17 June – Nominated Charity

Many thanks to everyone that purchased a Hampshire Hoppit 2019 T-Shirt.

I’m absolutely delighted to confirm that we made a profit of £1,461.49 from Hoppit T-Shirt Sales, and this has been paid today to our nominated charity, namely the Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance.

Thank you again. A fantastic charity that really needs the cash, so we should all pat ourselves on the back (even better if it’s the back of a Hoppit T-Shirt!)…

12 June – Press Release

Trailblazing Hampshire Hoppit leads the way

Runners from far and wide travelled to Kingsclere to take part in the Hampshire Hoppit Trail Marathon and Half Marathon on Sunday 9 June.

Over 850 runners from all over the country, and even as far as Berlin and Australia, ventured to Park House Stables in Kingsclere to take part in the popular trail running challenge along sections of the Wayfarers Walk and Harrow Way.

In just its fourth year the trail race, organised by Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletics Club and supported by many other local running clubs, has cemented itself as a firm favourite, gaining top 5* ratings from entrants.

The event showed it was trailblazing in more ways than one, banning plastic cups at water stations and providing each runner with a lightweight reusable cup to fill up along the route and to take home for future races.

Those taking part were treated to spectacular views, including Watership Down, and were cheered on by over 70 local volunteer marshals along the half and full marathon courses. If that wasn’t reward enough, each finisher received a medal that doubled up as a bottle opener and a commemorative half or pint glass filled with Hoppit Ale, courtesy of race sponsor Loddon Brewery.

There was local success on the podium too with Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletics Club (BMHAC) runner Alastair Bridgman crossing the line first to win the men’s marathon in 3:04:55, Emily Iredale from Midhurst Milers finished first woman in 3:27:37.
In the half marathon the men’s race was won by Jonathan Bradford from Birchfield Harriers in 1:20:52 and Hart Road Runner Lesley Locks took the women’s race in a time of 1:35:03.

Prizes in the form of engraved glasses were also handed out to the first three finishers in the aged 40, 50 and 60 categories across both races. Go Further trophies were also awarded to the first finishing father and child combination and the first finishing mother and child combination in both races.

Race Director Tim Fowler was delighted with the success of the fourth Hampshire Hoppit, he said : “We couldn’t have asked for a better day weather wise and we have been overwhelmed by all the positive comments we’ve received about the race, in particular our move away from plastic cups. We all need to do our bit and I’m proud our trail race is leading the way in the running world.

“It was a fantastic day for everyone and we are extremely grateful for the support we received from our runners, volunteers and spectators.”

Tim added: “This race puts Kingsclere and all the beautiful countryside around it on the map. A huge thank you to all of our sponsors, volunteers and runners for making this year’s event a tremendous success and we look forward to planning next year’s Hampshire Hoppit.”

The Hampshire Hoppit primary sponsors are Kingsclere Stables, Loddon Brewery, TRIBE Energy Bars, and Fyfes Bananas.

All race proceeds from the race go towards Basingstoke & Mid Hants Athletics Club’s track improvement fund for Down Grange Sports Complex. In addition, the Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance received all profits from T-Shirt Sales.

11 June – Please Rate Our Race

We are overwhelmed by all your lovely comments. We rely on a lot of goodwill to put on this event and it’s your amazing feedback that inspires our volunteers to make this race happen each year and helps us to make it even better. Please take a minute to rate our race on Racecheck . Other runners listen to what you say about races not what us organisers say.

You never know you might inspire someone to try and achieve their first trail marathon or half marathon.

https://racecheck.com/races/the-hampshire-hoppit-trail-marathon/#reviews

10 June – Race Results

Well done to everyone who took part in the Hampshire Hoppit 2019 marathon and half marathon.

Results can be found here (linked to SportsSystems)

Hampshire Hoppit Trail Marathon Results – 2019
Hampshire Hoppit Half Trail Marathon Results – 2019

20 May – Race Bib Names

A reminder that if you would like your name printed on your race bib, then the deadline for your online race entry is 12 noon on Friday 24 May 2019.
Subject to availability, we will continue to accept race entries after this time, however they will not have names printed on the bib; this is due to lead times for printing as instructed by our supplier Pymmwenn Printing.

3 May – Prizes

I’m delighted with the Hoppit prizes that have just arrived. We use local engravers, Jeanettes Engravers, based in Basingstoke, a wonderful service that I can’t rate highly enough.

Attached is a photo of a selection of the prizes. The wine bottle in each photo is only to indicate the size (it’s not part of the prize). And yes, the wine goblet for the lady winners really is that big!

Prizes are awarded to the first 3 finishers in each race (ladies and men)(half marathon and marathon), and also the first V40, V50, and V60 (ladies and men)(half marathon and marathon). And the Go Further water jugs are awarded to the best Mum or Dad finisher in each race (half marathon and marathon), when combined with the result of their son or daughter. Participants for the Go Further Trophy must be identified pre-race as a pairing (using the form at the online entry stage, or an email subsequently to the race organisers).

[envira-gallery slug=”winners-prizes”]

15 April – Nutrition

We are fortunate in Basingstoke to have The Fyffes Group as one of our local companies. Their ripening facility in Basingstoke is the largest in Europe. It is able to accommodate 117,000 boxes (or over 2,100 tonnes) of bananas at any one time.

So – happily – Fyffes have again agreed to supply around 1500 bananas (at no charge) for our 2019 Hampshire Hoppit.

We are very proud and delighted to have their support again.

9 April – Entries

I’ve just checked, and (as at 9 April) The Hampshire Hoppit pre-entries, at 455, are now at over the halfway mark, and considerably ahead of where they were at the same point last year. Thank you to everybody that has entered so far, and we look forward to seeing you on 9th June!

