Lyke Wake Marshal Information
To provide a safe crossing for the event we need a minimum of around 40 volunteers. Most of the volunteer marshals are from the Quakers Running Club and some of their partners/family/friends. Additionally we usually have a couple of others from the Hardmoors Series and previous Lyke Wake entrants.
Where?
These are the locations of the checkpoints that we marshal on the Challenge event day. At most checkpoints we need to have at least 4 people with more at the half way point at the Lion Inn.
- The start at Sheepwash (just above Osmotherley)
- Carlton Bank
- Clay Bank
- Lion Inn
- Hamer
- Stape
- Ellerbeck
- Jugger Howe
- The Finish at Ravenscar
Anyone that is volunteering for the first time is placed with people that have done this before so you always have support from others.
What does the Marshal do?
The marshals at the start point have a list of participants showing the time they have been given to start their run. This is based on an estimated time to complete the 40ish miles, the runner having provided an estimated time and their race history when they enter. We check our previous results history to see if they have taken part before and use those times, along with the participant’s estimate and take into account times they have ran in other events to give them an accurate time as possible to have them finish at 16:00 which meets the 12 hour cut off from the earliest start time of 04:00.
The start marshal will do a kit check to ensure the runner has the full mandatory kit before issuing their number. Just before the start time on the list they will gather the people for that start time and give them a short briefing before they set off.
At the other checkpoints the marshals will provide encouragement, offer water and sweets, check that the runner is ok to continue on and ask if they need anything else. A lot of our marshals are very kind and take their own food, fruit, snacks and home baked goodies which they offer to the runners hence why our event has a great reputation for having fantastic marshals!
The half way point is at the Lion Inn and we have more marshals here to provide the runners with peaches, rice pudding and tea/coffee. It is also the checkpoint where people are most likely to retire from the event.
One of the checkpoints will have a kit check randomiser that is used to select a piece of mandatory kit that the runner is expected to carry. They will be asked to show the piece of kit selected to ensure they are still carrying everything. If they no longer have it with them they will be disqualified.
At the Ellerbeck check point the marshals have a list of cutoff times based on the start time and estimated run time. If a runner arrives after the cutoff they will be timed out of the event.
The BIB (number) has along the bottom each checkpoint name and the approximate distance to the next one. On arrival a marshal uses a hole punch device on the area for their checkpoint to indicate the runner has been seen.
Each checkpoint has a bingo card of numbers to quickly and easily cross off each runner as they pass through.
Each point also has a list of runners names with their numbers and the marshal will note the time of day in 24hr time and minutes that the runner arrives, there is also a column for the time the runner left the last checkpoint so that you can identify that there is a runner between the last stage and where you are so you know to expect them and roughly when they should arrive. This information to update comes from the radio team (RAYNET) who will also be at each checkpoint.
After all of the runners have been through your checkpoint take a photo of the sheets you have completed and send them by messenger/whatsapp/text to April or send to the marshal contact messenger group. This is used as an aid in the tracing of runners and for the final results.
Once all of the runners have arrived at the checkpoint after the one you are at clearance to close down your checkpoint will be given. This is just in case a runner has an issue and has turned back to return to the last checkpoint.
The finish is at Grand Villa Heights (formerly Raven Hall, Ravenscar) – the marshals arrive at this checkpoint between 11:30 and 12:00 to put up the finish gazebo and set up the finish area. This includes making up the goody bags which have a bottle of water, a little bag of haribo, a packet of crisps and new for 2026 a flyer advertising the event next year.
When the runner arrives they are recorded in finish order with their number and time of day. We enter the finish time into a spreadsheet against their information so that an elapsed time is given automatically. A marshal selects the certificate which has been pre-printed with the participants name and fills in the hours and minutes of the elapsed time. A marshal hands this certificate and a goody bag to the finisher along with their t-shirt.
The final finishers should always be the volunteer sweepers. The sweepers start from the midway point The Lion Inn after the last runner has passed through and run to the finish so we should identify anyone that has gone off track. In addition to the runners we have a sweep vehicle so that anyone that has retired or injured can be picked up and transported to the finish if needed. The sweeper vehicle will collect your clipboard of results sheets and transport them to the finish so that the results can be produced as soon as possible after the event.
- We have marshalled at this event (in the same spot) for several years and is very much a family occasion as our boys help out too. From toddlers to pre-teens they love supporting the runners, spotting them on the horizon as they come from the Lion Inn to Hamer, making sure they have snacks and topping up their drinks. A firm favourite is the responsibility of the random-o-meter for the kit check (which William took very seriously this year). It’s a real feel-good event and we love the interactions we have with the participants. Would highly recommend volunteering to help – and we look forward to next year, which is already marked in the diary! – Emma Joyeux
- Marshalling at the start of the Lyke Wake Challenge was really inspirational, seeing so many different runners of all abilities, locations and different walks of life turning up to take on the 40 miles. There was a lovely feeling of camaraderie and for the first time I understood why anyone would want to run that distance. A beautiful sunrise, the peace of the countryside and an opportunity to eat a lot of good snacks! Never has getting up at 3.30am seemed so appealing! – Carys Samuel
- I was lucky enough to Marshall the half way point at the Lion Inn on a beautiful day. I enjoyed clapping for each runner for their efforts. Giving words of encouragement and support. It was also lovely to chat to other Marshalls, have a chuckle and learn a lot more about what goes into planning and organising such an epic event. A great day out ! – Caroline Litster