Castle Run Series - The Festival of Endurance

ULTRA - Ticket price includes a Hever camping pitch for 2, shuttle from Hever to Eastbourne, fully supported feed stations, hot food on completion with a brew of Timothy Taylor Landlord or glass of fizz and of course your finisher T’shirt and medal!

This is a beautiful, hilly, mostly off-road 50 miler that takes in the Race Director’s 2 main training grounds for ultra running, the South Downs and The Ashdown Forest, from the last 10 years.

Starting at 6.00am at Eastbourne Pier the first 10 miles takes in the start of the official South Downs Way (SDW) passing Beachy Head and the rolling Seven Sisters. From Cuckmere Haven (1st Feed Station), runners will head north following the course of the Cuckmere River until they get to Alfriston and then head up onto the SDW for a further 5 miles before dropping down to the village of Firle and the Ram Inn (2nd Feed Station). From Glynde (20 miles in) head north until you get to the edge of the Glyndebourne estate and then head north-west on a series of footpaths until Barcombe Mills and the River Ouse. Runners then follow the Sussex Ouse Valley Way for a further 5 miles before making The Anchor Inn (3rd Feed Station) and then, after a series of well marked public footpaths, the Griffin Inn in Fletching for lunch (31 miles, 4th feed station). Heading north out of the village before taking bridle paths to the foothills of the Ashdown Forest at Cackle Street runners make their way to the high point of the forest at Bushy Willows Car Park (37 miles). The 5th Feed Station is at Black Hill Car Park. The descent from the forest brings you through stunning countryside with the home run though the village of Chiddingstone and on to Hever Estate.

Hever Castle & Gardens, Hever Road, Hever, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 7NG

Hever Castle is situated three miles South East of Edenbridge off the B2026 between Sevenoaks and East Grinstead in the village of Hever. Situated 30 miles from London in West Kent, exit the M25 at junctions 5 or 6 and follow the Brown tourist signs. Also well signed from the Hildenborough exit of the A21.

With such a busy event we urge you to check your journey time and allow plenty of time to access the car parks. All car parks are in adjoining fields to the event.

On approaching to the venue, be sure to follow the yellow triathlon car park signs. DO NOT FOLLOW YOUR SAT NAV.

Please follow directions from marshals.

It is roughly 10 – 15 minutes walk to the event village.

The weekend will continue the festival theme with live music, entertainment, a variety of locally-sourced foods, refreshments for competitors and spectators alike, and an array of retail outlets and concessions.

Spectators will pay a fee for car parking and entry in to the grounds.

We organised a hugely successful socially distance event at Hever Castle in September 2020 for over 4000 participants and their supporters. This has given not only us, the Industry but most importantly our participants, the confidence to return to racing in 2021!.

We want to reassure all participants that we’ll continue to work closely with governments, governing bodies, venues and suppliers to ensure that our 2021 events are run in accordance with current health and safety guidance.

Our increased health and safety measures cover 5 key principles of education; touch point reduction, density reduction, athlete self-reliance and enhanced hygiene.

Should we be require to put on a socially distanced event, participants will still get the full race experience but with individual rolling starts, 1 competitor every 10 seconds (sometimes greater), restricted time on site either side of your race and possible limit on spectators per athlete only.

We will prepare venue specific documents to send to all participants ahead of the event. These will include details on how to prepare pre-event, arrival timings and movements, swim, cycle, run, festival village and exit.

The Marathon and Half Marathon and will see competitors undertake 4 laps (2 laps Half Marathon) of a spectator friendly almost entirely off road 10.5K circuit. Starting a few yards from the main castle drawbridge competitors will head off around the formal gardens of the estate before handrailing the lake for 0.5K and then heading up through Park Wood towards a corner of the estate called Thresher’s Field and the first of two well stocked Feed Stations. A brief road section to Lockskinners is followed by a stunning country section of interconnected paths and tracks taking in the high point of the course at Stocks Wood and a water station in the strictly private Belhurst Nature Conservation Trust woodland area. A couple of woods and fields later competitors arrive at the hamlet of Hill Hoath and shortly afterwards the picture post card National Trust owned village of Chiddingstone where, just inside the gates of the castle by the same name, they will find the 2nd of the two Feed Stations. A brief trot across the frontage of Chiddingstone Castle, a small road section and then a gorgeous woodland gallop sees participants regain the Hever estate from where they left it at Threshers Field and the 1st Feed Station. Finally, a 2K circumnavigation of the Hever Lake and a brief traverse of the formal gardens will see runner complete their first lap. After a further lap runners turn right into the finishing straight and cross the finish line with the castle as a backdrop, to receive their medal and the now famous finishing line banquet!