Bewl Water 10K, Half Marathon, Marathon & Ultra
4 races scheduled · 750 participants · 2021-05-08 · Wadhurst
COVID Plan
Safety measures in place ·
£24.00 - £52.00Free injury protection
About this event
Take part in this incredibly scenic late spring run. Great for runners of all abilities, the course loops around the reservoir on a mix of woodland trails and quaint country lanes. Come for the finisher's medal or to see the flowers in bloom.
Raceday details
Your organiser
Organised Race Events In Surrey & Kent. These include the Thames Meander (Kingston-upon-Thames) Surrey, Magna Carta (Runnymede) Surrey, North Downs Way (Reigate) Surrey and the Bewl Water (Lamberhurst) Kent. All of the races are geared up towards both the novice runner, as well as the more experienced veteran runners.
How to enter
Tickets available until Thu May 06 2021
What's included:
- Unique finisher's medal
- Trophies for 1st, 2nd & 3rd female/male runners for each event
- Chip timed race (net chip times sent directly to your mobile after the race)
- Water & aid station
- Marshalled course
- Free car parking for runners
1 / 2
Ultra
8:30am Sat 8th May 2021
Run 37.5mi
£50.00 - £52.00
Marathon
9:00am Sat 8th May 2021
Run 26.2mi
£42.00 - £44.00
Half Marathon
10:00am Sat 8th May 2021
Run 13.1mi
£36.00 - £38.00
Benefits of booking with Let's Do This
Free injury protection - Refunds until 4 days before the event.
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What people think
4.132 reviews
Great parking
Stunning scenery
This is a super event with lots to recommend it: great scenery, good organization and a convenient location with good parking. It’s not a vast field. So its personal and low key. No one is looking to break records. My only advice to anyone running this - it isn’t a beginner course in any way. </p><p>In the year I ran the ‘blurb’ suggested that the course is gently undulating. It isn’t. Given you run around a small lake with tributaries running into it, the shoreline is ‘jagged’ with lots of short legs, ups and downs, eroded tree roots and so be prepared for a challenging race. There is also a short tarmac hill at the end of the lap - so run twice at mile 12 and 24 - which feels vertical but is well over 10% in reality.</p><p>But don’t let me put you off - its a lovely event and it fits well into sprig training if you are planning a trail ultra later in the year.… read more
Frequently asked questions
Where can I access my race time?
The results will be hosted by the Race Director Chip Timing, you will be sent a text of your provisional net time after the race, directly to your mobile number which you provided when registering.… read moreWill the trail remain open to the public?
The trail is open to the public so please watch out for and be respectful of any walkers, cyclists or dog walkers you encounter.… read moreAre earphones permitted for the Bewl Water Half Marathon Marathon Ultra & 10K?
If you have to use music players (MP3 Players / iPod’s) please ensure that these are the Aftershokz over-ear bone conducting earphones, not in-ear earphones. It is also asked that you are able to hear the marshals instructions and that you are courteous of all other trail users.… read moreYou may also like
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Running Events in the United Kingdom
Route description
Route description
The race is set within 1000 acres of picturesque Kent and Sussex countryside.
Each of the routes follow the clockwise “round the reservoir route” at the Bewl Water Country Park which is the largest lake in South East England.
All routes pass through covered forested areas and open countryside overlooking the lake.
The course is only undulating on certain sections, whilst the remaining route is run along quiet country back roads.
Half marathon runners will complete one lap of this course, two laps for the marathon course, and three laps for the ultra.
There will be 3 checkpoints stations, one at the start/finish which will contain water bottles, Chia Charge Bars, GU Energy Gels and bananas for runners. Other checkpoints will be at Rosemary Farm and Burnt Lodge Lane.
This is a super event with lots to recommend it: great scenery, good organization and a convenient location with good parking. It’s not a vast field. So its personal and low key. No one is looking to break records. My only advice to anyone running this - it isn’t a beginner course in any way. </p><p>In the year I ran the ‘blurb’ suggested that the course is gently undulating. It isn’t. Given you run around a small lake with tributaries running into it, the shoreline is ‘jagged’ with lots of short legs, ups and downs, eroded tree roots and so be prepared for a challenging race. There is also a short tarmac hill at the end of the lap - so run twice at mile 12 and 24 - which feels vertical but is well over 10% in reality.</p><p>But don’t let me put you off - its a lovely event and it fits well into sprig training if you are planning a trail ultra later in the year.
