Half Marathon Events

Where is it? Sence Valley Forestry Park is a Forestry England site with a café and toilets near Ibstock, Leicestershire. Use the post code LE67 6NW for Sat Navs . It is here  on What 3 Words. You do have to pay to park, it costs between £2.20 and £4.50 (correct at time of writing).  That said, be a hero and car share, save money and the world! It is 11 minutes from Ashby-De-La-Zouch and 12 minutes from Junction 22 of the M1. The closest train station is Loughborough. What’s a 6 hour event? I’ve made a short video here to try to explain a little. It is an event that enables all abilities of runner to run together (or hike/walk!). Ultimately you can run as many 5k laps as you wish in the time limit. You can run one lap in 20 minutes, pick up your medal and Big Bear drink and go home! Alternatively you can head out on your 15th lap at 14:55 and finish in 6:30 having covered over 50 miles! It’s completely up to you. There is no pressure from us, but we’ll also see if you want one more lap! The format is great for people looking to run further than they’ve ever done before, do a long training run for future events or to enjoy a sociable event with your friends. Can I run with my dog? Yes!! We’ve had great success at events with canicross and we’re pleased to add this event too. You must keep your leads short and be considerate of the other runners. We’ll start the canicross runners off with the main field. If your dog won’t respond well to this consider starting a few minutes later or don’t bring your dog. It’s important that the dogs, you and the other runners have a pleasent day! Please read our general canicross rules here. Please make sure you enter the canicross specific race when you click on the enter button above. Course description The route takes in all of Sence Valley Forest Park, an old mine. As with many of these old mines there are a few chunky climbs! the course starts with a long downhill and goes around the pools at the bottom of the park. It then climbs out the back of the park through the young trees and you will run down the middle of the pine forest. The lap finishes by returning up the hill you started coming down. Underfoot it is mainly crushed stone paths of varying degradation. There are sections that are on grass - depending on how wet it has been these may be slippy and muddy. We’ll know more closer to the time but be prepared for this to be a trail shoes course. Unaffiliated entrants pay £2 extra. Why not join your local running club or sign up the Big Bear Brigade and save 10% off entries for ever! How far is the race? You decide! The 3.3-mile off-road loop means your race can be 5k or even over 80K and anywhere in between. You decide how many laps you're going to do on the day within the 6-hour time limit. If you're looking to cover a marathon distance you'll need to complete 8 laps and a half marathon will be 4 laps, anything 9 laps and over is an ultramarathon! Do I have to raise money or run for charity? No… BUT! We have a great partnership with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity. They provide specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children. There are currently over 200 Roald Dahl Nurses caring for more than 40,000 seriously ill children. During the sign up process you can opt to set up a Just Giving page to raise money for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity or to make a small donation alongside your entry fee - 100% of that goes straight to the charity to help with their amazing work. We want to help them towards making sure every seriously ill child has a Roald Dahl Nurse. If you want to find out a little more about our partnership click here. Has the event been run before? Yes but… not since 2019! The course will be slightly different as some of the course wasn’t event owned by Forestry England when we were last there! You can view previous results and the course records here. I’m unsure what to expect at a 6 hour event? We’ve made some videos to try and help newcomers understand Big Bear Events and 6 hour events a little more here. We’ve got lots of videos on our You Tube channel that might help you see what we’re all about!. I’ve heard you do nice medals. What will it look like? Once it’s in our hands we’ll share the design with you! (You’ll love it though!) I’m not that fussed by a medal… In that case our partnership with Earth Runs will be perfect! Rather than give you a medal you don’t really want (and to help reduce waste) we’ll give you a Big Bear Tree Token. Not only will a tree be planted for each token given out but the token is also full of wildflower seeds for you to grow at home! Is there a gpx of the route? The route gpx can be found here or visit plotaroute.com here. The route may be subject to last minute changes and there will be plenty of markings up on race day so you do not need to have this - but I know some of you like to anyway! Is this event suitable for Rucking? Definitely! Read all about how we do rucking here (or if you’ve no idea what rucking is find out here too!) I really want to take part in the event but the day isn’t convenient for me! What can I do? We’ve partnered with our friends at Skamper to offer On-demand events! It’s not quite the same as being there on the day but it’s the next best thing! Using the Skamper app you can be directed around the route on a day of your choosing. When you sign up we’ll send you the medal in the post that was given out on the day of the event. This way when you finish you’ll be able to claim the medal you’ve earned for the run straight away! Why not load your car boot with snacks and goodies, get some mates to join you and have your own Big Bear event! Full details on our Big Bear On-Demand events is here. I still have questions… Then why not join our Big Bear Events Facebook group and ask our ever so experienced runners in there or email us directly here. We want you to enter with the confidence you’ll have a great (if not tiring!) day so are happy to answer any question we’ve not covered off here.

