Southville Running Club's 'Spooktacular' Nightingale Nightmare Halloween Run is back!

A 10km off road run along the towpath, up Nightingale Valley and through Leigh Woods.

All runners and 'spooktators' will be tricked & treated, and Halloween fancy dress is strongly encouraged! 

Entries open from 7am, 1st September 2023

A cauldron of prizes awaits for: 

• 3 for best fancy dress runners
• 1st, 2nd, 3rd female & male runners
• 1st vet 40/50/60 female & male runners

Post run cake is FREE (donations welcome, however!)

Race transfers will be allowed up to 3pm on 13th October 2023. No transfers or refunds can be accepted after that time.

ARC Race Permit No. ARC/23/0481

Race instructions

Commiserations on entering the Nightingale Nightmare 10k. You’ll be pleased to know the time is nearly upon us. This message contains all the information you need for the big day.

TIME & PLACE

The race HQ is Ashton Park School, Blackmoors Lane, Bristol, BS3 2JL. There is free parking on site, toilet facilities, and shelter from the elements. If necessary we should also be able to barricade the doors and hold out against a zombie attack for at least 48 hours.

The carpark is large, but unlike the joys of eternal damnation, is not infinite. If you’re able to share lifts with friends, foes, or clubmates, we’d encourage you to do so. There is no on-street parking in the area, so please respect our neighbours. There will be dedicated broomstick parking provided.

There will be an extended witching hour the night before, with the end of BST. You can enjoy an extra hour’s rest before your torment commences, so tardiness will not be entertained.

Registration is open from 9:15am and the race starts at 11:00. Race numbers will be at the HQ to collect. The start area is not at the HQ, so at 10:15 there will be a race briefing and then we will all leave on foot and walk together to the start at 10:30. Please arrive in time to collect your number and be ready for the briefing at 10:15.

At the start there will be a group warmup (which in keeping with the theme may be mortifying) and there will be a bag drop to leave anything you might want immediately post-race. After the finish we recommend staying to cheer in the other runners, so pack something to keep you warm and dry, and maybe a spare litre of blood if necessary.

There will be one water station on the route and another at the finish, and plenty of marshals to guide your way. Carrying garlic is recommended, but optional.

CLOTHING

As you will hopefully appreciate by now, this is a halloween themed race, so bring out your best (worst?) costume and show us how terrifying you can be. There will be a competition for outfits - more on that later. The HQ will have dedicated changing areas and a bag drop for any bulkier items you don’t need at the finish. The carpark is also immediately adjacent to the HQ, so please lock anything valuable in your car lest the goblins get it.

Not to spook you, but this is also a tough off-road run with plenty of elevation. The ground is uneven with rocks and roots and can be slippery if there has been rainfall. Trail shoes are a good option if you have them. Road shoes will be fine too, just take extra care. Flip-flops would be disastrous, so don’t wear those.

As you’ll be fully aware, creatures of the night are drawn towards music and especially to running-themed podcasts like moths to the flame. For your own safety we therefore require that you do not wear headphones of any type during the race.

COMPETITIONS & PRIZES

As mentioned, there’s a fancy dress competition! If you wish to feel the full force of our judgement, pick up your number for race registration and then pose for a photo with our photographers who will be stationed upstairs in the HQ.

Prizes will be also be awarded for first finishers overall and in vet 40, 50, and 60 categories, male and female. Every survivor gets a medal. Every non-survivor gets a memorial.

There’s also a special prize for best marshalling station, voted by you, the runners. So keep an eye out (unless your eye is already out) as you run to see which of our volunteer marshals deserves your vote.

The prizegiving will be back in race HQ after the last runner finishes the course. Speaking of HQ…

REFRESHMENTS

Join us back at HQ after the race for free hot drinks and more importantly, cake! Our volunteer bakers are hard at work making a dazzling array of ghoulish cakes for you to enjoy. We’ll be serving tea, coffee and hot chocolate to warm you up. All for free! 

There’ll be a donation tin if you have any of that pre-pandemic cash hanging around. In past years we’ve been able to make sizable donations to some great local charities thanks to runners’ generosity. 

SPOOKTATORS

Friends and family are welcome to come and cheer you on. The start/finish area is a good place, and another easy spectator spot is the top of Nightingale Valley, accessed by a gate on North Road, BS8 3PL.

Start/finish (not race HQ!): https://goo.gl/maps/jhXG7SAjBU3g4bnH7

Those just coming to the start/finish to cheer could park on Brunel Lock Road and then walk over Ashton Avenue Bridge to get there by foot, if indeed they have feet. 

SEE YOU ON SUNDAY 29TH

We look forward to punishing your enthusiasm next Sunday morning. Remember the clocks change, giving you an extra hour to work on your costume, so no excuse for lateness!