water, Tailwind Nutrition and Food.  Food consists of salted potatoes, lollies, fruit, chips but availability of food will depend on previous runners consumption. We can’t guarantee what will be available at any given time. You should make sure you’re carrying adequate nutrition to last the race unaided; treat the aid station supplies as a bonus.

Please respect the marshals and their instructions.  They are all volunteers and are implementing race management instructions.

Feel free to drink the water from the streams along the course.  We don’t recommend drinking from Moke Creek which is the stream you follow for the last 5km - but suggest you drink from the the side streams that flow into it instead along the final 5km.

Rubbish

Runners are expected to take all rubbish out with them.  Littering over this beautiful course isn’t acceptable and could see you disqualified. There are rubbish and recycling bins located at the race finish.

Gold Mining History and Relics

There is lots of old gold mining relics, ruins, features etc - they are one of the things that make the course special.  There’s also several historically recognised areas on the course - including the Stoney Creek Siphon, Sefferstown Huts, and the diversion tunnel in Moke Ck.  You may see old bottles, shovels, pots, gold pans etc. They are wonderful reminders of the past and we ask that you look but don’t touch, move, take or alter these in any way.  Aside from the fact it’s illegal, it’s taking from future generations and could result in disqualification. Enjoy them but let them be.

Safety and Accidents

Make sure your race numbers is on the front of your body, preferably chest. It must be clearly visible - these will be recorded at the aid stations. If a marshall asks for you to stop please do so. You can also call out your number to the marshalls to help them with recording.

You will be given a course map, with key safety info on the back.  Please review this map beforehand and carry this map with you during the race.

In the event of an accident, firstly please stop to help.  Please notify the nearest marshall or race official and they will have radios/phones to notify race management.  If you have to stop, record the time - this will be taken into account in the final race standings.

First Aid

We have a team of medics on course provided by Peak Safety. In the event of a medical emergency, please assist however you can, and also have someone advise the nearest race official (checkpoint, marshall, tail end charlie, medic etc) who can contact Race management and we can organise assistance. Medics will be stationed at Moonlight Lodge, Sefferstown Hill aid station and at the Moke Lake Finish area

Toilets

There are toilets at the race start and finish, and Moonlight Lodge (halfway), additionally we have signposted longdrops on the course at Stewarts Hut and the Stock Bridge.

If you’re caught out and need to go, then make sure you bury all toilet waste in a shallow hole at least 50m from a watercourse

Moonlight Ultra Cut off times

Cutoff 1 - 10.30am at High Point in Road (21.5km). Athletes arriving at this point after 10.30am must continue down farm road to Murphys Saddle and will join onto a shortened Ultra Course (approx 43km total length). From Murphys
Saddle continue down Death Ridge, following course back to Moke Lake.

Cut off 2 - 2.00pm at Murphys Saddle. Athletes arriving at this point after 2.00pm are directed down the 30km course (down Jones Creek) and will have approx 6km less distance, resulting in approx 50km total distance

Mountain Marathon cut off times 

There is a Mountain Marathon cut off time of 2pm where the 30km splits (approx 24.5km) from the Mountain Marathon route. The shortened marathon route will follow the 30km course back to Moke Lake.  This will result in a 37km trail run and means a particularly challenging hill, ridgeline and descent is removed.

30km Adventure Run cut off times

There is no mid course cut off for the 30km event.

Course Closures (All Distances)

All races finishes at 8pm (13/5hrs for Ultra, 12hrs for 42km, 11hrs for 30km) at which point any athletes on the course will be picked up by 4WD and driven to the Moke Lake Finish.

Stock

Ben Lomond Station is a working farm with Merino sheep and cattle. If you encounter stock please be considerate and give appropriate distance. The cattle are friendly but we suggest you don’t approach them - please don’t chase, harass or interfere with the stock on the station.

Weather and conditions

The weather conditions and weather forecast, track and river conditions will be advised during the briefing immediately before the race.

The event takes place in an alpine environment and competitors are expected to be prepared for a range of weather.  Very hot conditions (25-30 degrees) or heavy rain or snow or strong winds can be expected. Your mandatory gear is required to prepare you for whatever conditions present themselves on the day and you are required to carry this for the duration of the race.

Should adverse weather conditions present a safety risk (high rivers, snow, high winds) race management may change/modify the course to take runners away from these areas.  Course changes will be advised as soon as we are able and described during the pre-race briefing at the race start.

Race Fore-runner, “Floaters”, Tail end Charlie

A race fore-runner will run the first half of the course, leaving approximately 1 hour before the race starts.  They will ensure markings are in place and advise race management if there are potentially unsafe items that may trigger specific warnings or course changes.

There will be a tail end charlie for the 30km Adventure Run and Mountain Marathon and Moonlight Ultra events and they will be pointed out at the race briefing.  

There will be “Floaters” within the field (medics) to keep an eye on the field and be on hand to respond to issues more readily than race management or marshalls.  These will be pointed out at the race briefing. These “floaters” may take short cuts throughout the course, and will not follow the precise course to enable them to stick with the bulk of runners.  Don’t follow them, stick to the course.

Communications

All race officials have a radio.  Cellphone coverage is patchy. Spark/Skinny provides the best reception.  Vodafone will only have reception along the Point Block ridge.

Finish

A bag drop is available at the race start for the Mountain Marathon and 30km Adventure Run in Skippers Canyon for you to leave excess items (warm/spare clothing etc).  These will be taken to the race finish at Moke Lake and will be waiting for you when you arrive. The bag drop will be signposted at the race start.   The gear will be moved to a tent at the finish area, and marked with a sign for collection. Note that race management will not be responsible for lost, stolen or damaged items in the bag drop.

The races finish at Moke Lake. There is food and drink available, massage, and a lovely lake to swim in.  Ensure you carry cash for food, drink, massage as eftpos is not neccessarily available. Prizegiving is at 5pm. There will be an earlier prizegiving at 3.00pm for the 5km, 10km and 21km events.

The course closes at 8pm (12hrs for 42km, 11hrs for 30km) at which point any athletes on the course will be picked up by 4WD and driven to the Moke Lake Finish.