The Dark: 24 Hours Underground
Race Update
Hi |*FIRST_NAME*|,
Good morning to all the children of the night out there. Thank you for signing up for the DARK – we look forward to watching you run in circles just two weeks from now. OK, that's not really true, it isn't a circle, it's a straight line, back and forth.
You are registered in the following category: |*SUB_EVENT*|.
The event centres around three locations: our office, the Bellevue Underground Mine (BUM), and the Bellevue Seniors Hall. All of them are located on 213 Street in Bellevue. Here is a recap of the schedule:
Friday
- 6:00 p.m. - Early Check-in 6:00pm-8:00pm (Sinister Sports office; 2419 213 Street, Bellevue, AB)
Saturday
- 7:00 a.m. - Late check-in 7:00am-8:30am (Sinister Sports office; 2419 213 Street, Bellevue, AB)
- 8:45 a.m. - Race Briefing for First Start - at BUM
- 9:00 a.m. - Mass Start (24-hour, 6-hour shift)
- 3:00 p.m. - 6-hour Race Ends
- 4:00 p.m. - 6-hour Awards and late lunch (Bellevue Seniors' Hall; 2413 213 Street, Bellevue, AB)
- 7:00 p.m. - 12-hour Race check-in 7:00pm-8:45pm - at BUM (NEW!)
- 8:45 p.m. - Race Briefing for Second Start (12-hour shift) - at BUM 9:00 p.m. - Mass Start (12-hour shift)
Sunday
- 8:00 a.m. (after time change) - 12 and 24-Hour Shifts End
- 8:30 a.m. - 12 and 24-hour Category Brunch and Awards (Bellevue Seniors' Hall; 2413 213 Street, Bellevue, AB)
Daylight saving time ends on Sunday morning, so 24 and 12-hour runners will actually finish at 8:00am once the clocks go back. The race clock will still be on the correct time though.
In case you missed it, check out the details page and rules.
https://www.sinistersports.ca/thedark/#details
https://www.sinistersports.ca/thedark/rules_gear
https://www.sinistersports.ca/thedark/faq
Race Bibs + Timing
Your bib will be assigned next week. You must wear your bib at all times. It has a timing chip attached to it, so if you do not have it, you will not record your loops. Do not cut or fold the timing chip, or the chip will not work. The bibs are smaller at about 15x15cm.
We encourage everyone to count their laps the best they can. Timing a 24-hour event means there are lots of opportunities for things to go wrong, like a power outage, which would deactivate the system. If the system does stop recording... we will ask everyone to remember their lap count during that period, and then we will add it in at the end. I know, it sounds a bit hokey, but it's just a "what if" scenario. If we notice that your chip is not tracking, we will give you a new one.
We are also going to give you a small thumb clicker if you do not have your own system. This is just a backup. Note that the clicker sleeps after about 60 seconds, so you will need to click it twice at the end of your loop, unless you know it's awake. I already know that some of you will focus on it like a Tamagotchi back in the 90s.
Gear + Site Setup
You are welcome to keep a bag near the aid station in one of the tents, but be mindful that other racers need to sit and warm up in these tents as well. You are also welcome to run to your vehicle and grab stuff - just don't drive away without telling us. You can relax in the tents as much as you like, and the BBQs and fire bowls are all provided by our supporters at Outland Living.
There will be portables outside, which can get a bit frosty at night. We don't put heaters in them because it will turn them into a warm cauldron of poop stew.
We do have access to the mine building overnight, primarily for emergency use by our medics.
There will be two cargo trailers with heaters, cots, and blankets if you want to sleep for a bit.
Spectators
We encourage spectators to stay outside of the entrance, and not block the access. It gets crowded in there pretty quickly
Lighting
We love our Fenix headlamps, but we light up the mine really well. In this case, you are basically on a roadway facing oncoming traffic, so please do not wear a headlamp. It's blinding to see one of these bad boys coming at you over and over.
Food
For food, we will have a lot of snack items, but we also have soup, burgers, veggie burgers, pierogies, meatballs in sauce, hash brown patties (vegan), and waffles (vegetarian and gluten-free - not vegan).
No Food in the Mine
You can have water in the mine, but no food. People drop bits of food, and that attracts rodents. We also don't want any garbage showing up in the mine. So as soon as you enter through the big door, food is off limits.
Vehicle Idling
I know, it's tempting to sit in your vehicle and warm up with it running... but the exhaust tends to float down to the aid station and choke everyone who is sitting there. So please try and use the facilities we have. If people start to do this, and it is becoming an issue, we'll politely tap on your window and wake you up... wearing a werewolf mask or something.
Weather
The weather in the mine is pretty consistent: 100% humidity and around 2C to -1C. Outside, who knows how it will be two weeks from now? Fingers crossed for no wind!
We're looking forward to seeing everyone soon.
Kindest regards,
Brian Gallant
Owner + Director, Sinister Sports
Sinister 7 Ultra • Canadian Death Race • Black Spur Ultra • The Divide 200 • Castle Alpine Trail Race • The Dark: 24 Hours Underground
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