Big Hike Rules 2024

These rules (“the Rules”) apply to the following events (each an “Event” and together “the Events”): 

  • Big Hike Full Marathon 

  • Big Hike Half Marathon  

  • Big Hike 10K 

By registering for an Event you agree to comply with the Rules. Please check this page from time to time, as we may occasionally amend the Rules and any changes will be binding on all participants and supporters. 

If you have any questions, please contact Cancer Research UK on 0300 123 1022* and a member of our team will be happy to assist you. 

All of the Events are organised by Cancer Research UK Trading Limited (a company registered in England and Wales, registered office: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ, registered company number: 4355631), a trading company which Gift Aids its taxable profits to Cancer Research UK (a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666). the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247)).  

Where reference is made to “CRUK” in these Rules, it means both Cancer Research UK and Cancer Research UK Trading Limited. 

Each Event (including the route design and on-the-day Event management) will be delivered by a third-party provider, Hike Events Ltd (a company registered in England and Wales, registered office: 6 The Grove, Worcester WR3 7NZ, registered company number: 11886167) for Cancer Research UK 

Participant Entry 

  1. Entry fees for the Events are as set out on the Big Hike website at the time of purchase.  We may offer discounts or promotional offers from time to time. Promotional or corporate vouchers may also be used to cover all or some of the entry fee.  Entry fees contribute towards the costs of staging the Event.  

  1. Your Event place will not be confirmed until payment has been processed and you have received an email from us acknowledging that a place has been allocated to you at the relevant Event.  

  1. Unfortunately given the limited number of spaces for the Event, the entry fee is non-refundable unless we change the Event venue, time and/or date in a material way (subject to paragraph 4 below), or if we cancel the Event altogether (subject to paragraph 5 below). We ask that you let us know as soon as possible if you need or want to withdraw from your Event for any reason. 

  1. If we need to change the venue and/or date of your Event, we will notify you of this change as soon as possible. Your Event place will be automatically transferred to the re-scheduled Event unless you tell us you are no longer able to attend. In these circumstances you can either ask for a refund of your entry fee, or you can choose to donate this to Cancer Research UK. 

  1. If we need to cancel your Event, we will notify you of this cancellation as soon as possible, and you can either ask for a refund of your entry fee or you can choose to donate this to Cancer Research UK.    

  1. The Events are designed to be as close as possible to full marathon (26.2 miles), half marathon (13.1 miles) and 10k distance respectively. However sometimes, due to accessibility and venue practicalities, our final routes may be slightly over or slightly under these figures. The exact mileage and incline figures of each Event can be found on the relevant Event web page.  

  1. Entry places in the Event are personal to participants and you may not transfer your place to anyone else, as it may cause problems of identification in the event that medical assistance is required during the Event, for example. 

  1. Big Hike entry packs (including your t-shirt, hiker number and back sign) will be issued to registered participants by post from March 2024 onwards. If you register for your Event before March 2024, your pack should arrive no later than 1st May 2024. If you register for your Event after March 2024 but more than 2 weeks before the Event date, your pack should arrive no later than 1 month after your date of registration. If your Big Hike entry pack does not arrive within these timeframes, please feel free to call our team on 0300 123 1022* and we will advise you of the appropriate arrangements to either issue a replacement pack, or alternatively collect a replacement pack on the day. 

  1. If you register within 2 weeks of the Event date, please be aware that your entry pack (including t-shirt, hiker number and back sign) will be available to collect from the Information Desk on the day of the Event.  

  1. Each Event is subject to various age restrictions as set out below, which relate to the age of the participant on the day of the relevant Event. Participants must be able to provide proof of age on the day. We reserve the right to refuse entry to an Event, with no refund, to any participant who is under age, or is unable to provide proof of age when requested to do so by an Event official.  

  1. Entries to an Event will close when maximum participant capacity is reached, but no later than 3 days before the date of the Event. We are unable to accept any entries on the day of an Event. 

  1. Only registered participants who have paid their entry fee (or had the fee paid for them) are eligible to take part in the Events.  

Big Hike Full Marathon Participants  

Participants must be at least 16 years old on the day of the relevant Event to take part.    

Young adults aged 16 and 17: 

  • Cannot enter individually. 

  • Must be entered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over. 

  • The primary entrant must have the permission of the young adult’s parent or legal guardian.  

Big Hike Half Marathon Participants  

Participants must be at least 14 years old on the day of the relevant Event to take part. 

Children aged 14 and 15 and young adults aged 16 and 17 years old: 

  • Cannot enter individually. 

  • Must be entered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over. 

