Update 08 May 2019:
March 14th 2020 has been provisionally selected as the date for the next event. Due to the tides, we may need to delay the start of all distances by 30 minutes, we have asked Fullers for confirmation that this date works for them, and whether they can berth at our normal time.
The process of selecting a date for our event each year is more complicated than most people might think.
For the 25K event, we need to drop competitors off at the Orapiu wharf by ferry, and we can only berth the ferry at the Orapiu wharf within 2 hours of high tide.
By checking the tide times for next year, we can see that March 7th is out, but March 14th is a possibility. We may have to delay the start of the 25K (and therefore all events) by 30 minutes to make that work, but it is a spring tide, so maybe not. We will have to check with Fullers360.
We also need to work in with our sister event, the Onetangi Beach Races which also has tide constraints – they need a low tide so that they can run their races on hard sand.
Then once the OBR has selected a date, we need to check what other events around the country are being held on or near our selected date, to see if we have a clash.
If March 14th does not work out, then the next possible date for us is March 28th and then April 11th.
The good news though is that there is a strong commitment to keep the Marathon for the 2020 event as it was very well received this year, with many of the competitors saying that although it was tough, it was the friendliest and most scenic marathon that they had ever done.