Hillsborough Castle Running Festival
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This event has passed, here are some recommended events:
Event summary
We are excited to announce the BRAND NEW Hillsborough Castle and Gardens Running Festival on Sunday 18th August. The ROAD CLOSED 5k, 10k, and half marathon races are fit for all the family and will start and finish within the grounds of beautiful Hillsborough Castle and Gardens.
Your organiser
RunThrough are a running community-based in London, inspired & led by a small passionate group of running geeks. We organize events all over the UK’s capital and the North West of England.
How to enter
Tickets available until Wed Aug 14 2019
What's included:
Your Entry Includes:
Chip timed results
Unique themed medal
Free official event photos
Goodie bag
Half Marathon
10:00am Sun 18th Aug 2019
Run 13.1mi
10K
10:30am Sun 18th Aug 2019
Run 10km
5K
10:45am Sun 18th Aug 2019
Run 5km
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What people think
4.539 reviews
Stunning scenery
Friendly atmosphere
Family friendly
+ Fun course<br />+Great marshals<br />+Lots of quality pictures<br />- Communication for parking was a bit delaying in getting to us<br /> -The end was a bit of muddle of fast finishers running into slow runners of the short races. Could you mark lanes for 5K, 10K, HM finishes… read more
Questions
Lisamarie Griffin
29/08/2019
ML
Michael Logan
14/08/2019
EH
Esther Hardy
08/08/2019
Running Events in the United Kingdom
Running Events in the United Kingdom
Route description
Route description
These ROAD CLOSED races will start and finish within the beautiful Grounds of Hillsborough Castle, before heading out onto the surrounding rural roads of Hillsborough and taking in historic attractions in the local area such as Hillsborough Fort and Hillsborough Lake, and finishing with a lap of the Gardens before crossing the finish line in the event village. Each mile is accurately marked out with distance flags and we have plenty of helpers to keep you on track and to encourage you on your way to the finish.
Please Note: Due to road closures there is a strict 3 hour cut off time for the half marathon!
Didn’t like last mile finish disorienting Marshall’s in forest bored and on phones ones at anahilt good won’t do it again
+ Fun course<br />+Great marshals<br />+Lots of quality pictures<br />- Communication for parking was a bit delaying in getting to us<br /> -The end was a bit of muddle of fast finishers running into slow runners of the short races. Could you mark lanes for 5K, 10K, HM finishes
Love it all only problem was the 10k and 5k and half came together got a bit bottleneck for anyone looking at getting times so maybe look at that but other than that brilliant day alround
Thought this was a great first event for Hillsborough! Lovely to get to see the castle as well and I thought the route was lovely. I hope this is back again next year! Hopefully there will be more of an atmosphere the more times the event takes place.
Great for a first time course and festival. Nice set up, good tricky course would recommend and do again!
The most well organised running event I have ever taken part in, from start to finish! Plenty of WC and no queues. Great pop up tents after the race. Grounds were stunning. Different terrains for running. Plenty of parking. Lots of opportunity for photographs on course. Only disappointing thing was that the half marathon and 10K were over their set kilometres by 0.5 and the last kilometre was hill after hill after hill. Definitely not an opportunity to gain a PB and definitely not a race for beginners, quite off putting for those running their first 5K. Nonetheless, hats off to all those involved in running the event, ran so smoothly.
Everything.was decentbin my opinion the only thing i found to be.a bit if a pain was because i was doin half marathon on the way back the 10k turn around point joined into our run ... which cause a bit of hassle for me personally as i waa pasing myself of the guy in 3rd then there was a massive crowd then he just dissappeared.<br />:) its not a major thats me nit pickin but was awesone i enjoyed it and will do it again 100% hopefully even more turn out next time
Enjoyed it, and well run event, though personally wouldnt do half here again with current route - last 2miles being very tough elevation wise
What a rush! Still buzzing! I absolutely loved this run. Loved the mixed terrain. Really picturesque. Fav run to date. I think I got that runners high.
