Concept​

 The Waterford Greenway is a 46.8km restored railway running from Waterford to Dungarvan, the surface is flat smooth bitumen from start to finish. Varied and scenic views all the way.

The challenge is to run from the start at the Edmund Rice Bridge in Waterford to the end at the Waterford Greenway Carpark in Dungarvan and back, a distance of 93.6km in under 8 hours. This can be done as a team relay or as an individual. The current Fastest Know Time for an individual is 7 hours 52 minutes and 34 seconds.

This is the inaugural Ronin Challenge, so the number of team entries is limited to only 20.

Date and Time: 8am, Saturday 14th September 2024

Entry Fee: €50 per person running (e.g. a team of 10 runners pays €500). 100% of entry fees goes towards our selected charity, The Waterford Hospice Foundation. Team captains will collect entry fees and pay to race organisers.

Finisher award: a commemorative mug will be presented to all teams that complete the Challenge, i.e. finishes in under 8 hours.

The Rules

1. Entrants – an entry can be made up of 3 (minimum) to 16 (maximum)individuals. 

2. Each runner must run their leg in one go, the distance of the leg can vary but must not be longer than 42.2km, this is a condition of the event insurance.

3. Each team will have a nominated Captain, a WhatsApp group for Team Captains has been setup.

4. The WhatsApp group will be used to communicate with the Team Captains prior to the event and on event day the Team Captains will need to send in updates as their team progresses past the checkpoints.

5. Each individual pays their entry fee to their Team Captain.

6. The team captains will be responsible for collecting their team’s entire entry fee and paying it into the nominated bank account.

7. Bank account details as follows: IBAN: IE 97WACI99100112557101

8. The Challenge will start at Bilberry Carpark at 8am on Saturday 14th September.

9. 1st runner will run west towards Dungarvan.

10. The final runner will run through the Bilberry Carpark eastwards to The Rice Bridge, on reaching the bridge the runner must run back to the finish line at the Bilberry Carpark.

11. Passing of the baton can only take place at the designated locations along the Greenway. 

12. The changeover points will be adjacent to an official Greenway Carparks.

13. “Batons” in the form of wrist bands will be provided to each team at the start line.

14. Team members must run alone.

15. Aid stations – there is an aid station in Kilmacthomas and rolling medical personnel on bikes/in cars. Teams must provide their own nutrition and hydration at locations of their choosing along the route.

16. Transport – runners must organise their own transport to and from the start/finish and any interchange points along the route. No transport will be provided by the race organisers.

Safety

1. Road crossings – there are 24 road crossings along the route. Stop and give way to traffic at road crossings.

2. The final road crossing in Dungarvan is across a busy road, please ensure all runners use the designated pedestrian crossing.

3. Cut-offs – for runner safety there will be cut-offs along the route at the following locations and times (these are calculated based on runners finishing in Waterford before sunset):

   1. Railway Station, Kilmacthomas (24.3km) at 11:00am

   2. Waterford Greenway Carpark, Dungarvan (46.7km) at 2:00pm

   3. Railway Station, Kilmacthomas (71.0km) at 5:00pm

   4. Edmund Rice Bridge, Waterford (93.4km) at 8:00pm

4. Priority – runners please give way to other users of the Greenway.

5. Keep left and pass on right.

6. Listen for bicycle bells.

7. Respect the Greenway Code of Conduct.

8. U16 runners recommended to be accompanied by an adult.

9. Only use the official Greenway Carparks for runner changeovers.

10. A requirement from our insurers is that no runner can run over 42.2km.