  • The primary entrant must have the permission of the young adult’s parent or legal guardian.  

Children aged 14 and 15, must give contact details for the parent or legal guardian, and must be in the presence of the primary entrant who is over the age of 18 for the duration of the event.  

Big Hike 10k 

Participants must be at least 12 years old on the day of the relevant Event to take part. 

Children between the ages of 12 and 15 years old inclusive and young adults aged 16 and 17: 

  • Cannot enter individually. 

  • Must be entered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over. 

  • The primary entrant must have the permission of the young adult’s parent or legal guardian. 

  • Children between the ages of 12 and 15, must give contact details for the parent or legal guardian and must be in the presence of the primary entrant who is over the age of 18 for the duration of the event. 

Volunteer Entry 

1. The Event is open to volunteers aged 16 or over on the day of the Event. If you wish to volunteer, you can do so here. If you are aged between 16 and 17 (inclusive), you will need to confirm that you have permission from your parent or legal guardian.  

2. If you are aged between 16 and 17 (inclusive) on the day of the Event, you will need to be accompanied on the day by a parent or guardian who has also registered as a volunteer in advance. You will not be able to volunteer if your parent/guardian is not with you on the day. 

Access 

1. Unfortunately, the Event courses are not suitable to wheelchair or mobility scooters so wheelchair users and mobility scooter users cannot take part in the Event. The health and safety of our participants is very important to us and we cannot guarantee that each type of wheelchair and mobility scooter will be able to manoeuvre the route. 

2. Unfortunately, no pets (except service dogs), baby strollers/prams or roller skates/blades, skateboards and/or scooters or any other item that we deem unsuitable or which could potentially inhibit or affect the safety of other participants and/or spectators are allowed on the Event course.  

3. Friends and family are welcome to accompany participants at designated areas at the start/finish area of the Event course, subject to any further guidelines or restrictions implemented for the health and safety of all participants and spectators. Due to capacity limitations, we also ask that supporters do not meet participants at the support points throughout the Event course. 

Arrival and start times for the Events  

For all Big Hike Events, you will have an allocated arrival time. On the day of your Event, please report to the event site as close to your arrival time as possible. You’ll have plenty of time to park, get a tea or coffee and use the restrooms – please don’t aim to arrive early. Please refer to your welcome email for details of your arrival time for your specific Event location.  

Upon arrival, you will be directed (or transferred) to the start area, where you will receive your safety briefing, before getting your Big Hike underway.   

Please note: 

  •  Please arrive as close to your arrival time as possible - do not aim to arrive early.  

  • Participants arriving much later than their allocated arrival time must abide by the instructions and decisions of the Event Manager; for health and safety reasons it is possible that latecomers will not be permitted to take part. 

  • Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee your exact start time, and there may be some waiting on the day. 

  • Arrival times may be subject to change. We will give you as much notice of this as possible, though unfortunately sometimes it may not be possible to do this until your arrival at the Event. 

Changes and Last Minute Arrangements 

1. Once you have registered you can only transfer to another Event with our permission. This is because we have strict capacity limits for each Event location, and for health and safety reasons we need to make sure that none of the Events exceed their individual capacity.  If you do wish to transfer to another Event location or distance, please contact CRUK on 0300 123 1022* and we will endeavour to support your request.  

2. We reserve the right to refuse entry to participants who try to take part in the wrong Event without prior approval (see rule 1 above), and no refund will be provided. 

3. We reserve the right to alter or reduce any Event course.  Refunds will be considered on a case by case basis, taking into consideration distance reduction, notice given and reasons for the alteration/reduction.  

Conduct 

1. All participants and supporters must abide by the Rules and any rules, instructions or regulations displayed or given on the day of the Event by CRUK, police and/or Event officials, including those relating to the health and safety of participants and supporters. 

2. We respectfully ask that all participants and their supporters do not use aggressive or abusive language towards our Event organisers, marshals, officials, volunteers and other participants. You should also avoid behaving in a way which may cause injury or harm to other participants and/or spectators, or which may cause offence or damage the reputation of CRUK. 

3. Spectators are not permitted to walk the route with participants. Everyone taking part in the Event must be a registered participant. 

4. We respectfully ask all participants, along with their supporters, to be respectful of local residents whilst out on the route and not to make any excessive noise. 

5. We respectfully ask that all participants and their supporters do not drop litter but instead use the litter and recycling facilities available within the venues and around the course or take litter home to dispose of responsibly.  

6. Cancer Research UK opposes the promotion and use of tobacco in all its forms. All participants and supporters are therefore required to refrain from smoking tobacco products or using e-cigarettes at the Event. 

