Coastrek FAQ's

How should I prepare for Coastrek?
Enter online at www.Coastrek.com.au  and then start recruiting your team, fast! Start training by walking along suburban coastal and bush tracks, gradually working your way up from 5 k to 50k, with weekly or fortnightly long walks. More detailed information will be available on the Coastrek website once you’ve entered.

What should I wear?
Wear shorts & a light weight wicking t shirt with a cotton long sleeved shirt over top, hat, trail runners and good quality socks. If it’s hot, keep a wet bandana around your neck and soak every 30 mins if temperatures over 25 degrees. 

If it’s cool, wear light long sleeved wicking shirt to wick sweat away from body. Carry a light rain coat at all times.

Is there compulsory gear to carry?
Fluro vests are compulsory when crossing or walking along roads at night.

All trekkers must carry a mobile phone. Please ensure that within the team, two of your mobile phones are on two different networks with full battery charge. Please save all emergency numbers in both phones prior to the event and submit the phone numbers of the phones that you will be carrying on the day to the organisers at registration at the start of the event. In addition to contacting your support teams, you’ll need your mobile phones to check in at Event Headquarters as you pass through each unmanned check point so that your supporters and fans can monitor your progress.

Wicking shirts are recommended for all Coastrek participants. These shirts will wick sweat away from the body, keeping your as dry as possible during the event.

Wild Women On Top members are invited to wear Wild Women On Top Team shirts, which are available free of charge for those members who need one. Email admin@wildwomenontop.com to organize your complimentary shirt. 

What should I eat and drink in the lead up to the event?
You must hydrate well in the days leading up to the event. Aim to drink at least 4 litres of water per day in the preceding 3 days. You should also ensure that you eat a well balanced diet, low in fat, in the lead up to the event, so that your body is well supplied with carbohydrates and proteins for energy and repair during the event. You should practice your food and drink during training so that you know what works for you. IF you plan to run Coastrek, you’ll require different nutrition to trekkers so ensure you practice all aspects of the activity if you want to have a pleasant experience.

What food and drink should I take with me?
You should be self sufficient during the Trek, unless you plan to stop at cafes and take a leisurely pace on Coastrek. Our experience shows that if you stop too often for food and drink, you’ll take too long to finish and this will make the event much more difficult. Plan to carry enough food to cover hourly snacks to keep you topped up while you walk, then get additional supplies from your support team or at the halfway point, or at café’s along the way.

Ensure you drink at least one litre of water per hour during a hot day and 500ml per hour at night.

Gastrolyte is needed for electrolyte replacement NOT Gatorade! Ensure every team member drinks Gastrolyte throughout the event, especially during the day. (for more info see EATING FOR ENDURANCE EVENTS)

We recommend you carry at least 500 calories worth of food with you at all times and 2 litres of water.

-Snacks such as VITA WEETS, Mars Bars, Snakes, Salted peanuts, Bananas, muesli bars,  sandwiches, Fried Rice, Sustagen, Potato chips, fruit, scroggin, muffins, sport drinks, Gu, Peak Fuel etc all work well. However, each individual is slightly different so practicing your food during training is as important as practicing the route. This will allow you know what you’ll feel like during the event so you can ensure you have what you need at hand. Remember to re-hydrate when you’ve finished, especially if you’re training the following day.

What is the emergency procedure?
If a participant incurs an injury that prevents them from walking you must ring your support team to assist. If your support team cannot get to you because you’re in the bush, one team member must stay with that person while the other gets help. Once you’ve notified the support team of the incident, and they are on the way to assist, focus on making the injured person comfortable and reassuring them that help is on the way. Then please call the emergency contact number on the route map to notify the safety coordinator of the incident and to request any further assistance you may need. If the injury is serious, or by chance you are unable to contact your support crew or WWOT safety coordinator then please call 000.

NOTE: As with any such activity, there are hazards and risks associated with the Coastrek.  WWOT recommend that you have Ambulance cover in case of emergency during the event.

What happens if our team is reduced to only 2 members?
If this happens at night, for safety reasons, you and your team mate must wait at the next Check Point then link up with another team and travel with them for the remaining part of the trek or withdraw completely. If it happens during the day, you may continue to walk unless your team is reduced to one member, in which case you must link up with another team at the next check point.  If you’re in the first half of a relay team, your support team may pick you up and transport you to the 50k Check Point to meet the rest of the team so they can continue. In this case, you will not be eligible for official results but your team will be permitted to finish the event.

What should we do if we need to change a team member?
 If your team changes from when you register to when you start the actual event, don’t worry. This is a normal part of proceedings! All you need to do is fill in a Change of Team member form when you register on the day and ask your new team member to reimburse the withdrawing team member for the entry fee. We do not need to know the details of this until Event Day.

You CANNOT change team members once the Event has started. If a team member withdraws during the event, the rest of the team can continue, under the conditions outlined above.

