Rules
of Engagement.
Registration

Fee

The organization of Mare Nostrum asks a registration fee of 299 euros per person and it’s required to have at least 2 participants subscribing to a stage. This fee (barely) covers the cost for the creation of the book and the presence of the dedicated crew that supports you during your Stage and the photographer that will capture your journey. The fee includes both acces to a folder of majestic pictures from you and your stage and one book per stage delivered to your doorstep the moment the book with your Stage is printed.

The Fee is not refundable. Committing on a Stage includes the responsibility you, or someone you know will run the Stage. In order to continue our Journey with positivity, we need this commitment. Upon demand you can postpone your Stage, but this is not a certainty and the organization can give your stage to other runners, without reimbursing your subscription fee. Please contact the organization in case you can’t make it to the startpoint.

During The Stage - Running

Goal

The ultimate goal of this journey is to create something magical together. Please be aware that the whole journey is a chain of stages of 100km ran by different teams of different backgrounds. Follow the Coast is not a race, but a relay and it is critical that the timing per stage is respected.

Supply

We will follow the runners with a motorized vehicle allowing us to get close to the route and follow the runners where possible. This should allow you to be supplied by food and water as many times as necessary during your route. We foresee basic supplies (water, waffles, bananas..) yet we expect you to hand us over needed supplies at the beginning of the Stage.

Plan your route

The total coastline we will run is about 100.000km which is the reason the Follow the Coast organization will only provide you with your starting position and ending position and a clear description of both, in addition to an allocation to a specific date. The route upfront and roadbook of your Stage is for you and your team to prepare. There are 3 main documents to help you plan: The List of Stages, The Map of Stages and The Shore Inventory

Follow the Coast

As our goal is to follow and to map the outlines of the European coast we will follow certain rules of engagement.

  • We will not take boats to cross waterways and we will always aim to run as close to the coast as possible.
  • The most common exception are the crossing of harbors where runners are not allowed to enter industrial zones and can just follow the public roads to cross the harbor.
  • Third, when encountering peninsulas we advise everyone to follow the coast as close as possible and not skip them. Please be advised that we calculated these kilometers when setting up the roadmap. On the map we often encounter natural parks, little streams or small waterpools. Please be therefore prepared to wet your feet.
  • Bridges connecting islands are considered to include these islands as main land and bridges crossing rivers are also considered as ‘coast’. Therefore it is possible that either islands - not connected to the main lands will be included or that lakes or fjords will not be ran entirely when a bridge connects both sides of the river.

Track Length

The track we have outlined is an approximation of the actual track you will be able to run. It is very possible that the total distance you will actually run or travel will be lower or higher than the 100km we estimated per Stage. To preserve the sequence and the scheduled Stages of others we will respect the outlined track in the map you will receive as close as possible. Be prepared to have a margin of error in the Stage you will be taken. The Follow the Coast organization cannot be held accountable for differences between the actual track length and the estimated track length.

Inclusion or Exclusion

The Follow the Coast holds the right to include or exclude parts of shore. In general bridges are considered as connection medium between land but in very specific cases (if the bridge is too long and will exclude a significant part of land) the bridge will not be the connecting medium. In general tunnels will not be taken to connect islands to the track but if the island is an Extremity (eg. Nordkapp) the Follow the Coast holds the right to include this island to the track.

Disclaimer

The Follow the Coast organization is not responsible for any accidents that may occur during the event, nor is it responsible for any support in the form of medical assistance or the provision of food or other forms of assistance.

During The Stage - Photos

Goal

We travel the coast to co-achieve, co-inspire and co-create. Together we will create a 'visual guide along the European coast' and your footsteps will write many pages. During your Stage we will take high quality pictures featuring you and the scenery.

Professional Photographer

Apart from the crew supplying you with food we have a professional photographer following you full time contracted during your Stage only for you and the Follow the Coast project.

Prints

Including in the price is the digital access to our watermarked pictures. We can offer you the ability to print out on large format 80 x 100 or 100 x 150.

The Start & Handover

Goal

A team will finish where the next one will start. Like this we create a perfect relay around the coast. Every start defined by the when (7am) and the where (coordinates and place description)

Should the Finishing Team be delayed by unforeseen circumstances - such as weather or injury - it is the duty of the Finishing Team to inform the Starting Team and the Follow the Coast organization - via info@runthemarenostrum.com - of their delay with an estimated time of arrival. The Live Tracker will also enable all participants to see real-time data. The Buffer Stages - 1 per 10 stages - will be used to absorb potential time delays.

Location Description & Coordinates

Per stage there will be a clear description and coordinates of the EXACT starting location.

Finishing Early

It is possible and very probably that the Finishing Team will not finish exactly at 7am next day. In this case it is MANDATORY for the team (minimum the Main Shoreholder) to hand over the items between 6.30am and 7am. At 7am exactly there has to be physical contact between Main Shoreholders of both teams by the ceremonial handover of the Token. We understand practical implications are not easy because it means potentially the Main Shoreholder has to come back to the location but we feel this is critical to the values and operations of the Follow the Coast. It is not allowed to hide or place the items to hand over on a location without being present.

Contact between teams

The Main Shoreholder of the Finishing Team will be provided with the contact details (number, email ..) of the Main Shoreholder of the Starting Team. In addition the Running Team will carry the Tracker which will give the supporters and the Starting Team the possibility to have real-time information on whereabouts.