Wave Starts
Why have wave starts ?
The start line is approx 10m or a little wider, but within 10m of the start it narrows to about 2 metres wide (6 feet - enough for two horses to pass each other - which is why the track is named Six Foot Track). The track goes steeply downhill and is very rocky. About 400m further on it becomes a single track staircase for about 800m, causing everyone to come to a grinding halt and go slowly down the staircase. There is some delay here and often dangerous behaviour by a minority of runners. The wave starts are an attempt to minimise anguish and maximise safety for all runners. Due to use of chip timing all runners still receive their exact start to finish time and race times are adjusted for the runners to the first wave.
The wave start times and allocation of runners has been fine-tuned over the years such that last year it was pretty much perfect - no bottlenecks for each wave and fairly clear running all the way :
- Early Wave: 07:00
- Wave 1: 08:00
- Wave 2: 08:05
- Wave 3: 08:20
- Wave4: 08:35
Male runners over 60 years old and females over 50 years who wish to start at 7 am must select the Early Start option on the entry form, you cannot decide on the day. This gives the senior runners a crush free start and means that they will be nearing the finish around the same time as runners in later waves, hopefully spurring the seniors on to a sub 7-hour finish. All runners must still complete the event within 7 hours to be eligible for an award, however they generally have until 8hours before they attract the attention of the sweeper. Early starters will place as per their running time. Runners in the Early Start will be issued a race number with grey colouring.
Important Notes!
For some reason a lot of people invest a lot of time in building a case for starting in one wave instead of another, and we want to make the process as clear as possible (and reduce exceptions to a minimum).
- Virgin runners with an Ultra or Ironman qualifiers will be allocated to the most suitable wave.
- We are keen to encourage females to start in wave 1, up to approx 20% in total, and selection of runners will be on this basis.
- Six footers who have their buckle (at least 6 finishes under the cutoff) can start in any wave 2,3,4 regardless of time restrictions.
- Anyone who qualifies for a certain wave (eg Wave 2) is able to select a start in a later wave (eg Wave 3 or Wave 4) and be guaranteed that wave.
- Runners who elect to start in the early wave, but are too young, will be put into wave 4 as a penalty for not reading the guidelines.
- Runners who have completed 24 Six Foot Tracks under the 7hr cutoff can elect to start in any wave and will be guaranteed a position, regardless of any other qualifying conditions.
- Although we try to follow these rules to make it fair for everyone, sometimes people don't get what they feel they deserve or would like, sorry.
- If you don't get to run in the wave requested, let your results speak out for you and qualify for next year.
- Because wave allocation is based on entered runners, waves and race numbers are not finalised until very close to race day.
Guidelines
| Wave | Start time | How many runners in this wave | Previous Six Foot Runner Eligibility | Virgin Runner Eligibility |
| Early Wave | 7:00:00 | All who request/qualify. | Males 60yr+ and Females 50yr+ can request to start in this wave, but it is not mandatory ie can start in another wave if they prefer/qualify. | Males 60yr + and Females 50yr + can request to start in this wave, but it is not mandatory ie can start in another wave if they prefer/qualify. |
| Wave 1 | 8:00:00 | Maximum 100 | Previous Sixfoot runners: Allocation to this wave is dependent on how many other previous Six Foot Runners re-apply this year, but as a general guideline Males with a sub 4:31 six foot in last 4yrs or Females with a sub 4:55 six foot in last 4 yrs will likely be allocated this wave, but its not a guarantee. | Marathon in less than 3hrs 00mins (male) or 3hrs 15mins (female) in last 3yrs. |
| Wave 2 | 8:05:00 | (Wave 2 + Wave 3 + Wave 4) / 3 | Previous Sixfoot runners: Allocation to this wave is dependent on how many other previous Six Foot Runners re-apply this year, but as a general guideline runners with a sub 5:31 six foot in last 4yrs will likely be allocated this wave, but its not a guarantee. | Marathon in less than 3hrs 30mins in last 3yrs. |
| Wave 3 | 8:20:00 | (Wave 2 + Wave 3 + Wave 4) / 3 | Previous Sixfoot runners: Allocation to this wave is dependent on how many other previous Six Foot Runners re-apply this year, but as a general guideline runners with a Sub-6:10 six foot in last 4yrs will likely be allocated this wave, but its not a guarantee. | Marathon in less than 3hrs 50mins in last 3yrs. |
| Wave 4 | 8:35:00 | (Wave 2 + Wave 3 + Wave 4) / 3 | Previous Sixfoot runners with a best time slower than 6:10 in last 4yrs or previous runners with no finish time in the last 4yrs or Anyone who requests this wave. | Marathon in slower than 3hrs 50mins in last 3yrs, or anyone with a less-than-marathon-distance-qualifier or Anyone who requests this wave. |