Terrible marshaling 73 10k runners and all did the wrong course.<br />Happened last year too. Won't be coming back
Fantastic event. Great value for money and well organised! Couldn’t of asked for better. The medals were great and I will be back again
Great course, was my first marathon which I probably could have chosen A slightly easier less hilly one, but loved it, and coming 3rd lady was just the icing on the cake. Would definitely do it again!
Fantastic ultra through Kent. Really loved the course, not too many hills so as relaxing as 60k can be!
Nice route, you can (almost)forget about the distance in your legs when you can look our over the water! Having both road and trail made for a nice mix.
Nice race through the countryside, well marshaled too! I did the 10K this time but I might be back for the half next year.
I did the half marathon this year and it was fantastic! Very beautiful course and well organised, also enough of challenge without being too much of a slog. If I try a marathon next year it might be this one!
Beautiful route in beautiful surroundings, good mixture of road and trail and a challenging terrain. Well organised and great atmosphere
My husband ran so can't comment on the course except that he said it was challenging. However a few aspects of the organisation were really quite poor. You have to your race pack on the day as they won't post out in advance so you need to get there in plenty of time. The start is a significant walk away from the cafe area where you register. You were supposed to be at the start 15 minutes beforehand for the briefing but many people were turning up much later, obviously not realising how far they had to walk to the start. As a result, the race started a bit late. Only the people at the front could hear the briefing, the runners further back couldn't hear a thing or even the starting klaxon. After the runners went, the spectators started walking back towards the cafe area only to be faced with runners from the 10K event coming the opposite way shouting at them to get out of the way. There were no indications that there would be runners coming in, otherwise we would have kept to the sides. Part of the course actually ran on the same road as where the cars were leaving the car park, so as later runners were coming in, they were battling with cars coming the other way. This seemed very silly and dangerous and surely unnecessary. We then didn't see the results for another couple of days an only found out by accident that they were there. They were not on any of the organisers websites where previous years results were, the only way to find them was by a link buried in a previous email. Then to top things off, the photos appeared online and there was not a single one of my husband! Not one! Never experienced that before! This has the potential to be a good race but it is disappointing that after running for several years they have still not got their act together.
Fantastic race. Great organisation both in advance and on the day, and lovely facilities at the Bewl Water visitor centre - nice loos with no queues, and efficient race number pick-up and bag drop/collection. Challenging but enjoyable trail route through beautiful scenery. Well-stocked aid stations. Will definitely run again!
First time Ive competed in one of your events, well organised and good support at finish, already signed up for your MDW half in July!!
What a great race, had so much fun. Will definitely be back next year for the ultra. Big thanks to all the support
This is such a beautiful location for a run. We enjoyed it very much. The atmosphere was very friendly but everything organised very efficiently from start to finish. Thank you for a great event.
First race I have done since 2000 due to bad knees, but it was amazing, great organization and very easy to register and course was very nice and the rain felt wonderful at the end. Cant wait for next year.
Great first event. Well organised and beautifully located. Im certainly looking forward to the next time.
This was a great and varied course with challenging hills, mud, road and trail. Well organised and great fun!
Really enjoyed it - a tough course but it was my first!A few more water stations would have been nice
Overall I enjoyed this race, there were a few things that could have been improved but on the whole it was a nice small event. The race staggered people depending on distance so the ultra runners went first, then marathon followed by half and 10k waves. The marathon was 2 laps of Bewl water. The scenery was stunning and there was a tough on road section as well so it kept you thinking the whole way round. By doing two laps, you knew what was in store for the next lap. I wore road running shoes which was pretty much perfect, until it started drizzling on the second lap; then it became a little slippy. There were well stocked aid stations at regular intervals with volunteers very eager to help. With it being such a small event, there was no crowding at them. It was quite tricky to get past people at times due to it being narrow. The only major annoyance about the course was meeting the 10k runners on their return when we were going out on our second lap. There was no control of which side they should be running on so you had to constantly dodge one another. Another thing that may bother some runners is that is only one set of toilets near the start/finish so if you do need the toilet at any other point then you have to hop into a field! If you want a small marathon with beautiful scenery then this is the race for you.
I really like the course itself, around Bewl water. Mostly on a trail, with only a few patches properly wet/slippery, it's a very enjoyable run.I personally liked the absence of distance markers. Disappointed with the food available at checkpoints but that's personal preference.Very disappointed with the finish though. There was barely anything, no celebration and no indication of your time...The start was also a complete shamble, with most runners not knowing where to go after the first mile...