PHOENIX Running is inviting you to join us for one of our Jubilee River Runs at our lovely Jubilee River route - the area is just stunning. The route is flat and wide, as you leave the Riverside Centre with Slough behind you, you enter the countryside and follow the crushed stone path with the river Jubilee on one side and fields to the other, on reaching Dorney wetlands you turn back enjoying views towards Windsor Castle. This is one of our 6 hour timed events where you choose - you can complete as many, or as few, laps as you like of a 5.24 mile, out and back, course along the beautiful Jubilee river. We welcome all abilities of runner - complete one lap and you're both a finisher and a winner in our eyes, or keep going and see how far you can get in the full 6 hour time limit and everyone gets the fabulous bespoke finishers' medal. Not sure? Well the beauty of this format is that you don't even need to decide in advance - simply come and run a lap and see how you feel on the day and keep on going if it feels right. Places will be strictly limited so don't leave it too late to enter. Minimum distance is 5.24 miles or as far as you can go in 6 hours. Off road trail, the terrain is riverside towpath. The overall course has no elevation gain / loss making this a flat and fast route.

There is a great history behind the Loch Rannoch Marathon, going back to the 1980's when it was the course of the Scottish Championships. Run Nation revived the race in 2015 and it has re-established itself on the bucket list for marathon runners in the UK. Take in the scenery and backdrop on the north and south shore of Loch Rannoch by running this event in 2026 10km 10th October 2026 @ 10:00am Half Marathon 11th October 2026 @ 9:30am Marathon 11th October 2026 @ 9:30am Chip Timing will be used on this accurately measured route. All finishers will receive a great Rannoch medal and finishers pack

This popular half marathon road race is situated in the historic village of Bamburgh, with its Castle used as a stunning back drop. The course consists of a loop of closed roads between the Bamburgh/North Sunderland - slightly undulating with lots of flat sections in the beautiful Northumberland countryside, with some views out to the Farne Islands and Holy Island and the North Sea. An epic race with a medal and t-shirt when you finish

Join us on Saturday 24th October for the Chatelherault Trail Event, set within the stunning surroundings of Chatelherault Country Park. With its historic estate, woodland trails and dramatic river views, Chatelherault provides a spectacular setting for an unforgettable autumn run. This trail event takes runners off the paths and into nature, combining flowing woodland trails with varied terrain and gentle climbs that reward effort with beautiful scenery. Perfect for experienced trail runners and those new to off-road racing alike, the course offers a challenging yet accessible route through one of Scotland’s most scenic parks. Expect excellent organisation, clear course marking and a friendly trail-running atmosphere throughout. Whether you’re chasing a late-season challenge or simply enjoying the colours of autumn underfoot, the Chatelherault Trail Event is a must for anyone who loves running in the great outdoors.

The race starts and finishes at Dorney Lake, Off Court Lane, Windsor, Berks, SL4 6QP. Make sure you don’t miss this opportunity of running a Half Marathon in one of The London 2012 olympic venues. The Windsor Lakeside Half Marathon is traffic free and run inside this most scenic and historic grounds. The race start is 09:30 and is very accessible by car and public transport. There is Free Car Parking at the venue next to the start area. The race will have a great vibe and well supported by some local organisations and charities. This year in celebration of 70 years of the NHS and the contribution it has made to the health of the nation, we are encouraging runners to support Kingston Hospital Charity, which raises vital extra funds for Kingston Hospital. Further information is provided as part of the event registration process. The course is Traffic-Free and flat. All runners will receive a MEDAL for finishing as well as loads of goodies at the finish including water, juices, fruit and a chocolate bar! We use the latest Chip Timing technology so you will get an accurate finishing time. The results are posted as soon as you cross the finish line! We will have a free baggage drop facility for you to use. This area will be cordoned off but we do advise against storing any valuables as we can’t be held responsible.