7. We reserve the right to ask participants and supporters to leave the Event if they do not adhere to these Rules, and no refunds shall be given in these circumstances. 

Closure of Course and Finish Venue 

1. We reserve the right to shut down the Event course and close access to all our finish venues at each Event at 7.30pm on the day of the Event. 

2. Any participant who has not finished the Event by this time but chooses to continue does so at their own risk with the understanding that they are no longer considered a participant of the Event, and as such are not eligible for any Event resources (including but not limited to pit stops, suppliers, venues, refreshments, course direction/support, personnel etc), and that they absolve us of any and all responsibility and progress entirely at their own risk. 

Health and Safety and Medical 

1. Participants are responsible for ensuring that they are sufficiently fit and healthy to take part in the Event. Any participant unsure of their physical ability to take part in an Event must seek medical advice from a General Practitioner prior to the Event. 

2. Notwithstanding rule 1 above, we reserve the right to refuse entry to an Event in our absolute discretion, with no refund provided, if for whatever reason we consider a person unfit to take part. We may also ask you to withdraw during an Event if we have concerns about your ability to complete it due to fitness, injury or otherwise. If you choose to continue you do so with the understanding that you are no longer considered a participant of the Event and that you absolve us of all and any responsibility, and progress entirely at your own risk. 

3. The Event is a non-competitive walk, and participants are reminded that running is not allowed.  To manage the event effectively and to reduce the risk of injury, all personnel have been instructed not to permit runners to take part in the Event. If you do run on the day then you will not be considered an official participant of the Event, and as such you will not be eligible to use any Event resources (including but not limited to pit stops, suppliers, access to the finish venue, refreshments, course direction/support, personnel etc.). You understand that if you choose to run, you absolve us of any and all responsibility (as far as permitted by law), and that you progress entirely at your own risk. 

4. Participants are requested to wear suitable hiking shoes and dress appropriately for the weather conditions. Participants are responsible for ensuring that they are wearing appropriate attire (including footwear) when taking part in an Event, taking into account the nature of the Event, the weather forecast and the terrain involved.     

5. All participants must write the following on the reverse of their hiker number, which must be worn on the front of shirts during the Event: 

  • Their name 

  • details of any health problems or current medication 

  • the name and number of a person to contact in case of an emergency 

  • any other information you consider could be relevant in the event of a medical emergency 

6. In some situations (i.e. bad light/inclement weather), our event delivery team reserve the right to enforce cut off times to protect the health and safety of participants and staff. Any cut off times will be clearly communicated to participants during the safety briefing before you begin your Event and/or at the relevant support points. Where participants miss a support point cut off time, you will be provided with transport back to the start/finish venue. 

7. We take all reasonable steps to minimise the risk of injury to participants during fundraising events. There is a stringent risk assessment process in place for the Events, which aims to minimise or eliminate the risk to everyone taking part. By taking part in an Event, all participants acknowledge that there may be conditions or circumstances beyond our control that can lead to unforeseen risks. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact us on 0300 123 1022* before agreeing to take part in an Event. 

Sponsorship Monies and Donations 

  1. To help us beat cancer sooner, we ask each Event participant to try and raise at least the following amounts for CRUK: 

  • £300 if taking part in the Big Hike Full Marathon 

  • £250 if taking part in the Big Hike Half Marathon  

  • £150 if taking part in the Big Hike 10k 

  1. All participants have a legal responsibility to ensure that all sponsorship monies/donations received in connection with an Event are paid to CRUK. We ask that you do this as soon as possible after the Event. Money pledged via online fundraising pages is collected automatically. You can: 

  • Pay in your sponsorship money online with your credit or debit card at https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/get-involved/do-your-own-fundraising/return-your-money  

  • Call us on 0300 123 1022* and provide credit or debit card details to make a payment over the phone  

  • Send cheques made payable to "Cancer Research UK", stating “Cancer Research UK’s Big Hike” and your walking number or Unique Reference Number on the reverse of the cheque, to: 

Cancer Research UK 
PO Box 1561 
Oxford 
OX4 9GZ 

  1. Please ensure that all donations and/or sponsorship forms are filled out in full and returned to CRUK at the above address to enable us to claim Gift Aid where possible. 

  2. Please note that we are unable to accept your sponsorship money on the day of the Event as CRUK does not have the suitable cash handling facilities to fulfil this process. 

Use of your information 

1. When you register for an Event we collect personal data relating to you and anyone else that you register.  We will use this information for the purposes of organising, staging and administering the Event, including to send you your fundraising pack and additional information about fundraising. If you provide personal information on behalf of additional entrants, please only provide this if they have confirmed that they are happy for you to do so as we will use this information for the same purposes. 