I enjoyed the run itself, organised well and great atmosphere. The multiple emails regarding start time changes and parking were confusing though. A challenging course but overall I enjoyed it - great medal too and snacks aplenty afterwards.
Fantastic event. We thoroughly enjoyed it, no hiccups, easy access and brilliant route. Will definitely enter next year.
Loved the event, really good to be able to run inside the castle grounds and nice to have closed roads. The village definitely needed something like this, so hopefully the event will continue next year
Turning up 2 hours prior to start wasn’t great, the course was over 13.1 miles and at the end of the course it was a cluster running into the 10k and 5k backmarkers and normal park users. Volunteers where great and helpful.
Really well organised event. Perfect for my first 5k. Stunning scenery on the run - will definitely be back to both the location in general and to the race in 2020 if it is a repeat!
V well organised. The buses put on were very helpful and quick up and down to the venue. Didn’t have to wait long. Food provided after was great and all the volunteers were really helpful cheering us on and directing us the right way
Great run, beautiful setting <br />Volunteers helpful but some not very happy looking or enthusiastic out on the course!
Great run. Lively setting. <br />Volunteers were very helpful but some standing round the route weren’t the chirpiest..
Park and ride worked well, very efficient. Perfect weather. Good communication from organisers. Would do it again.
A difficult but beautiful course. Plenty of changing paths and scenery. Overall happy to get a PB on a tough trek.
This was a really good run and I will definitely be doing it again next year!<br />Park & Ride was well organised with plenty of buses.<br />The course itself was great - a nice mix of road and paths with lovely scenery.<br />Post-race snacks were plentiful.<br />Great volunteers!
Excellent day, superb organisation And great craic all round. I’ll definitely be doing it again nrxt
Fab event. Beautiful scenery. Nice medal. Only downside was being there so early. Park and ride ran well so next year I would use this again<br /> and turn up later.
R
Did the Half Marathon in 2019
For me medal collection is a huge incentive, no bling, no run. Might want to have separate medals for different categories (suggest coloured ribbons), also year. Overall great day out, def be back next year.
LM
Lorraine M4.7
Did the Half Marathon in 2019Tough, hilly course, decent amount of water stations but could have done with maybe one gel station. Volunteers were mostly friendly and helpful and there was a great atmosphere. No goodie bag at the end as promised, just some flapjacks and water.
Very enjoyable, friendly and helpful staff. Good provision of facilities.<br />Given it was a new event I imagine guessing uptake was a bit tricky and parking arrangements seemed to be dealt with a little late in day. This shouldn't be a problem next year. <br />Some of the more able 1/2 marathon runners catching less able 10K runners not ideal (for them) - could starts be a little closer together?<br />Also someone put a hill at the end...…… (c'est la vie)<br />Looking forward to next year. <br />
Enjoyed this run through park and castle gardens Well organised . Amazing medal, will be back next year.
super half marathon. A hilly and challenging course but plenty of supportive volunteers and other runner round and about. My only confusion was that my Fitbit tracked my run at 14.6 miles so the last mile and a half was a bit of a killer when my watch was suggesting I’d already finished my half marathon 🤦🏻♀️😂. Look forward to joining you all again next year!
What a great event in a stunning setting! A lovely route, great atmosphere, well organised, fabulous supportive volunteers and an amazing medal! I will definitely be back next year! :-)
CB
Did the Half Marathon in 2019
Well organised, beautiful setting. <br />Was nice to sit have a coffee before the run. <br />Great facilities, staff very helpful.<br />Would of been nice a little more encouragement while running from the helpers.<br />
Enjoyed the lovely scenic route and great atmosphere - it was brilliant that the roads were completely closed!<br />Plenty of volunteers and water stations.
