15 DAYS TO GO!!

ARE YOU READY? The Chairman is back...

The information you have all been waiting for is available NOW. If you click here and scroll to the bottom of the page, you will find a document called 'Representation of the Coup de Main'. Open it and you will see who is representing who on the run! Those highlighted in RED are relatives of the Coup de Main. I'm afraid as there are so many of you it has not been possible to allocate you ALL with a name.

Now, some admin points. Quite a lot, I'm afraid!

Portsmouth to Tarrant Rushton:

As you are all aware, we are laying on transport from Portsmouth to take you to TR on the morning of the 4th June. The first of these vehicles will be leaving at 0900 and the last at 1030. PLEASE ENSURE YOU ARRIVE IN PLENTY OF TIME!!!!!!!! If you miss the last one, it will be taxi time at your own expense!

Upon arrival at the ferry port, drive into the car park (big blue building that says CAR PARK on it, oddly!), park, collect your bag from the boot and then walk back out to the front of the car park where you will have seen 3 coaches, 3 mini-buses and a truck waiting outside. Introduce yourselves to the P65 team of helpers who will be standing by, place your baggage in either the coaches hold or on the truck and then board a coach or mini-bus. As each one becomes full, they will leave for TR.

Baggage:

We have requested that you each have 2 separate bags; 1 containing your clothing etc for your stay in France and 1 containing your running kit etc for use during the run.

The 'French' bag will be loaded onto a truck at TR and driven straight to France. It will be waiting at the marquee for your arrival. The 'Run' bag will be carried on a support vehicle which will follow the run route. It will be made available to you as and when required. PLEASE PACK LIGHT! Our vehicles cannot carry too much and there are over 200 of you after all. Don't forget to pack a sleeping bag in your 'French' bag, otherwise you might have quite chilly night...

Water:

Support vehicles will be carrying a HUGE quantity of water along the route. Please use whatever container you normally train with. We will ensure you are kept 'topped-up' throughout the run. There will be numerous formation points along the route which will give an ideal opportunity to fill-up.

Signage:

We have a HUGE task ahead of us....... We have to place signs along the entire route telling you and the support crews where to go. These signs will vary from simple directional arrows to large text signs giving an instruction to 'Keep to the right hand side' or 'Use the pavement' etc.
However, the cyclist support team are there to guide and assist you. T hey are there to keep you safe so a simple plea; PLEASE FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS!!!

TR:

A huge amount of work has been put into setting up a slick and efficient operation at Tarrant Rushton.

When you arrive, you will be guided into the main hangar to check-in. There will be 4 sections split into surnames A-E, F-L, M-S and T-Z. You will be asked to complete the back of your runner number which will hold your medical details in case of an emergency and also to complete the registration form. Once done, you will then be issued with a simple pack which, amongst other things will contain a colour coded baggage label which you will need to tie onto your 'French' bag. These will then be placed in 'Glider' piles ready for loading onto the transport vehicle. We have done this as it is much easier to locate your bag within a pile of 31 instead of a pile of 200!

Half way stop: New Forest Hotel, Ashurst, New Forest (A35)

Tony and Jane are going to be providing you with Pasta, Tuna and Chicken as well as bananas and water. You will have the opportunity to change clothes and shoes/socks etc and take on a hot meal.

This is also a great opportunity to catch up with friends and relatives. Tell them to head down there for about 8pm. The pub are extending their menu with a Hog Roast and putting up a marquee in the garden to cater for all the extra guests. After a nice meal, your supporters will then have the chance to catch up with you before you set off again for the remaining 30 miles to Portsmouth. PLEASE TELL AS MANY PEOPLE AS YOU CAN TO GET DOWN THERE!!!! Tony and Jane are doing this all for practically nothing in support of Project 65 and we would like them to get a bit of business back from it.

Medical support:

There will be a team of men from Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) who will follow the running group at all times to ensure they are on hand to deal with any issues. They are carrying a HUGE amount of equipment and should be able to handle almost any situation. If you require emergency treatment, then the team will provide immediate care until an ambulance arrives.
The team consists of:

Capt Ray Bowden (team leader)
Capt Thomas Feeney
Capt Laurence Feeney

We also have Dr Iain Chalmers (The Silver Surfer) within the group who will be able to assist if required but only on UK soil.

There will be a spare ambulance driven by Mike Lusado which will also be with the group. This is a stunning WWII field ambulance!

Media:

Ed and the team at ONE have been really pushing the run and the media attention is really starting to build now. If you have ANY contacts at all, no matter how small or insignificant you feel they may be, please pass them to Ed. The more coverage we have, the more money we raise! (I would like to echo that; please give us a ring if you think you can help us, or email me - elo@oneismore.com - Ed)

That's about it ladies and gentlemen. I hope you are all ready, or as ready as you'll ever be! I look forward immensely to seeing you all at TR on the 4th June.

Stay well and keep fit!

Best wishes

Danny Greeno
Chairman