Will the route be mainly on the roads or in the Bush?
The route will include many different types of terrain including bush tracks, stairs, grass, sand and roads. Maps will be available for participants online at www.Coastrek.com.au by 1^st December  so you can familiarize yourself with the route. However, if you wish to start training on the route immediately, simply walk along the coast anywhere from Palm Beach to Coogee, keeping the ocean on your left and walking out to every headland and exquisite view you can find. Some sections of the route are tidal and teams should carry appropriate footwear for ankle deep water crossings. We recommend boots with ankle support at night, and runners/trail runners for the bush and along the footpaths during the day. We recommend you or your support team carry an alternative pair of shoes to ensure you can make the right choice at the time. Changing shoes will greatly assist with blister prevention.

What is the procedure for going through the checkpoint?
There are three manned checkpoints. The start, the 50k mark, and the finish. However, you will be passing through an additional 10 unmanned checkpoints to ensure that you visit every stunning headland and interesting location the Coastrek has to offer. At these points, you will be required to register your presence by punching your Team Card with a unique punch mark, which will be located at the checkpoint. Each unmanned checkpoint will be marked by a bucket which will be attached to a post, fence, pole or other significant feature at the location marked on the map. You will also need to sms Coastrek Headquarters with your team and check point number at each unmanned checkpoint.  This will allow Coastrek officials to keep a record of your time so that we can notify your supporters online and also keep track of your time and how fast you are travelling.

Checkpoints will be located randomly throughout the event, and they will be clearly marked on the Event map to ensure that you cover the entire 100k. This check point map will be available from 5am on race day.

Where can our support crew meet us along the way?
You will be able to meet your support crew once in the first 50k, at the 50km Check Point, and once in the second 50k. However, your support crew may find opportunities to cheer you along when it is safe and appropriate to do so. Of course, this is an honesty approach and we will not be allocating volunteers to check on breaches of this rule. However, you should remember that each time you stop, you lose time which will make your Coastrek take longer. And if you do get caught breaching this rule, your team will be instantly disqualified.

Support Crew will only be able to meet you at other times/ locations in an emergency or when a team member is withdrawing. Teams should carry a day pack and be self sufficient for the duration of the event, topping up food and water as required en route. Water is your responsibility and is located at all surf clubs and several other locations along the route.

Does my team need to stick together at all times?
Yes. For morale and safety reasons, teams must start together, travel together and finish together.  Do not become separated during the event, and remember, you’re only as fast as your slowest walker, and they will walk faster at the front than at the back! Remember, Coastrek is a team event and the most successful teams are those that walk close together, encouraging each other all the way.

How can I raise money for The Fred Hollows Foundation?
As a Coastrek participant, you will be required to pledge a minimum of $400 per person for The Fred Hollows Foundation. But this is not as hard as you might think. You’ll be surprised at how generous your friends and family will be when they learn that you’re going to walk up to 100k to raise money for charity. You raise the money for The Fred Hollows Foundation by asking friends and family to sponsor you and donate online through the Everyday Hero website. Check out http://www.everydayhero.com.au/event/Coastrek10

Your team should create a mini web page to share with your family and friends and encourage them to get involved in your event.  They might even like to join you for some of the training just so they know how much of a challenge you’re setting yourself. You can also run a little event such as a movie night, a lingerie party, a dinner dance or a garage sale. Or you can ask your friends or business colleagues to sponsor you a little amount per kilometre, per section between checkpoints or for completing the 50 or 100km. By raising $400 per person, this represents restoring sight to 16 people!

One technique we’ve found that works really well is to invite your family, friends and work colleagues to join your team and trek the 50 or 100k with you. If they refuse and say that sounds too hard, ask them if they might like to donate some money instead. You only need 16 friends to give you $25 each and you’ve done it! This is truly awesome and life changing. For more information on how to fundraise, go to http://hollows.org.au . Thankyou for your support!

Can I start or finish at other times?
No. You must start at 6am Friday 5^th March and finish before 6pm Saturday 6^th March 2010. Cut off for the 50k mark is 18 hours.

Can we just walk the night 50k?
No. If your team only wants to walk 50k, you must do the first 50k, from Palm Beach to Balmoral, in under 18 hours. You can only walk the night 50k as part of a relay team.

What should we do with our rubbish?
The Wild Women on Top Sydney Coastrek subscribes to a “Leave No Trace” policy of bushwalking, which requires that all rubbish is taken out and trekkers leave only footprints.

Can the event be cancelled or postponed?
The Event will only be cancelled for reasons of force majeure, in which case no refunds will be provided. In the event of electrical storms, gale force winds or temperatures over 36 degrees, the Event will be postponed until 12-13 March. All teams will be notified and no refunds will be provided.

Can we have more or less participants in our team?
No. You must start with 4 for the 50 or 100k teams and 6 for the relay teams.

Can we get friends to join us on they way?
No. You may not have friends join you as they are not covered by our insurance and we cannot take any responsibility for their involvement. Get them to sponsor you and meet you at the end instead!

How do I get my friends to sponsor me to get to my fundraising target?
Using the Everyday Hero website, it’s really easy to fundraise for The Fred Hollows Foundation. The approach we find works best is as follows: First email ALL your friends inviting them to join you for the 50 or 100k trek. If they say yes, enter them with you. If they say no, invite them to sponsor you instead. Inform them that for $25 you can restore sight in a third world country which is completely life changing. Most people would much prefer to simply donate $25 online with their credit card, than trek 100k, so you’ll find that your friends are extremely generous and will be happy to support you.