Saxons, Vikings & Normans

On this special day we're going to have a marathon where we can show a bit of English pride! The theme will be red and white, with runners and supporters all encouraged to dress accordingly. For the 2018 event, as a one off move from the Kent Coast (we don't want to be on the coastal path on a Sunday during the Easter Holidays) we're going to hold the event at Samphire Hoe, within the shadows of the White Cliffs of Dover, about as English as you can get! 7 x 3.75 mile out and back loops.

This course is so pretty we thought we'd give you the opportunity to savour it twice. The Ranscombe Spring Challenge will have the 'classic' Ranscombe loop of around 3.8 miles, hopefully with the addition of bluebells as we're holding the event in April this year. That's the Saturday event - hilly, possibly a bit muddy, challenging. For the Sunday Ramble - same venue, same time limit, slightly different event though. Longer, tougher, 6.5 mile loop, even more hills, possibly muddy, some lovely long downhills, but you'll have to earn them, there'll be a fair bit of climb, but also a fair bit of descent. 8/9 April.

Following the huge sucess of our Cakeathon runs in Kent we are now having to expand to cope with the demand and the number one request we've had is can there be one outside of Kent, so here it is. Middle of England, Northampton! We've very kindly been offered to take over the route from the excellent Madeyarun folk and jumped at the opportunity to add an SVN twist to this excellent route and venue!

The course is a mix of very high quality bike paths and grassy trails along the River Nene and around several flood reservoirs, so plenty of wildlife and views to be seen. It's pretty flat, only about 50' of climb per lap.

A modest sized bit of cake we are thinking per lap! The event will have a six hour time limit for you to run as many, or as few laps as you wish. With a timed event, as long as you complete one lap, you are an official finisher!

There will be cake, and we encourage participants to bring their own cake creations. There will be a prizes for the best cakes of the day!

We love chocolate almost as much as we love cake! We love chocolate things. We're not so keen on the calories, which is why many of us run, so we can indulge and at this running event, you can indulge! Run a lap, eat some chocolate, run a lap, eat some chocolate, you see the theme? And when you finish you'll receive a very special chocolate themed medal (not edible! lol) and a hefty chocolate themed goody bag!

Following the huge sucess of our runs in Kent we are now having to expand to cope with the demand and the number one request we've had is can there be more outside of Kent, so here it is. Middle of England, Northampton! We've very kindly been offered to take over the route from the excellent Madeyarun folk and jumped at the opportunity to add an SVN twist to this excellent route and venue!

The course is a mix of very high quality bike paths and grassy trails along the River Nene and around several flood reservoirs, so plenty of wildlife and views to be seen. It's pretty flat, only about 50' of climb per lap.

The event will have a six hour time limit for you to run as many, or as few laps as you wish. With a timed event, as long as you complete one lap, you are an official finisher!

A continuation of our food themed runs! We have Cakeathons, Chocathons, Fudgeathons and now we have the Cookiethon! I like cookies, biscuits, shortbread and all those sorts of moorishly addictive goodies, perhaps not quite as much as cake, but not far off and have fueled many an ultra basically on cookies! Perhaps not the text book method, but what works some days!

Following the huge sucess of our runs in Kent we are now having to expand to cope with the demand and the number one request we've had is can there be more outside of Kent, so here it is. Middle of England, Northampton! We've very kindly been offered to take over the route from the excellent Madeyarun folk and jumped at the opportunity to add an SVN twist to this excellent route and venue!

So this a run to indulge a little and we'll have a cookie themed medal and goody bag of course! Run a lap, eat some cookies, run a lap, eat some cookies, you see the theme?

There will be cookies, and we encourage participants to bring their own cookie creations. There will be a trophies for the best cookies of the day.

Following the huge sucess of the first Spring Cakeathon we just have to have the event again next Spring Bank Holiday Monday! What better way to spend the day than eating a bit of cake and running around at the lovely Jeskyns Community Woodland. (A minute from the A2 just south of Gravesend in Kent - Google Map) - in 2017 we intend to move around the Cakeathons a little bit so not all in deepest darkest Kent!