It is likely that the ‘Sold Out’ banner will be raised sometime in mid-May, so don’t delay if you haven’t entered as yet…

20 March – Beer Mats

An extra gift for every Hoppit finisher. The Goody Bag at the finish will include a beer mat manufactured from specialist wood pulp. According to the blurb from the manufacturer, “these are real beer mats the way they’ve been made for decades”.

They will be two-sided, and the reverse includes a trail running quote that we hope might be inspiring…..and, in case you are wondering, the photograph is of White Hill (and – if you look very carefully – there are Hoppit runners climbing the hill)…

6 March – Eco-Friendly

The Hampshire Hoppit is proud of its eco-friendly priorities. Our race is in the midst of some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK, and we have a duty to leave it as we find it.

If you have competed in other races, you will be aware of litter that can accumulate at water stations in particular. The main problem is empty (or usually not empty!) discarded water bottles and plastic cups.

With this in mind, we are delighted to announce that every Hampshire Hoppit 2019 competitor will receive a Hampshire Hoppit eco-friendly reusable collapsible cup! These cups will fit neatly into pockets in your race shorts, or in belts or backpacks if you are planning to use them, and we hope that you will use the cup at the water stations on the Hoppit route.

We hope you agree that a reusable cup is a small contribution to a better future for all of us.

use the loop and clip it for easy access
6 February – Official 2019 T-Shirt

The Hampshire Hoppit are delighted to present our official 2019 T-Shirt design!!

With huge thanks to our creatives agency ‘Alive With Ideas’, David Stanley, who has designed another memorable and impressive sports tee that we hope you can be proud to wear.

The T-Shirt can only be ordered in advance, either at the time of your race entry, or by visiting the online T-Shirt store by following the link below.
All T-Shirts will be available for collection on race day (I’m afraid that we will not be mailing them), and all profits will go to the Hampshire and Isle Of Wight Air Ambulance, a wonderful and worthy cause, we hope you agree.
The online store will close a couple of weeks before race day to allow for production.

Note: THERE WILL BE NO SALES ON RACE DAY.

Online T-Shirt Store

click to see enlarged image
18 January – RaceCheck
Racecheck reveals the best 2018 endurance events as voted by participating athletes, and we’re delighted that the Hampshire Hoppit made GOLD!!
The awards are the most credible for athletes looking to choose new events to participate in, judged 100% by actual race participants and based on the criteria of 30 reviews or more, rating 4.6 or higher.
Thanks so much to everyone out there that added their race feedback…
4 January – Finishers Medals

We’re excited to reveal the 2019 Hampshire Hoppit medal. Doubling up as a bottle opener, this year’s medal captures and celebrates some of the things you love about our trail marathon and half marathon. Incorporating the beautiful scenery which takes in the famous Watership Down setting and of course Hoppit ale which all our finishers receive in their commemorative glass at the end of the race.

Why the bottle opener element? We pride ourselves on the friendly, social and fun atmosphere we try to create and we want our runners to take this away with them until the following year and share their trail running experience with friends and family. We love our fourth Hampshire Hoppit medal and hope you do too.

We hope you’ll join us on Sunday 9 June 2019

14th December – Finishers Beer Glass

Every finisher of the Hampshire Hoppit 2019 will receive a beer glass keepsake. And it will be filled with Hoppit ale, a rather wonderful real ale from a local brewery, Loddon Breweries.

Half Marathon finishers receive a Half Pint glass, and Marathon finishers receive a Pint glass.

Here’s the artwork that we’ve approved for the Pint glass. For 2019, it’s blue!!!

5th October – Loddon Breweries and The Hampshire Hoppit – FREE BEER!!

The Hampshire Hoppit continues to be delighted with our partnership and sponsorship from Loddon Breweries. For runners that have competed in The Hampshire Hoppit previously, you will be aware that every race finisher receives a glass of Hoppit Ale from Loddon Breweries, served at the beer tent (near the Finish line). This activity has helped to define the uniqueness of our special race since we began in 2016.
Now, in advance of our 2019 race, Loddon Breweries and The Hampshire Hoppit are delighted to announce a special promotion.
Every 2019 race entrant can receive one free pint, of a beer of their choice, from the Loddon Breweries Taproom, if they visit the brewery at Dunsden Green Farm. The Taproom is open on Thursday, Friday or Saturday, every week, 10am-6pm (7pm on Friday). Dunsden Green Farm is postcode RG4 9QD, a few miles north of Reading.
This offer is valid from 1 October 2018 until 30 June 2019. Just present your email race confirmation or race number (if post-race) at the Taproom, and you’ll get whatever beer you like.

20th September – NEW SPONSOR

It’s been a bit quiet for a few weeks, so I reckon it’s about time we announce one of our new partners for The Hampshire Hoppit 2019.

Welcome to TRIBE Bars!!

Every finisher of the Hampshire Hoppit 2019 will have a delicious TRIBE Bar in their Goody Bag. Worth about £1.50 each, they are a “100% Performance Nutrition Bar”. Every Goody Bag will also include special money-off vouchers for future purchases of TRIBE Bars.

We look forward to working with TRIBE over the next few months. They are a fantastic addition to the portfolio of Hoppit partners – their company ethos and values match the Hoppit very closely.

2 June – NEW DATE

We are delighted to announce the date for the 2019 race, on Sunday June 9th, and entries are now open.

26th June – NEW AWARD

For the 2019 race, we will be expanding the previously named “Go Fa(r)ther Trophy” to accommodate Mothers that run the same race as their child. Previously, coinciding with Fathers Day, this trophy was only available to Fathers that were running the same race as their child. However, with the new date now NOT falling on Fathers Day, it seems like the perfect opportunity to roll out the award to include Mums too! Further details and the rules of entry can be found below (link to the Parent/Child Trophy tab).