094 RUNNERSWORLD.COM/UK SEPTEMBER 2019THE 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.comConquer 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.comNATURE CALLSDog 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.ukFarnham 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.ukBATTLE CRYThe 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 theRat 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.ukPOLLWould 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