This was my 3rd half marathon this year but by far the hardest. It was a hilly course so not really close to a PB for me unfortunately, but I thought the scenery was stunning. Loved the medal and all the volunteers were really friendly. Brilliant for a first time event, one of the best organised races I’ve been to so I’ll defintely be back next year
Today's event was set in a beautiful area which made the running pleasant.a lot of waiting around for the races yo happen but was thankful for the coffee shops..refreshments at the end were set up badly but all in all a good day
Hopefully next year will be better organised. There was confusion over the meetup point, parking, start times and park and ride. All these were only organised very late in the day. Having said that, I enjoyed the run. The castle and park were scenic and the waether nice, though I Would have preferred a circular course and would have expected a finishers’ t-shirt rather than a medal if given the choice. The event was well sponsored with plenty of water points and food at the finish.
BM
Brendan McC5.0
Did the Half Marathon in 2019
Brilliant event! So well organised from start to finish. Park and ride was a great option, I arrived early and the event village had plenty of stalls, good music with a nice atmosphere. The weather held out which was great and the goodies at the end were brilliant, the flapjacks were so yummy! Where do I get the recipe!? Well done to the organisers, will definitely be back next year, 10/10.
4.539 reviews
Stunning scenery
Friendly atmosphere
Family friendly
Rate this event
Logistics and schedule
Registration
Registration starts 45 minutes before the race
Spectators
A wonderful venue to spectate at
How to get there
All Active Pilates & Physio, 1 The Square, Hillsborough BT26 6AG, UK
Get directionsAddress
Hillsborough Castle, The Square, Hillsborough, BT26 6AG
Parking
There will be parking at the venue for all runners.
Public Transport
Lisburn train station (5 miles away) and Moira train station (8 miles away) are located within close proximity to the Castle. Buses from Lisburn and Belfast also serve Hillsborough Castle, but it is advised to check the scheduled timetables of these services for race day.
Lisamarie Griffin
29/08/2019
Steph Ede
30/08/2019
ML
Michael Logan
14/08/2019
Steph Ede
15/08/2019
EH
Esther Hardy
08/08/2019
Steph Ede
13/08/2019
Hannah Galbraith
07/08/2019
Steph Ede
09/08/2019
KD
Kevin Doran
06/08/2019
Steph Ede
09/08/2019
CO
Cathal O'Connell
25/07/2019
FK
Frank Kennedy
24/06/2019
Steph Ede
24/06/2019
KC
Katie Connaughty
29/07/2019
Steph Ede
29/07/2019
AS
Andy Stewart
29/07/2019
Steph Ede
30/07/2019
KM
Keith McG
11/05/2019
Steph Ede
13/05/2019
Booking related questionsDo you have a question about bookings, cancellations, or refunds?
Half Marathon
10:00am Sun 18th Aug 2019
10K
10:30am Sun 18th Aug 2019
5K
10:45am Sun 18th Aug 2019
Route description
Route description
These ROAD CLOSED races will start and finish within the beautiful Grounds of Hillsborough Castle, before heading out onto the surrounding rural roads of Hillsborough and taking in historic attractions in the local area such as Hillsborough Fort and Hillsborough Lake, and finishing with a lap of the Gardens before crossing the finish line in the event village. Each mile is accurately marked out with distance flags and we have plenty of helpers to keep you on track and to encourage you on your way to the finish.
Please Note: Due to road closures there is a strict 3 hour cut off time for the half marathon!
Didn’t like last mile finish disorienting Marshall’s in forest bored and on phones ones at anahilt good won’t do it again
+ Fun course<br />+Great marshals<br />+Lots of quality pictures<br />- Communication for parking was a bit delaying in getting to us<br /> -The end was a bit of muddle of fast finishers running into slow runners of the short races. Could you mark lanes for 5K, 10K, HM finishes
Love it all only problem was the 10k and 5k and half came together got a bit bottleneck for anyone looking at getting times so maybe look at that but other than that brilliant day alround
Thought this was a great first event for Hillsborough! Lovely to get to see the castle as well and I thought the route was lovely. I hope this is back again next year! Hopefully there will be more of an atmosphere the more times the event takes place.