Terrible! It was a hard route due to the combination of trail with road, however, the views along the route were great. The GPS tracking shows the route was a mile over the 1/2 marathon distance, the race started 1/2 hour late due to not enough people checking runners in, the course was over crowded but the worst part of the day was getting to the finish line to be told they had run out of medals!
The hills are very steep towards the end make sure you train for that. All the hills were right at the end of the course so brace for it.
The information before hand was helpful. More info about how narrow and uneven the track is (ruts from bikes, water to cross, thick mud in parts) its more than just looking out for tree roots Id say. Id also describe it as hilly in places not undulating as I think was in the pre race info.
Turn up very early to register as the queues were ridiculous. Best get to the start line in good time too as there's no warning when they start the race or which one they're starting. Road shoes will be fine unless it's been raining a lot before the race.
That we would have to queue so long for registration we would have got there earlier.
I enjoyed the actual run very much, a great course with lovely downhill fnish!
Start delays due to registration queues foe the 1/2 marathon could have been better organised but overall a good morning. People running ultra and marathon had to avoid other runners and visitors/spectators so maybe better segregation of running and waiting g / walking areas would be advantageous. Will go back in 2019 as fantastic venue.
The race was poorly organised because it wa due to start at 10am but this didnt happen until 10.30. This was due to there not being enough people to register runners.
4.132 reviews
Great parking
Stunning scenery
Rate this event
Logistics and schedule
Schedule
08:30 Ultra Marathon Begins
09:00 Marathon Begins
10:00 Half Marathon Begins
10:30 10km Begins
5 minutes before the start of each race there will be a mandatory race briefing and the start is a 5 minute (0.5 mi) walk from the Bewl Water Visitor Centre so please allow plenty of time to arrive at the start.
There will be no official registration on the day but there will be a registration desk (for enquiries/help on the day).
*Race packs and bibs will be posted within 2 weeks of the race date.
Spectators
Spectators are welcome, but it is urged that you keep spectators to a minimum due to the current situation and to ensure the safety of our runners.
Parking for spectators not travelling with their runners will be £5.00 per car.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a focal point of all Hermes Running events. As such, they are always on the look-out for more helping hands.
If you're interested in signing up then follow the link here:
How to get there
Bewl Water, Bewl Water, Bewlbridge Ln, Wadhurst TN3 8JH, UK
Get directions**Location: Bewl Water Visitor Centre, Bewlbridge Lane, Lamberhurst, Kent, TN3 8JH
**
Car Parking: The car park at the Visitor Centre will be free for all competitors and there should be ample parking.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I access my race time?
The results will be hosted by the Race Director Chip Timing, you will be sent a text of your provisional net time after the race, directly to your mobile number which you provided when registering.Will the trail remain open to the public?
The trail is open to the public so please watch out for and be respectful of any walkers, cyclists or dog walkers you encounter.Are earphones permitted for the Bewl Water Half Marathon Marathon Ultra & 10K?
If you have to use music players (MP3 Players / iPod’s) please ensure that these are the Aftershokz over-ear bone conducting earphones, not in-ear earphones. It is also asked that you are able to hear the marshals instructions and that you are courteous of all other trail users.Are there cut-off times for this event?
Yes, the cut-off times are as follows; 10k cut-off is 2.5 hours; Half Marathon cut-off time is 6 hours; Marathon cut-off time is 7.15 hours; and Ultra cut-off time is 8 hours.Is there an age requirement to participate?
Yes, participants must be 16+ for the 10k, 17+ for the Half-Marathon, and 18+ for the Ultra and Marathon events.Booking related questionsDo you have a question about bookings, cancellations, or refunds?
Route description
Route description
The race is set within 1000 acres of picturesque Kent and Sussex countryside.
Each of the routes follow the clockwise “round the reservoir route” at the Bewl Water Country Park which is the largest lake in South East England.
All routes pass through covered forested areas and open countryside overlooking the lake.
The course is only undulating on certain sections, whilst the remaining route is run along quiet country back roads.
Half marathon runners will complete one lap of this course, two laps for the marathon course, and three laps for the ultra.
There will be 3 checkpoints stations, one at the start/finish which will contain water bottles, Chia Charge Bars, GU Energy Gels and bananas for runners. Other checkpoints will be at Rosemary Farm and Burnt Lodge Lane.
