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"A challenge is...something that takes us out of our comfort zones,
that makes us, as individuals pull on some sort of inner strength
that normally lays latent within every human being."
GMC, Bann Challenge 2008
There are so many things that can challenge you - your personal
level of fitness, the normal activities you do, how used you are to
taking part in sports or physical activities, the type of river
you choose, the distances involved and the
method you use to travel it, will it be a strictly for fun event or
are you going to push yourself to your limits?
A Source2Sea challenge will test you,
as an individual or a group and while solo activities can be
extremely rewarding, the support and safety that can be found in a
group can help people exceed their own expectations. S2S
challenges are suitable for children and adults alike but please
remember to supervise children near water at all times.
Why not link your challenge to a way of raising funds for a good
cause? You could raise sponsorship yourself or contact a local
organisation, tell the that your are doing a challenge and let them
raise money through your challenge. You do not have to
fund-raise in order to do an S2S challenge and there is no costs
payable to Source2Sea.
We can help arrange training, transport or other logistics for you
challenges however there my be charges for these services.
Please remember - some folks take challenges extremely seriously
while
others do them for fun. Either way - you need to enjoy your
challenge whatever way you choose to do it.
The Route
Your Challenge should start at the source of your chosen river and
finish at its end. Although the original idea of the
challenges started at a river source and travelled to the sea, we
recognise that everyone should have the opportunity to take part in
their river challenge and for this reason, your river should
follow it's entire length (even if it never reaches the sea) and this can of course be however long or
short the river you choose turns out to be. There are rivers
out there to suit people of every age, ability and level of fitness.
Where the route crosses private lands challengers should first get
permission from the landowner and in rural areas should follow
the Country Code. Source2Sea supports 'Leave No Trace' and
challengers should ensure that no negative impact is left behind.
Take all rubbish home and dispose of it properly.
Transport
To complete your challenge (under these rules) you cannot use any mechanical means of
transport. By mechanical we mean engines, this rules out anything
that needs oil, steam
or electric to run, or anything that requires mechanical propulsion other than
that powered by you moving
your legs, arms or whatever part of your body you need to use in order to propel you along.
Examples of transport include horse-riding, kayaks, cycles and
rowing boats, kayaks, dog sleds, etc. Some of our friends need
to use electrically powered chairs for transport and in these
circumstances power is of course acceptable.
Timing
There is no set rule for the timing of your challenge. You can
take as long as you want, do it non-stop, include
breaks or overnight stops as you may decide. Remember, if you
do a challenge that has never been done before you are setting a
time against which other people may challenge themselves.
How does this work? Whenever you do a challenge for the first time
whatever time you take is the one set for that challenge, based on how you did it.
For example, if someone carried out the River Severn Challenge for
the first time by foot and kayak and using overnight camps, their
timing becomes the one to beat - using the same modes of travel.
Another team might use bikes and rubber rings, a new time would be
set and so there will be a time to beat using the same modes of
transport.
Safety
There are some basic safety factors that we would encourage all challengers to
consider. We would ask all
challengers to consider building these into their plans.
Rivers and water safety - We ask that care is taken
while following rivers along their banks. Safety equipment
should be carried such as throw-bags and challengers should know how
to use them. When travelling on water challengers should
portage all weirs and other river obstacles. PFDs should be
worn at all times and consideration should be given to wearing a
helmet. When on the water at night or in poor visibility all
participants must wear a red snap-light on the upper rear of their
PFD. You should use a head-torches in poor light.
Access - Please observe local access rules. Most
river banks are privately owned, however, most landowners will
permit responsible access to their property. While on
private land please respect the Countryside Code.
Cycles/horses/other transport - Appropriate safety
equipment must be worn such as helmets, hi-visibility clothing etc.
At night or times of low-visibility cycle lights must be used.
Roads - Care must be taken when following
roads. When walking as an individual you should wear a
hi-visibility vest and when walking in groups the first and last
person in the group should wear a hi-visibility vest. When
walking at night all group members should wear a red snap-light on
the rear of their upper clothing or rucksack in addition to wearing
hi-vis clothing. Individuals should carry a torch,
especially the first and last in the group and all participants
should consider using head-torches.
First-aid - Challengers should ensure that emergency
assistance is available should it be needed and all participants
know how to raise the alarm should it be needed. It is also advisable
that where longer challenges are being carried out at least one of
the group should be trained in First Aid. There are many
courses available and Source2Sea would not try to influence one way
or another. In the UK we do recommend Basic Life Support,
First Responder, the REC 2-day
course or the St. John Ambulance Public First Aid course.
Please visit
http://www.recfirstaid.net/cms/index.php and
http://www.sja.org.uk/sja/
for further information.
Route cards - Route cards are used in many areas of
outdoor activities especially hill-walking. We offer a free
service to all challengers where you can log in your route card with
us and
we will provide you with a contact telephone number, if required, to check in at
pre-arranged times. S2S can provide a contact point for
friends, relatives and provide a 'live' challenge commentary for
longer challenges*
*Service currently only available within the British Isles.
We encourage challengers to contact us at any time with any
questions regarding a route, your challenge, have your timings checked, free advice, log
your route cards,
or any other question. |
