UPDATES/NEWS

**Update 06/07/21**

Our free training sessions are making a return! We will be running our first one at Hawley Lake on the 10th of July - Meet: 0945 Start: 1000. If you want to keep updated on these then follow us on Facebook for all the details.

**Update 17/06/21**

Entry for the next event at Hawley Lake in August is now open. Hopefully all restrictions will be relaxed by this date but we will adjust the plan accordingly if they are not. Options for half marathon, 10km and 5km available.

**Update 02/03/21**

Entry for the next 2 events is now open to golden ticket holders and those with outstanding entries from postponed events. Please check your email (sent on the 2nd of March) for instructions on how to enter. Entry will open to all entrants from the 15th of March. If you don't want to run at Pippingford or Holywell we hope to stage another 4 or 5 events later this year. As soon as the MOD allows we will be returning to some of our regular venues but are also working on some new ones!

**Update 28/02/21**

Having reviewed the latest government rules it is now clear that organised outdoor sport will be permitted from the 29th of March (as long as no further COVID issues arise). Social distancing will still be required in some form at events until the 21st of June (or possibly later) so we will have measures to support this. including staggered/wave starts.

In light of this we have scheduled 2 events - Pippingford Park for April and Holywell for May. Holywell was unavailable for our April date hence we are doing Pippingford first. More dates will follow for 2021 with hopefully a return to our usual venues. First dibs on spaces at these events will go to those of you who already have a pending entry with ourselves from 2020. We will then open up registration to everybody else after a set period of time and announce this on Facebook.

We are also changing our registration system and will now be using Racesignup. We have decided to reset Holywell entries to this will effectively be a blank slate for entering again. If you were previously entered then you will need to book in again using your event credit. You will be able so use any outstanding entries for either Holywell and/or Pippingford (or a later event in 2021). If you have any outstanding entries and/or were entered for Holywell you will receive an email over the course of the next week explaining what you need to do.

As has been the case over the last year or so there is still the possibility things could change, however we are feeling more confident regarding the exit plan that has been laid out. Our first event will not happen until stage two when shops and swimming pools can reopen. We will again offer the flexibility to move entries to any other event should this be required.

If you have any questions please either get in contact via the 'Contact Us' section of the website or via a DM on Facebook. Please don't reply to previous registration confirmation emails due to the change in system.

From all the Brutal team we would like to extend a huge thanks for your support and patience up until this point. We can't wait to get back out there and put on great events for you all!

**Update 22/02/21**

Following the latest announcements we will take some time to review these. Once we have considered their implications on our events we will provide an update on our plan moving forward. Please bear with us whilst we do this We hope to be able to put on an event as soon as the rules allow.

**Update 19/12/20**

After the PMs statement this evening we have had to take the decision to postpone the Holywell event planned for the 28th of December. Unfortunately a significant proportion of our core team and volunteers will find themselves in a tier 4 area from tomorrow morning not to mention those of you who are also impacted. Although the event location is still within tier 2 we could not provide a safe event to the high standards you are used to seeing from us without these important people.

Once again the virus has got the better of us. It is with massive regret that we have to do this. We really thought we were there this time with a great venue, a helpful landowner and covid rules in our favour. We do promise to keep trying and as soon as things look better we will go for it and see you all running around in the mud. Hopefully this will be some time towards the end of January. We will communicate the plans and admin details when we have some more clarity on likely restrictions for the new year. As before, if you find yourself unable to make any new date, we will give you the opportunity to run at any other event in 2021.

Until then please stay safe and look after yourselves. We will run again, fairly sure where but not so sure when!

**Update 27/11/20**

Following the relaxation of lockdown in December and the new rules allowing sport we are able to get back in action again. We have rescheduled the Holywell event planned for November to the 28th of December. More details to follow.....

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**Update 09/11/20**

The uncertainty continues and we are again in the position of having to put our events on hold once more due to the latest lockdown. We are determined not to give up as we all believe strongly in the positive benefits to people's physical health and mental well being that are brought about by sporting events. So what do we do……..?

We have come to realise that making firm plans is not perhaps the best way at the moment. Nobody knows what will happen and when things will change with any confidence. We had hoped the tiered system would give us some certainty. In the meantime we will make preparations behind the scenes so that we are ready to move quickly when restrictions are eased and events are allowed again. For example, if the lockdown ends as planned you may see us charging out of the trenches and getting Holywell back on in December. For all of you who have entered one of our events we will give you every opportunity to take part and move your entry where required.

