The Purbeck Running Festival

Fantastic scenery, big hills, fully signed and marshalled course

A fantastic large bespoke medal for all finishers

A technical t-shirt for all Ultra and Marathon finishers

Well stocked aid stations for the Ultra, Marathon and 16 mile races

An event village including teas, coffee, light snacks and cakes and a licenced bar

Toilets

Refreshments

Race HQ & 3 Mile start - Sandpit Field, Swanage, Dorset, BH19 1LA

All other race start - Prince Albert Gardens, Swanage, BH19 2A

Swanage is reached by one of two routes;

• Toll Ferry from Sandbanks (£3.50 per car incl passengers), along Ferry Rd and the B3351, through Studland Village and then take the left onto Ulwell Rd, signposted Swanage
  or
• From Wareham, take the A351 heading south through Corfe Castle and Harmans Cross.

Parking:

There is no specific parking for participants, however there are several public pay car parks.

The Purbeck Marathon takes place in Swanage, Purbeck and the Jurassic Coast which has spectacular history, landscapes and views. The course, with around 3,000 feet of climbs provides a predominately off-road marathon that is both challenging and rewarding.

The Marathon starts and finishes in Swanage in Dorset. From the Downs overlooking the beach, it heads towards Durlston Country Park and the Jurassic coast path, before going through the villages of Worth Matravers and Kingston.

It then heads towards Swyre Head, to pass Heavens Gate and along the ridge towards Tyneham Cap. From here it leaves the coast path and runs through the deserted village of Tyneham. The route then continues up onto and along the ridge of the Purbeck Hills towards Corfe Castle, to pass below the battlements of this 11th century castle and into the village square. The route then returns to the hill Ridgeway and heads towards Swanage, to finish back on the seafront.

The entire route has spectacular views which will help to combat fatigue. Weather permitting there will also be stunning views of Portland, Poole Harbour and the Isle of Wight. The Purbeck Marathon has a number of hard climbs and uneven paths but is signposted and marshalled throughout. It is not, in any way, comparable to running a city marathon. It is tough, but where else can you do your post race icing by going for a swim in the sea?!

There is a time limit of 7 hours, with progressive course closures, so please bear this, and the course profile in mind when applying. The Purbeck Marathon is the main event of The Purbeck Running Festival – a local community event, put on by volunteers, with the proceeds being distributed to charity.

Race Licence: This event is fully licenced by UK Athletics and held under their rules

Race numbers will be available to collect from the Race HQ at Sandpit Field at the below times

Friday 18th September - 4.00pm - 6.00pm
Saturday 19th September - 12.00noon - 8.00pm

Your individual time and position will be recorded by your timing chip. We will endeavour to display results as they come into the race centre, but please allow time for these to be manually processed. Results will be uploaded to www.nice-work.org.uk as soon as possible after the race. All entrants that have supplied a valid and legible email address will receive a copy of the results as soon as possible after the race.