Great for a first time course and festival. Nice set up, good tricky course would recommend and do again!
The most well organised running event I have ever taken part in, from start to finish! Plenty of WC and no queues. Great pop up tents after the race. Grounds were stunning. Different terrains for running. Plenty of parking. Lots of opportunity for photographs on course. Only disappointing thing was that the half marathon and 10K were over their set kilometres by 0.5 and the last kilometre was hill after hill after hill. Definitely not an opportunity to gain a PB and definitely not a race for beginners, quite off putting for those running their first 5K. Nonetheless, hats off to all those involved in running the event, ran so smoothly.
Everything.was decentbin my opinion the only thing i found to be.a bit if a pain was because i was doin half marathon on the way back the 10k turn around point joined into our run ... which cause a bit of hassle for me personally as i waa pasing myself of the guy in 3rd then there was a massive crowd then he just dissappeared.<br />:) its not a major thats me nit pickin but was awesone i enjoyed it and will do it again 100% hopefully even more turn out next time
Enjoyed it, and well run event, though personally wouldnt do half here again with current route - last 2miles being very tough elevation wise
What a rush! Still buzzing! I absolutely loved this run. Loved the mixed terrain. Really picturesque. Fav run to date. I think I got that runners high.
I enjoyed the run itself, organised well and great atmosphere. The multiple emails regarding start time changes and parking were confusing though. A challenging course but overall I enjoyed it - great medal too and snacks aplenty afterwards.
Fantastic event. We thoroughly enjoyed it, no hiccups, easy access and brilliant route. Will definitely enter next year.
Loved the event, really good to be able to run inside the castle grounds and nice to have closed roads. The village definitely needed something like this, so hopefully the event will continue next year
Turning up 2 hours prior to start wasn’t great, the course was over 13.1 miles and at the end of the course it was a cluster running into the 10k and 5k backmarkers and normal park users. Volunteers where great and helpful.
Really well organised event. Perfect for my first 5k. Stunning scenery on the run - will definitely be back to both the location in general and to the race in 2020 if it is a repeat!
V well organised. The buses put on were very helpful and quick up and down to the venue. Didn’t have to wait long. Food provided after was great and all the volunteers were really helpful cheering us on and directing us the right way
Great run, beautiful setting <br />Volunteers helpful but some not very happy looking or enthusiastic out on the course!
Great run. Lively setting. <br />Volunteers were very helpful but some standing round the route weren’t the chirpiest..
Park and ride worked well, very efficient. Perfect weather. Good communication from organisers. Would do it again.
A difficult but beautiful course. Plenty of changing paths and scenery. Overall happy to get a PB on a tough trek.
This was a really good run and I will definitely be doing it again next year!<br />Park & Ride was well organised with plenty of buses.<br />The course itself was great - a nice mix of road and paths with lovely scenery.<br />Post-race snacks were plentiful.<br />Great volunteers!
Excellent day, superb organisation And great craic all round. I’ll definitely be doing it again nrxt
Fab event. Beautiful scenery. Nice medal. Only downside was being there so early. Park and ride ran well so next year I would use this again<br /> and turn up later.
R
Did the Half Marathon in 2019
For me medal collection is a huge incentive, no bling, no run. Might want to have separate medals for different categories (suggest coloured ribbons), also year. Overall great day out, def be back next year.
LM
Lorraine M4.7
Did the Half Marathon in 2019Tough, hilly course, decent amount of water stations but could have done with maybe one gel station. Volunteers were mostly friendly and helpful and there was a great atmosphere. No goodie bag at the end as promised, just some flapjacks and water.