However, much like everybody else, we don’t know what will happen! So in the meantime all we can do is bide our time and be ready to act when the circumstances allow. We urge you all to keep fit and active as best you can so you can be ready to run with us when the time comes. We hope that the wait will not be too long!

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**Update 19/10/20**

We have our first bit of good news for a while! We have secured a new venue to run a Brutal event. This is the Holywell Estate near Swanmore in Hampshire. For those of you who have an entry you have not been able to use as yet, you should have received an email providing a link for you to book onto this event if you so wish. Entry will open to everybody else from 1400 on Thursday 22nd October. We will be operating a rolling start and you will be required to book a 15 minute start window as part of your registration. We shall update you with more details as we progress our event plans and keep an eye on Facebook for some videos. We don't have enough time to source new medals for this event. We are currently considering whether to issue medals from our Eelmoor event instead of having none. Please let us know your views on this. We would rather they were given out than going to waste as they have the year 2020 printed on them.

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**Update 01/10/20**

Unfortunately we have now had to cancel the Alice Holt event for 2020 due to the restrictions imposed by Forestry England. We have not as yet been able to secure a new location but are still working on a couple of venues for the rest of 2020 should the MOD position also remain unchanged.  It looks increasingly likely the the planned Spider Hill will be moved to one of these new venues but this is not confirmed yet.

If you have sent us a message via the website or Facebook and not received a response yet ,this is because we are not certain on the response to your question at this stage and are waiting until we have some more clarity.

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**Update 28/08/20**

We have temporarily suspended entries for Alice Holt. Although we had permission on a local level for the event the Forestry Commision have introduced a national policy which restricts events of more than 30 people taking place. We await to see if this may change but are also investigating alternative venues for the event.

We shall provide a further update when we have had the chance to confirm whether the alternative options are possible. 

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**BRUTAL UPDATE 22/08/20**

It’s now just over a week since we had the bad news from the MOD about the use of their areas. We would like to thank all of you who sent us your kind words of support on Facebook. Since then we have had the chance to digest some of the information and start making plans again. At this stage there is nothing to report as conversations are still ongoing but we wanted to give you an update on what we are doing and your options at this moment in time.

We have reached out to local MPs for some support to see whether they are able to help influence the decisions made by the MOD. Our main point being this decision doesn’t align with the government line of relaxing restrictions and getting back to work.

In addition to this we are exploring the options available to us at some non MOD locations to see if we can put something on elsewhere. We are waiting to hear back from the landowners on these but feel like this might be the best option in the short term. At this stage we suspect events on MOD land are unlikely for a couple of months. Due to this we have currently ruled out holding our rescheduled Pyestock event in September and Eelmoor in October. We are holding out hope for Spider Hill in November and more so for Longmoor in December which we currently have bookings for. At the same time we shall make alternative plans should this not be possible.

At the end of October we currently have Alice Holt scheduled to go ahead. They have said they are welcoming us back but we will seek assurances from them on this before going full steam ahead.

For those of you who had entered Hawley Lake, Pyestock or Eelmoor we are moving all entries through to the Longmoor event on the 28th of December by default . You are welcome to use your entry at the Alice Holt event if you prefer or any event that takes place in 2020. On the same note to offer the greatest flexibility we will give people the opportunity to transfer to any of our 2021 events. We currently have a full schedule planned for 2021 with the following provisional dates:

• 23 Jan - Bagshot
• 27 Feb - Bordon
• 17 Apr - Eelmoor
• 12 Jun - Pyestock
• 14 Aug - Hawley Lake
• 23 Oct - Alice Holt
• 20 Nov - Spider Hill
• 28 Dec - Longmoor

If you would like to get your hands on any t-shirts/vests you have ordered prior to the next event then please get in touch and we can arrange to post this to you.

In short though the summary is we are still planning and working on things so bear with us. We would suggest that you sit tight for the moment until there is some further news. If you already know you can’t do Longmoor in December then you can withdraw from the event online as per the instructions on the FAQ page of the website. Further to this if you would like to move your credit to 2021 then email us with your deferral code. We are moving entry systems for 2021 and will need to transfer this over to the new system when it is live.

Once again thank you to you all for your support. We are working hard to get events back on for you as soon as possible!

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As with everyone we are still to some degree at the mercy of the virus and the government.  Should the event not be possible we will allow you to move your booking to another Brutal event in 2020/21.

T-Shirts - If you would still like to get hold of some Brutal merchandise then you can email Colin on dicksonc44@hotmail.com to let him know what you want. Costs of T-Shirts/Vests are £12 plus £2 p&p and we shall put some more information about these on the webpage when time allows. They are also available to order as part of the entry process and may also be available on the day.