Runner’s World UK – September 2019

094 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019

THE START LIST

Our selection of the best, fastest,

toughest, quirkiest and most

enjoyable UK races this month

Causeway Coast Marathon

Game of Thrones was a superb

showcase for the beauty of Northern

Ireland. It’s still relatively uncrowded,

too – except, of course, at the Giant’s

Causeway, which you’ll pass twice on

this out-and-back route. As is often the

case with runs featuring great scenery,

there are plenty of big climbs. The

marathon starts and ends within a

kilometre of Bushmills, home of the

world-renowned whiskey – that’s the

postrace celebration sorted, then.

Portballintrae, Co. Antrim, September 28,

26extreme.com

Conquer Crystal Palace

There aren’t many races that give you

close-up views of an ichthyosaurus,

megalosaurus, iguanodon and other

dinosaurs. The amazing (though not

amazingly accurate) sculptures have

been in Crystal Palace park since the

mid-1850s. A 5K lap can be repeated

up to four-and-a-bit times to complete

a 5K, 10K, 15km or half marathon,

and there are a few sneaky climbs

to contend with along the way.

London, September 7, thefixevents.com

NATURE CALLS

Dog Jog Maidstone 5K

Generally speaking, dogs love to run,

but they can’t just take to the roads

anytime they want. That’s where Dog

Jog comes in. The runs aren’t timed

and there are no cut-off times, so it’s a

great opportunity for [insert ridiculous

name here] to hang out in Maidstone’s

beautiful Mote Park. It’s life-affirming

to see happy, well-exercised dogs and

that’s what Dog Jog is all about.

Maidstone, Kent, September 14,

dogjog.co.uk

Farnham Pilgrim Marathon

When pilgrims are involved, you can

be assured that whatever is coming

up is not going to be a walk in the

park. This route partially follows

the Pilgrim’s Way, which starts in

Winchester and ends in Canterbury.

It’s mostly offroad in the Surrey Hills

between Farnham and Guildford,

so the pain of the ascents will be

compensated to some degree by the

beautiful countryside. For this tenth

year of the race, the course is being

run in the opposite direction and the

race is being called a nohtaram.

Farnham, Surrey, September 8,

farnhampilgrim.org.uk

BATTLE CRY

The BBB10K

Here’s an event that will also allow

you to brush up on one of the most

significant events in British history.

This race ends at Battle Abbey, which

is where the Battle of Hastings took

place in 1066. The town of Battle

grew up around the abbey, which

was built by the victorious William

the Conqueror on the order of Pope

Alexander II to commemorate the

Rat Race Man v Mountain

There are many obstacles in this race, but they are mostly

provided by Mother Nature. The details are scant at

present, but jumping, swimming, ropes, scrambling

and running at least 22 miles (including to the peak of

Snowdon) will be involved. The Vertical Kilometre is one

of the obstacles; it involves 200m of ascent in just over a

kilometre and is just as wonderful/awful as it sounds.

Caernarfon, Gwynedd, September 7, ratracemanvsmountain.co.uk

POLL

Would you pay

slightly more for

adequate toilet

numbers at races?

(^) 47%
For the love of
God, yes!
35%
Maybe – depends
how much.
18%
No, I’m happy to, er,
improvise.*
Nuclear Blast
If you’re considering this one, be prepared to get extraordinarily muddy and wet
to the marrow. And leave your dignity at home. You can do as many laps of the
5K course as you want in two hours and there are over 30 obstacles to negotiate

• teamwork is recommended to complete the run. There’s also a night-time
  option (Blackout) if you’d rather not see what you’re diving face-first into, and
  there’s a kids’ course for the junior mud-lovers.
  Brentwood, Essex, September 7, nuclear-races.co.uk

MAKING A SPLASH