This is a super event with lots to recommend it: great scenery, good organization and a convenient location with good parking. It’s not a vast field. So its personal and low key. No one is looking to break records. My only advice to anyone running this - it isn’t a beginner course in any way. </p><p>In the year I ran the ‘blurb’ suggested that the course is gently undulating. It isn’t. Given you run around a small lake with tributaries running into it, the shoreline is ‘jagged’ with lots of short legs, ups and downs, eroded tree roots and so be prepared for a challenging race. There is also a short tarmac hill at the end of the lap - so run twice at mile 12 and 24 - which feels vertical but is well over 10% in reality.</p><p>But don’t let me put you off - its a lovely event and it fits well into sprig training if you are planning a trail ultra later in the year.
Terrible marshaling 73 10k runners and all did the wrong course.<br />Happened last year too. Won't be coming back
Fantastic event. Great value for money and well organised! Couldn’t of asked for better. The medals were great and I will be back again
Great course, was my first marathon which I probably could have chosen A slightly easier less hilly one, but loved it, and coming 3rd lady was just the icing on the cake. Would definitely do it again!
Fantastic ultra through Kent. Really loved the course, not too many hills so as relaxing as 60k can be!
Nice route, you can (almost)forget about the distance in your legs when you can look our over the water! Having both road and trail made for a nice mix.
Nice race through the countryside, well marshaled too! I did the 10K this time but I might be back for the half next year.
I did the half marathon this year and it was fantastic! Very beautiful course and well organised, also enough of challenge without being too much of a slog. If I try a marathon next year it might be this one!
Beautiful route in beautiful surroundings, good mixture of road and trail and a challenging terrain. Well organised and great atmosphere
My husband ran so can't comment on the course except that he said it was challenging. However a few aspects of the organisation were really quite poor. You have to your race pack on the day as they won't post out in advance so you need to get there in plenty of time. The start is a significant walk away from the cafe area where you register. You were supposed to be at the start 15 minutes beforehand for the briefing but many people were turning up much later, obviously not realising how far they had to walk to the start. As a result, the race started a bit late. Only the people at the front could hear the briefing, the runners further back couldn't hear a thing or even the starting klaxon. After the runners went, the spectators started walking back towards the cafe area only to be faced with runners from the 10K event coming the opposite way shouting at them to get out of the way. There were no indications that there would be runners coming in, otherwise we would have kept to the sides. Part of the course actually ran on the same road as where the cars were leaving the car park, so as later runners were coming in, they were battling with cars coming the other way. This seemed very silly and dangerous and surely unnecessary. We then didn't see the results for another couple of days an only found out by accident that they were there. They were not on any of the organisers websites where previous years results were, the only way to find them was by a link buried in a previous email. Then to top things off, the photos appeared online and there was not a single one of my husband! Not one! Never experienced that before! This has the potential to be a good race but it is disappointing that after running for several years they have still not got their act together.
Fantastic race. Great organisation both in advance and on the day, and lovely facilities at the Bewl Water visitor centre - nice loos with no queues, and efficient race number pick-up and bag drop/collection. Challenging but enjoyable trail route through beautiful scenery. Well-stocked aid stations. Will definitely run again!
First time Ive competed in one of your events, well organised and good support at finish, already signed up for your MDW half in July!!
What a great race, had so much fun. Will definitely be back next year for the ultra. Big thanks to all the support
This is such a beautiful location for a run. We enjoyed it very much. The atmosphere was very friendly but everything organised very efficiently from start to finish. Thank you for a great event.
First race I have done since 2000 due to bad knees, but it was amazing, great organization and very easy to register and course was very nice and the rain felt wonderful at the end. Cant wait for next year.
Great first event. Well organised and beautifully located. Im certainly looking forward to the next time.
This was a great and varied course with challenging hills, mud, road and trail. Well organised and great fun!
Really enjoyed it - a tough course but it was my first!A few more water stations would have been nice
Overall I enjoyed this race, there were a few things that could have been improved but on the whole it was a nice small event. The race staggered people depending on distance so the ultra runners went first, then marathon followed by half and 10k waves. The marathon was 2 laps of Bewl water. The scenery was stunning and there was a tough on road section as well so it kept you thinking the whole way round. By doing two laps, you knew what was in store for the next lap. I wore road running shoes which was pretty much perfect, until it started drizzling on the second lap; then it became a little slippy. There were well stocked aid stations at regular intervals with volunteers very eager to help. With it being such a small event, there was no crowding at them. It was quite tricky to get past people at times due to it being narrow. The only major annoyance about the course was meeting the 10k runners on their return when we were going out on our second lap. There was no control of which side they should be running on so you had to constantly dodge one another. Another thing that may bother some runners is that is only one set of toilets near the start/finish so if you do need the toilet at any other point then you have to hop into a field! If you want a small marathon with beautiful scenery then this is the race for you.
