Big Hike Rules 2025

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 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. 
  2. 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.
  3. Entry fees are 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).
  4. If we change your Event venue, time and/or date, 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.
  5. If we 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.   
  6. The Events are designed to be as close as possible in distance to a full marathon (26.2 miles), a half marathon (13.1 miles) and 10km respectively. 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. 
  7. Your place in the Event is personal to you and may not be transferred to anyone else without notifying us first, as it may cause problems of identification if medical assistance is required during the Event, for example.
  8. Your Big Hike entry pack (including t-shirt and back sign) will be issued to you by post from 1st April 2025 onwards. If you register for your Event before 1st April 2025, your pack should arrive no later than 1st May 2025. If you register for your Event after 1st April 2025 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 call us on 0300 123 1022* and we will issue a replacement pack which you may have to collect from a designated location on the day of your Event.  For 2025 you will not receive your hiking number in your Big Hike fundraising pack. These will be available to collect on the day from the Information tent where we will allocate you a chipped hiking number.
  9. If you register for an Event within 2 weeks of the Event date, your entry pack (including t-shirt and back sign) will not be sent to you in the post but will be available for you to collect from the Information Desk on the day of the Event.
  10. 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 underage, or is unable to provide proof of age when requested to do so by an Event official.
  11. Event entry will close when maximum participant capacity is reached, but no later than 2 days before the date of the Event. We are unable to accept any entries on the day of an Event.
  12. Only registered participants who have paid their entry fee (or had the fee paid for them) are eligible to take part in an Event.

Big Hike Full Marathon Participants

You 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 registered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over.
  • The primary entrant must be the young adult’s parent/legal guardian or have the permission of the young adult’s parent/legal guardian.

Big Hike Half Marathon Participants

You 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 registered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over.
  • The primary entrant must be the child or young adult’s parent/legal guardian or have the permission of the child or young adult’s parent/legal guardian.

In addition, children aged 14 and 15 must:

  • give contact details for their parent or legal guardian; and
  • remain in the presence of the primary entrant who is over the age of 18 for the duration of the event.

Big Hike 10k

You 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 registered as an additional entrant, where the primary entrant is 18 or over.
  • The primary entrant must be the child or young adult’s parent/legal guardian or have the permission of the child or young adult’s parent/legal guardian.

In addition, children between the ages of 12 and 15 must:

  • give contact details for their parent/legal guardian; and
  • remain 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.

2. If you wish to volunteer and you will be 16 or 17 years old on the day of your Event, you will need to:

  1. confirm that you have permission from your parent or legal guardian to volunteer;
  2. be accompanied by your parent or legal guardian on the day of the Event; and
  3. ensure that your accompanying parent or legal guardian has also registered as a volunteer for the same Event.

Access

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

2. 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 only, subject to any further guidelines or restrictions implemented for the health and safety of all participants and spectators. 

Arrival and start times for the Events

You will be given an arrival time in advance of your Event. Please note:

  • Please arrive 45 minutes before your arrival time to allow plenty of time to collect your Hiking number.  

  • 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 for an Event, you can only transfer to another Event with our permission. This is because we have strict capacity limits for each Event , 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 your place to a different Event, please call us 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.  If this affects your ability to take part in the Event you have registered for, you may request a refund.  Refund requests will be considered on a case by case basis, taking into consideration distance reduction, notice given and reasons for the alteration/reduction.

Conduct

1. You, and any supporters who accompany you at the Event, must abide by these Event Rules and any rules, instructions or regulations displayed or given on the day of the Event by CRUK, police and/or Event officials.

2. We respectfully ask that you, along with any supporters who accompany you at the Event, 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. Please note that spectators will not be permitted to walk the route with you. Everyone taking part in the Event must be a registered participant.

4. We respectfully ask you to be respectful of local residents whilst on the Event route and not to make any excessive noise.

5. We respectfully ask that you use the litter and recycling facilities available on the Event route or carry any litter with you until you can dispose of it responsibly.

6. Cancer Research UK opposes the promotion and use of tobacco in all its forms. You and anyone who accompanies you at the Event are therefore required to refrain from smoking tobacco products or using e-cigarettes at the Event.

7. We reserve the right to ask you and/or your supporters on the day to leave the Event if you 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. If you have not completed the Event route by this time but choose to continue, you do so at your own risk with the understanding that you 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 you absolve us of any and all responsibility and progress entirely at your own risk.

Health and Safety and Medical

1. You are responsible for ensuring that you are sufficiently fit and healthy to take part in the Event. If you are unsure of your physical ability to take part in the Event, you must seek medical advice from a General Practitioner prior to taking part. 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 you 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 you 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. You are responsible for ensuring that you 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. You must write the following information on the reverse of your hiker number, which must be worn on the front of shirts during the Event:

  • your 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 you during the safety briefing before you begin your Event and/or at the relevant support points. If you 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, you 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.

8. Should you leave the Event course or decide not to complete the route for any reason, you should notify the Event organisers on the day so we can account for your whereabouts.

Sponsorship Monies and Donations

  1. 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
  • £200 if taking part in the Big Hike 10k
  1. You have a legal responsibility to ensure that all sponsorship monies/donations received in connection with your Event are paid to CRUK. We ask that you do this as soon as possible after your Event. Money pledged via online fundraising pages is collected automatically. You can:

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 any sponsorship money on the day of the Event.

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 reasons:

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

2. No personal details (including names) of any under 16-year-old participants will be used in any publicity materials without the written consent of their parent or legal guardian, but we may use images where children are incidentally included e.g. on the starting line or 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 the child’s images to be used in the manner described in these Rules. 

4. 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. You can also call call 0300 123 1022* and we will try to accommodate your request as far as reasonably possible but cannot guarantee exclusion.

Chip timing

We appoint an independent third party chipped timing company to record and track your timing and location at your Event. 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 your full name, phone number and participant number to the chipped timing company to enable you receive a text with your finishing time at the end of your Event and for safety messaging if needed during the Event.

1. If you would prefer that we did not pass on your details, and/or 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 us on 0300 123 1022*.

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 limited or excluded by law.

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 main helpline number is 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 helpline may be monitored or recorded to allow us to maintain our standards