The route is all on good surfaces, a mixture of high quality trail, bike paths and the rest of the trail is pretty decent too! In late Spring should be a really nice run, weather permitting and we'll start off nice and early to beat any potentially hot weather and beat any bank holiday crowds as this is a very popular location! The course is rolling, some gentle slopes, but really nothing too severe at all.

A modest sized bit of cake we are thinking per lap! The event will have a six hour time limit for you to run as many, or as few laps as you wish. With a timed event, as long as you complete one lap, you are an official finisher!

Saturday June 3rd - Viking Coastal Marathon
This event we're going to hold on the tarmac cycle track at Betteshanger Country Park for those wanting a flat, decent surface marathon, as an added bonus this is now for 2017 going to be on a certified course so will count as a road marathon for 100MC purposes.

Sunday June 4th - Reculver Marathon
For this day we'll have this on the leisure paths at Betteshanger Country Park, so just like the original plan a little more varied in terrain and elevation gain (which is still very modest!)

Having completed lots of marathons we believe we know what it takes to put on an enjoyable marathon for the fit, the dedicated and the hardcore long distance runners. And for those, like myself, who fit none of those categories, we'll do our best to get you round!

Come and join us for a bit of a run along the Kent Coast, we'll have a well stocked aid station, nice custom made medals and goody bags that actually contain goodies!

We put on marathons run exactly the way we wish they were all run. Low key, friendly and with most of the entry fee being spent on the runners. Please explore the races and consider joining us in Kent for a marathon or two.

We're going to have something a little different for Ranscombe next Summer! On the Saturday we'll have the 'classic' Ranscombe Loop, hopefully taking in the best of the Summer flowers, and on Sunday an alternative loop will follow some different paths which will be just as interesting, and will take in one more meadow than usual! Both routes will be on the hilly side, but nothing too scary we hope, and the reward will be some lovely views, and, if we get lucky, millions of flowers! 8/9 July.

Fowlmead Country Park, near Deal, East Kent, now known as Betteshanger Country Park, has a lovely tarmac cycle track and we're going to use this to host what we hope will be a very straightforward mid length ultra that will appeal to a range of runners, including those who want to step up to mid range but without the complications - no navigation, no mud, no kit required, an aid station every 2 miles - and those who aren't sure if they can run 50 miles. There are no DNFs at this event, anyone may drop down to the 12 hour challenge. This is a 50 mile run with a strict 12 hour time limit.

There has been a marathon on the tarmac track at Cyclopark Gravesend every year since 2012, firstly by the wonderful TZ Runs events and then latterly Inspire Races, unfortunately these events have now ended and it seems such a shame to let the venue be marathon free for a year! Whilst we appreciate that 17 laps around a cycle track in the DMZ between the old A2 and the new M2 isn't the world's most exciting run there are lots of logistical advantages, its a lovely venue and a cracking facility and once a year it isn't too bad!

Between Thanet and Sandwich lays Pegwell Bay, famous for the Viking Ship, The Hugin, that rests there in all its recently restored glory. This event will have a 6 hour time limit for you to run as many, or as few laps as you wish, starting at 4pm. We're going to be flexible with the route, mainly as it will depend on conditions on the day. Loops of 3.75 miles miles and will be a mixture of terrain. Sundown is 7.30pm so you'll be partially in light, then twilight and then finally deep night, all being well on a lovely early Autumnal evening.

This event is Tolkien themed, the event date falling so close to several famous Hobbits' birthdays! There will be a somewhat 'foodie theme, so of course there will be breakfast, second breakfast, elevensis, lunch and perhaps even a spot of afternoon tea! The 3.75 mile loop course is a mix of gently rolling trail and flat sea wall, all within the shadow of the White Cliffs of Dover. 6hr time limit.