Heart Of Wales Line trail race

The Heart of Wales Line trail is a long distance walking and running trail that weaves its way between railway stations along the Heart of Wales Line. It opened in the Spring of 2019 across Shropshire, Powys, Carmarthenshire, Brecon Beacons National Park, and the City and County of Swansea. The route is way-marked by roundels, finger posts and signs with the distinctive viaduct logo. For the inaugural hosting of this race event there are three distances to choose from: 50 miles, 26 miles or 16 miles.

All distances comprise sections of roads, tracks and public footpaths, and permissive ways. The courses offer gently rolling countryside with spectacular views.

HOWL50: 50 miles - 2,280m elevation HOWL26: 26 miles - 1,171m elevation HOWL16: 16 miles - 693m elevation

The Heart of Wales Line is a long distance walking and running trail that weaves its way between railway stations along the Heart of Wales Line. It opened in the Spring of 2019 across Shropshire, Powys, Carmarthenshire, Brecon Beacons National Park, and the City and County of Swansea.

The route is way-marked by roundels, finger posts and signs with the distinctive viaduct logo. For the inaugural hosting of this race event there are three distances to choose from: 50 miles, 26 miles or 16 miles.

• Finishers medal
• Chip timing
• Category prizes

This 50-mile route will appeal to runners and walkers that are either looking for a great introduction to ultra distance events or athletes that are already established ultra runners, and are looking to test themselves on a relatively fast hilly course. With an estimated walk time of 12 to 24 hours and run time of 8 to 15 hours, this promises to be an adventure worth remembering.

Registration for this distance will be at the Lakeside Cafe, Princes Ave, Llandrindod Wells LD1 5HU. Registration will take place between 0730-0830, with the race brief at 0845 and race start at 0900.

Parking is available at the finish line at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, School Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RS. The Discovery Centre is a registered charity, and as such cars parked here will be charged £5, all of which will go directly to support the Centre.

The Heart of Wales Line train leaves from Craven Arms Station at 0622, so if you are catching the train from here to the start we suggest arriving at the Discovery Centre by 0545, parking and then walking the half mile (15 mins) to the train station at Station Crescent, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RR.

The 0622 train arrives at Llandrindod Wells at 0727 (65 mins) and is then a further 0.2 miles (6 mins) walk to the Albert Hall. Alternatively you are welcome to make your own arrangements to get to the registration / start point.

There will be a baggage drop at the registration point. Your baggage will be transported to the finish line at the Discovery Centre after you have started your race.

Checkpoints: there will be two manned checkpoints between Llandrindod Wells and Craven Arms. CP1 at Llanbister Rd railway halt (15 miles) and CP2 in Bucknell Primary School (32 miles) leaving a final 16-mile leg to the finish.

This 26 mile route will appeal to runners and walkers that are either looking for a great introduction to marathon distance events or athletes that are already established marathon runners, and are looking to test themselves on a relatively fast hilly course. With an estimated walk time of 6 to 12 hours and run time of 4 to 8 hours, this promises to be an adventure worth remembering.

Registration for this distance will be at the The Knucklass Community Centre, Glyndwr, LD7 1RR between 0730-0830, with race brief at 0845 and race start at 0900.

Parking is available at the finish line at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, School Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RS. The Discovery Centre is a charity, and as such cars parked here will be charged £5, all of which will go to support the Centre.

The Heart Of Wales Line train leaves from Craven Arms Station at 0622, so if you are catching the train from here to the start we suggest arriving at the Discovery Centre by 0545, parking and then walking the half mile (15 mins) to the train station at Station Crescent, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RR.

The 0622 train arrives at Knucklass at 0651 (29 mins) and is then a further 0.1 miles (3 mins) walk to the Community Centre. Alternatively you are welcome to make your own arrangements to get to the registration / start point.

There will be a baggage drop at the registration point. Your baggage will be transported to the finish line at the Discovery Centre after you have started your race.

Checkpoints: there will be one manned checkpoint between Knucklass and Craven Arms. CP1 at Bucknell (8 miles) leaving a final 16-mile leg to the finish.

This 16 mile route will appeal to runners and walkers that are either looking for a great introduction to half marathon distance events or athletes that are already established half marathon runners, and are looking to test themselves on a relatively fast hilly course. With an estimated walk time of 3 to 6 hours and run time of 2 to 4 hours, this promises to be an adventure worth remembering.

Registration for this distance will hopefully be at St Mary's Primary School, Chapel Lawn Road, Bucknell, Shropshire, SY7 0AA between 0900-0100, with race brief at 1015 and race start at 1030.

Parking is available at the finish line at the Shropshire Hills Discovery Centre, School Road, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RS. The Discovery Centre is a charity, and as such cars parked here will be charged £5, all of which will go to support the Centre.

The Heart Of Wales Line train leaves from Craven Arms Station at 0902, so if you are catching the train from here to the start we suggest arriving at the Discovery Centre by 0825, parking and then walking the half mile (15 mins) to the train station at Station Crescent, Craven Arms, Shropshire, SY7 9RR.

The 0902 train arrives at Bucknell at 0916 (14 mins) and is then a further 0.1 miles (3 mins) walk to the St Mary's Primary School. Alternatively you are welcome to make your own arrangements to get to the registration / start point.

There will be a baggage drop at the registration point. Your baggage will be transported to the finish line at the Discovery Centre after you have started your race.

Checkpoints: there will be no manned checkpoints between Bucknell and Craven Arms.

HOWL50: 0730 registration opens 0830 registration closes 0845 race brief 0900 race start

HOWL26: 0730 registration opens 0830 registration closes 0845 race brief 0900 race start

HOWL16: 0900 registration opens 1000 registration closes 1015 race brief 1030 race start

• There is a 24 hour cut off for the HOWL50, a 12 hour cut off for the HOWL 26 and a 6 hour cut off for the HOWL 16 meaning you need to be finished by the following times: HOWL50 - 0900 on Sunday 30th May HOWL26 - 2100 Saturday 29th May HOWL16 - 1430 Saturday 29th May

Yes, below is a list of the required kit for the race. Ultra and marathon athletes MUST have ALL the required items on the list and must be as described. There will be NO EXCEPTIONS as this is in the interest of your safety. The organisers’ decision is final. Half Howlathon runners only require the items marked with an asterisk, but are welcome to also carry the extra kit if they so wish.

We will be carrying out kit spot checks at the start/finish and the checkpoints. Any runner found to not be carrying all the compulsory kit will be disqualified, this is for your own safety and also ensures fairness as all entrants are carrying the same kit.

The level of protection of these items is at your discretion and this depends on your experience, budget and the prevailing circumstances and conditions expected on race day. Remember you might have to stop through injury or to help another athlete, but also temperatures can drop rapidly.

Rucksack/Race Vest - suitable for carrying the items on the compulsory kit list
Fully charged mobile phone – with emergency numbers saved
Means of hydration - ability to carry an absolute minimum of 2 litres of fluid
Cup/Mug/Bottle - no cups will be provided at checkpoints
Waterproof jacket
Hat
Gloves
Basic first aid kit (for example: dressings, plasters, micropore tape, blister kit, paracetamol, ibuprofen, personal medication etc.)
Map (covering full route) - Ideally OS map but printed sections off the website will suffice
Whistle
Waterproof trousers
Enough food for between checkpoints (no shops on route!)
Fleece (or similar warm upper body layer)
Survival/space blanket/bag
Head/chest torch and spare batteries, or a spare head torch if using a rechargeable one
Compass Ultra runners: all the above items need to be carried
Marathon runners: all the above items need to be carried
Half Marathon runners: only the items in bold need to be carried