THE START LIST
Our selection of the best, fastest, toughest, quirkiest and most enjoyable UK races this month
Dartmoor Way 100
Okehampton, Devon, 5 November
Visitors to Dartmoor come away with at least four impressions of the place: it’s big, hilly, often rainy and very beautiful. You’ll be left in no doubt about these four elements after this event. It’s a mighty circumnavigation of the area (more like 105 miles), with around 4,000m of elevation through picturesque little villages, forests, country roads, hills, bogs, rocky hills, hilly bogs and just about every other type of terrain you can conceive of.
dartmoor100.com
Chalkland Way Ultra
Pocklington, Yorkshire, 5 November
The organisers of this ultra have worked hard to make it a welcoming space for everyone. The 14-hour cut-off is generous for the 43-mile distance and providing gluten-free vegan food means everyone gets something to eat at the four checkpoints. These efforts have paid off: 25% of participants are first-time ultrarunners, and there’s a near 50/50 split between male and female runners.
ultratrails.co.uk
Cornish Marathon
Pensilva, Cornwall, 6 November
There’s a point in every marathon when life starts to feel hard. In this road race, it could arrive surprisingly early. After around eight miles, a horrendously steep uphill section begins and it continues for a few miles more.
But there’s a reason the Cornish Marathon is approaching its 40th year: the scenery is gorgeous.
eastcornwallharriers.com
Marlow Half Marathon and 7-Mile
Marlow, Buckinghamshire, 6 November
There are few things in life as pleasing as a run on quiet countryside lanes – which is something the organisers of these two races know all too well. Both distances quickly leave Marlow and head into the Chilterns via Marlow Common. There are some steep inclines to tackle, so don’t be taken in by the lovely surroundings.
marlowstriders.co.uk
Bath Hilly Half & Ultra 10K
Lansdown, Somerset, 13 November
Forget any thoughts of PBs on this tough countryside run, and instead get your thrills from the West Country scenery. Take on either the half (two laps) or what the organisers call an ‘ultra 10K’, which is one lap of the hilly route, clocking in at 12.45km. In addition to hills and tough terrain, there will be obstacles in the form of stiles and kissing gates.
trionium.com
Knockfarrel Hill Race
Strathpeffer, Cromartyshire, 5 November
There’s a place in the world for big, loud city-centre races and there’s a place in the world for quiet, small events in which you simply run up a mountain and back down again – and that is why our sport is so wonderful. This event falls into the latter category. It’s an 8km lung-buster up Knockfarrel from Strathpeffer, offering 280m of climb, but also a visit to the top of Cnoc Mór along the way.
highlandhillrunners.org.uk
Rutland Night 10K
Normanton, Rutland, 11/12 November
Normanton Church was to be demolished as part of the creation of the Rutland reservoir, but was preserved after protests from locals. Now it’s a local landmark, jutting out into Rutland Water. It’s pretty at the best of times, but for these traffic-free 10K events on consecutive evenings, it will be brightly lit and lovelier than ever. The whole route along the water will be illuminated, promising a beautiful and relaxing run open to all abilities.
therutlandmarathon.co.uk
Sidmouth 10K
Sidford, Devon, 6 November
It would have been so easy for the organisers of this race to avoid hills, but they went for it. The route starts in Sidford and heads to Sidmouth, then veers west along the coast for just under a kilometre before heading back to the start. All of this is relatively flat… aside from the double detour into some very hilly side streets on both the out and back legs. But that’s why we’re here, isn’t it? To challenge ourselves? To run up hills that we don’t need to run up? Of course it is.
lmevents.org.uk
Double Gloucester Run
Gloucester, Gloucestershire, 13 November
In some races, you wonder if you’ll make it to the finish. With this one, the question is whether you’ll make it past the start. The obstacle in question is the big hill those cheese-loving loons gallop down in pursuit of a runaway round of Double Gloucester cheese, carrying on a tradition thought to date back 600 years. Once you get to the top, the biggest challenge is behind you, but there still remain 9km of hilly terrain to conquer. With no time-cut off, this is a good event for walkers and runners alike.
trimaxevents.com
Save the Rhino run
Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, 19 November
Chris Green really likes rhinoceroses. He goes by the moniker ‘Rhino Boy’. He runs marathons dressed as a rhino (in an outfit that looks about as heavy as the real thing). He’s written a children’s book about rhinos. To hear about him is to be infected with his burning passion to save the rhinos, so get yourself along to this event to support his tireless efforts. You’ll have seven hours to run as many laps of a 7km circuit as you want – rhino costume optional.
saturnrunning.co.uk
Falkirk Half Marathon
Falkirk, Stirlingshire, 20 November
Upon their unveiling in 2013, the media called The Kelpies everything from ‘brainless dreck’ to ‘amazing’, and after this inaugural race, you’ll probably call them ‘inspiring’ too. Because what could inspire a flagging runner more than two 30-metre high sculptures of horses rising out of the Forth and Clyde Canal? With luck, they’ll power you on to a big finish of this road race.
toughrunneruk.com
Roly’s Run
Swanmore, Hampshire, 20 November
This hilly off-road event offers three distances: 15.5 miles, 21.5 miles and the big one, 40 miles. Only the longest has a cut-off, so walkers are welcome for the shorter routes. All three events come with decent altitude gain, ranging from 468m for the shorter distance to 1,266m for the longest. Roly’s Run raises funds for local charities in memory of Rich Walklate, an avid runner in these beautiful hills who died in 2018.
rolys.run
Cardiff Trail Half Marathon
Caerphilly, Mid Glamorgan, 13 November
Here’s a chance to explore some of the finest trails just outside Cardiff. Depending on the weather, you’ll either get tremendous views while running along the Craig yr Allt ridge, or you’ll be stuck in a rain cloud and barely able to see the runner in front of you. This is an event for runners interested in a bit of a challenge, in the form of steep hills, tricky terrain and plenty of mud.
toughrunneruk.com
Wooler Trail Marathon
Wooler, Northumberland, 5 November
Public service announcement: this marathon is actually a marathon plus 2.3 miles. It’s essential to know this, because with almost 2km of ascent along the way, that extra distance could be enough to break the spirit of any poorly informed runner, leaving them in a heap in Northumberland National Park. Which would be a shame, because there are nonstop wonderful views to enjoy over the course of this tough off-road race.
woolertrailraces.co.uk