I really like the course itself, around Bewl water. Mostly on a trail, with only a few patches properly wet/slippery, it's a very enjoyable run.I personally liked the absence of distance markers. Disappointed with the food available at checkpoints but that's personal preference.Very disappointed with the finish though. There was barely anything, no celebration and no indication of your time...The start was also a complete shamble, with most runners not knowing where to go after the first mile...
Terrible! It was a hard route due to the combination of trail with road, however, the views along the route were great. The GPS tracking shows the route was a mile over the 1/2 marathon distance, the race started 1/2 hour late due to not enough people checking runners in, the course was over crowded but the worst part of the day was getting to the finish line to be told they had run out of medals!
The hills are very steep towards the end make sure you train for that. All the hills were right at the end of the course so brace for it.
The information before hand was helpful. More info about how narrow and uneven the track is (ruts from bikes, water to cross, thick mud in parts) its more than just looking out for tree roots Id say. Id also describe it as hilly in places not undulating as I think was in the pre race info.
Turn up very early to register as the queues were ridiculous. Best get to the start line in good time too as there's no warning when they start the race or which one they're starting. Road shoes will be fine unless it's been raining a lot before the race.
That we would have to queue so long for registration we would have got there earlier.
I enjoyed the actual run very much, a great course with lovely downhill fnish!
Start delays due to registration queues foe the 1/2 marathon could have been better organised but overall a good morning. People running ultra and marathon had to avoid other runners and visitors/spectators so maybe better segregation of running and waiting g / walking areas would be advantageous. Will go back in 2019 as fantastic venue.
The race was poorly organised because it wa due to start at 10am but this didnt happen until 10.30. This was due to there not being enough people to register runners.
4.132 reviews
Great parking
Stunning scenery
Rate this event
Logistics and schedule
Schedule
08:30 Ultra Marathon Begins
09:00 Marathon Begins
10:00 Half Marathon Begins
10:30 10km Begins
5 minutes before the start of each race there will be a mandatory race briefing and the start is a 5 minute (0.5 mi) walk from the Bewl Water Visitor Centre so please allow plenty of time to arrive at the start.
There will be no official registration on the day but there will be a registration desk (for enquiries/help on the day).
*Race packs and bibs will be posted within 2 weeks of the race date.
Spectators
Spectators are welcome, but it is urged that you keep spectators to a minimum due to the current situation and to ensure the safety of our runners.
Parking for spectators not travelling with their runners will be £5.00 per car.
Volunteers
Volunteers are a focal point of all Hermes Running events. As such, they are always on the look-out for more helping hands.
If you're interested in signing up then follow the link here:
How to get there
Bewl Water, Bewl Water, Bewlbridge Ln, Wadhurst TN3 8JH, UK
Get directions**Location: Bewl Water Visitor Centre, Bewlbridge Lane, Lamberhurst, Kent, TN3 8JH
**
Car Parking: The car park at the Visitor Centre will be free for all competitors and there should be ample parking.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I access my race time?
The results will be hosted by the Race Director Chip Timing, you will be sent a text of your provisional net time after the race, directly to your mobile number which you provided when registering.Will the trail remain open to the public?
The trail is open to the public so please watch out for and be respectful of any walkers, cyclists or dog walkers you encounter.Are earphones permitted for the Bewl Water Half Marathon Marathon Ultra & 10K?
If you have to use music players (MP3 Players / iPod’s) please ensure that these are the Aftershokz over-ear bone conducting earphones, not in-ear earphones. It is also asked that you are able to hear the marshals instructions and that you are courteous of all other trail users.Are there cut-off times for this event?
Yes, the cut-off times are as follows; 10k cut-off is 2.5 hours; Half Marathon cut-off time is 6 hours; Marathon cut-off time is 7.15 hours; and Ultra cut-off time is 8 hours.Is there an age requirement to participate?
Yes, participants must be 16+ for the 10k, 17+ for the Half-Marathon, and 18+ for the Ultra and Marathon events.Booking related questionsDo you have a question about bookings, cancellations, or refunds?
£24.00 - £52.00Free injury protection