2. Following your registration we will contact you with information about your Event, including to discuss ways to improve your fundraising and hints and tips to support your preparation for your Event. This may include information about how you can get hold of CRUK merchandise and offers from our partner organisations.  

3. In the case of an emergency, we may also pass personal details provided by you (either the information you provided when registering for the Event or from the details on the reverse of your Event number) to the emergency services or health care professionals, and also use them for the purposes of contacting your emergency contact.  

4. First aid facilities will be provided at the Event. If you are treated by medical providers, your details may be passed on to us only for health and safety purposes and in order to fulfil our legal obligations (including those under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013). All accident details will be securely held on the Cancer Research UK Accident Database in line with statutory requirements. 

5. Subject to the marketing preferences we hold for you, your personal information may also be used for the purposes of sending you communications where you have confirmed that you would like to receive further information about the charity’s work when registering for an Event.  

6. All personal data held by us will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and CRUK’s privacy statement which can be found here. 

Filming and Photography at the Events  

1. Please note that CRUK (or our authorised service providers and agents) or our commercial partners may film or photograph participants, volunteers and spectators taking part or attending the Event and use such footage or photographs for the following purposes: 

  • for CRUK to publicise the Event for commercial and/or fundraising purposes including, but not limited to, social media, television broadcasts, advertising, publications, marketing material, merchandising, and other documents that may be made available to the public; 

  • for our commercial partners to publicise their involvement and/or association with the Event. 

2. No personal details (including names or photographs) of anyone under the age of 16 will be used in the manner described above without the written consent of that child’s parent or legal guardian, but we may use images where children are incidentally included, for example, spectators at the start area.  

3. Subject to rule 2 above, please only register a participant under the age of 16 if the participant’s parent/legal guardian (as applicable) are happy for their images to be used in the manner described in these Rules.  

4. If you do not wish footage or photographs of you to be used in this way, please call 0300 123 1022*. We will try to accommodate your request as far as reasonably possible but cannot guarantee exclusion.  

Liability 

1. Use of the CRUK website is subject to our website terms and conditions. 

2. All participants, volunteers and spectators attend and enter an Event entirely at their own risk. CRUK shall not be liable for any injury, damage or loss to persons or their property that might occur as a result of their participation in or attendance at an Event other than in respect of any injury or loss arising as a result of our negligence. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this clause shall limit our liability for any other liability that cannot be restricted or excluded by law. 

Third Party Suppliers  

  1. We may appoint independent third party photographers to take photos at the Events.  Their service includes taking photos of participants at the Events and uploading them on their website, which is open to all members of the public, and upon payment, they can download photographs or receive prints.  We will pass on participants’ full names and walking numbers to the provider to enable participants to easily find their photos on the website. If you would prefer that we did not pass on your details, please call 0300 123 1022*. 

  2. If you do not wish to have your photograph taken or for your photos to be made available as described above, please tell the photographer on the day. 

  3. All third party photographers/videographers at the Events will be instructed to ask for parental/guardian permission before taking any individual photographs of children at the Event.  Whilst photographers/videographers will try to obtain parental/legal guardian’s consent before taking images where children are more than just incidentally included, this cannot be guaranteed.  This does not include photography of crowd shots, when permission will not be sought 

  4. We may appoint an independent third party chipped timing company to record and track participants’ timings and locations around the Events’ courses.  Their service includes uploading the chipped timing results on to CRUK’s website and/or the chipped timing company’s website which is open to all members of the public.  We will pass on participants’ full names, phone numbers and walking numbers to the chipped timing company to enable participants to receive their overall completion time and possibly motivational and/or safety messaging during the event If you would prefer that we did not pass on your details, please call 0300 123 1022*. 

  5. If you do not wish to have your finish time (and/or the child’s finish time in the case of parents/guardians of under 16s) displayed on the CRUK website and/or chipped timing company website, please call CRUK on 0300 123 1022*.  

Merchandise 

1. Stocks of our participant t-shirts and vests are limited. We will endeavour to meet every request, however in the event that the size requested is not available we will send an alternative size based on availability. 

2. All participants understand that any products distributed at the Event are subject to availability and may be withdrawn or substituted if necessary. We cannot be held responsible for any third party supplier supplying merchandise or other items on the day of the Event. 

* Our lines are open Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 6.00pm (except bank holidays) and Saturday & Sunday from 9.00am to 5.00pm. Please note that calls to our hotline may be monitored or recorded to allow us to maintain our standards of customer service.