Very enjoyable, friendly and helpful staff. Good provision of facilities.<br />Given it was a new event I imagine guessing uptake was a bit tricky and parking arrangements seemed to be dealt with a little late in day. This shouldn't be a problem next year. <br />Some of the more able 1/2 marathon runners catching less able 10K runners not ideal (for them) - could starts be a little closer together?<br />Also someone put a hill at the end...…… (c'est la vie)<br />Looking forward to next year. <br />
Enjoyed this run through park and castle gardens Well organised . Amazing medal, will be back next year.
super half marathon. A hilly and challenging course but plenty of supportive volunteers and other runner round and about. My only confusion was that my Fitbit tracked my run at 14.6 miles so the last mile and a half was a bit of a killer when my watch was suggesting I’d already finished my half marathon 🤦🏻♀️😂. Look forward to joining you all again next year!
What a great event in a stunning setting! A lovely route, great atmosphere, well organised, fabulous supportive volunteers and an amazing medal! I will definitely be back next year! :-)
CB
Did the Half Marathon in 2019
Well organised, beautiful setting. <br />Was nice to sit have a coffee before the run. <br />Great facilities, staff very helpful.<br />Would of been nice a little more encouragement while running from the helpers.<br />
Enjoyed the lovely scenic route and great atmosphere - it was brilliant that the roads were completely closed!<br />Plenty of volunteers and water stations.
This was my 3rd half marathon this year but by far the hardest. It was a hilly course so not really close to a PB for me unfortunately, but I thought the scenery was stunning. Loved the medal and all the volunteers were really friendly. Brilliant for a first time event, one of the best organised races I’ve been to so I’ll defintely be back next year
Today's event was set in a beautiful area which made the running pleasant.a lot of waiting around for the races yo happen but was thankful for the coffee shops..refreshments at the end were set up badly but all in all a good day
Hopefully next year will be better organised. There was confusion over the meetup point, parking, start times and park and ride. All these were only organised very late in the day. Having said that, I enjoyed the run. The castle and park were scenic and the waether nice, though I Would have preferred a circular course and would have expected a finishers’ t-shirt rather than a medal if given the choice. The event was well sponsored with plenty of water points and food at the finish.
BM
Brendan McC5.0
Did the Half Marathon in 2019Brilliant event! So well organised from start to finish. Park and ride was a great option, I arrived early and the event village had plenty of stalls, good music with a nice atmosphere. The weather held out which was great and the goodies at the end were brilliant, the flapjacks were so yummy! Where do I get the recipe!? Well done to the organisers, will definitely be back next year, 10/10.
4.539 reviews
Stunning scenery
Friendly atmosphere
Family friendly
Rate this event
Logistics and schedule
Registration
Registration starts 45 minutes before the race
Spectators
A wonderful venue to spectate at
How to get there
All Active Pilates & Physio, 1 The Square, Hillsborough BT26 6AG, UK
Get directionsAddress
Hillsborough Castle, The Square, Hillsborough, BT26 6AG
Parking
There will be parking at the venue for all runners.
Public Transport
Lisburn train station (5 miles away) and Moira train station (8 miles away) are located within close proximity to the Castle. Buses from Lisburn and Belfast also serve Hillsborough Castle, but it is advised to check the scheduled timetables of these services for race day.
Lisamarie Griffin
29/08/2019
Steph Ede
30/08/2019
ML
Michael Logan
14/08/2019
Steph Ede
15/08/2019
EH
Esther Hardy
08/08/2019
Steph Ede
13/08/2019
Hannah Galbraith
07/08/2019
Steph Ede
09/08/2019
KD
Kevin Doran
06/08/2019
Steph Ede
09/08/2019
CO
Cathal O'Connell
25/07/2019
FK
Frank Kennedy
24/06/2019
Steph Ede
24/06/2019
KC
Katie Connaughty
29/07/2019
Steph Ede
29/07/2019
AS
Andy Stewart
29/07/2019
Steph Ede
30/07/2019
KM
Keith McG
11/05/2019
Steph Ede
13/05/2019
Booking related questionsDo you have a question about bookings, cancellations, or refunds?
Half Marathon
10:00am Sun 18th Aug 2019
10K
10:30am Sun 18th Aug 2019
5K
10:45am Sun 18th Aug 2019