Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon

50 Mile Ultra and Marathon distance races through the quiet rural landscapes and ancient woodlands of Bucks, Beds and Northants along the Three Shires Way.

Race information

Whether you’re stepping up in distance or looking for a decent challenge through wonderful countryside, both races are suitable for beginners and seasoned runners alike.

Being a bridleway the routes are well way marked, so navigation is made fairly easy (and we’ll mark any sections where you may need some help!).

Both races are licensed by the TRA and will be held under UKA rules.

TRA Race Licence

Entries

Entries will soon be available on Let’s Do This, and are priced at £70 for the 50 mile ultra and £40 for the Marathon. Runners who are members of a club affiliated to UK Athletics receive a £2 discount.

Minimum age for entry is 20 years old on race day for the 50 miler, and 18 years old on race day for the Marathon.

The race cut-off times are 14 hours for the 50 miler and 8 hours for the Marathon, and there will be progressive cut-off times in place at various checkpoints based on the race cut-off times. Details on the location of checkpoints and cut-off times can be viewed/downloaded here.

No pacers are permitted in either race.

Entries, and transfer of entries, will close 7-days before the event.

Start time/location

50 Mile Ultra
Race HQ and the Start is located at Hanslope Village Hall, Newport Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes MK19 7NZ

Registration will be open from 07:00. The race will start at 08:00.

The finish is located within Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon PE28 0BH

Marathon
Race HQ and the Start is located at Yelden Village Hall, Spring Ln, Yelden MK44 1AT

Registration will be open from 09:30. The race will start at 10:45.

The finish is located within Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon PE28 0BH

Transport to the start

As both races are from point to point, we will be operating coaches from the Finish, at Marlow Park, Grafham Water, to the respective Start lines as follows:

50 Mile Ultra
Coach departs Marlow Park: 06:00
Coach arrives Hanslope VIllage Hall: 07:10

Marathon
Coach departs Marlow Park: 09:25
Coach arrives Yelden VIllage Hall: 10:00

You can book your place on the coaches, priced at £14, when making your entry. You can also add a place on the coach after you have made your entry by logging into your Let’s Do This account (please note: Let’s Do This will charge an admin fee if adding a coach place after you have made your entry).

Parking

Parking at the finish at Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon, PE28 0BH, will be available to runners at a reduced price of £5 for the day. Instructions on how to pay for parking will be made available in the race pack, which will be emailed out before race day.

Getting dropped off

If you plan to get dropped at the start of the race, the start locations are as follows:

50 Mile Ultra – Hanslope Village Hall, Newport Road, Hanslope, Milton Keynes. MK19 7NZ.
Marathon – Yelden Village Hall, Spring Ln, Yelden. MK44 1AT.

On-course support

As with all Race Harborough events, there will be professional first aid on hand at the start and finish with the ability to access runners on the course. Race Harborough volunteers will also be on-course to provide hydration and nutrition at a number of checkpoints/aid stations on the routes.

Kit

Trail shoes are advisable as there will be a mix of terrain throughout. In terms of mandatory kit, the following must be carried:

- Full charged mobile phone including the numbers of the Race Director and Race Medic
- Water bottle/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre
- Survival blanket
- Waterproof jacket (suggested)
- Whistle
- Our races are cupless, so you will be required to bring your own cup
- Long sleeved base layer or fleece top (50 miler only)
- Reflective top/bands (50 miler only)
- Hat and gloves (50 miler only)
- Headtorch (50 miler only) – sunset is due to be at 9:54pm

Prizes

There will be prizes for top 3 male and female finishers in both races, and all finishers will receive a specially commissioned event medal.

Race merchandise

Men’s and Women’s short sleeved technical t-shirts (£16), black unisex hoodies (£25) and black trucker caps (£15) will be available to purchase via Let’s Do This. These can be pre-ordered up to 3 weeks before the event. If you decide to log back in to amend your order (to order merchandise, not to edit details), then Let’s Do This will charge an additional card handling fee.

There will not be t-shirts/hoodies available for purchase on race day, although trucker caps will be available to purchase. A link to the sizing charts is available here: MALE / FEMALE / HOODIE

Free race photos!

As with all Race Harborough events – you don’t pay for your race pics! Free digital downloads of your race are available to download soon after the race finishes and we’ll announce their availability on our Facebook page.

Charity

For 2026, the main focus of our charity support will continue to be the Jubilee Foodbank, Market Harborough, and the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank, Northampton. Everyone who enters a Race Harborough event in 2026 will be given the opportunity to make a donation to support these good causes and, we hope, our event community will rise to the challenge and help make a difference to those that need it most.

On-course support

As with all Race Harborough events, there will be professional first aid on hand at the start and finish with the ability to access runners on the course. Race Harborough volunteers will also be on-course to provide hydration and nutrition at a number of checkpoints/aid stations on the routes.

Kit

Trail shoes are advisable as there will be a mix of terrain throughout. In terms of mandatory kit, the following must be carried:

- Full charged mobile phone including the numbers of the Race Director and Race Medic
- Water bottle/Bladder capable of carrying a minimum of 1 litre
- Survival blanket
- Waterproof jacket (suggested)
- Whistle
- Our races are cupless, so you will be required to bring your own cup
- Long sleeved base layer or fleece top (50 miler only)
- Reflective top/bands (50 miler only)
- Hat and gloves (50 miler only)
- Headtorch (50 miler only) – sunset is due to be at 9:54pm

Prizes

There will be prizes for top 3 male and female finishers in both races, and all finishers will receive a specially commissioned event medal.

Race merchandise

Men’s and Women’s short sleeved technical t-shirts (£16), black unisex hoodies (£25) and black trucker caps (£15) will be available to purchase via Let’s Do This. These can be pre-ordered up to 3 weeks before the event. If you decide to log back in to amend your order (to order merchandise, not to edit details), then Let’s Do This will charge an additional card handling fee.

There will not be t-shirts/hoodies available for purchase on race day, although trucker caps will be available to purchase. A link to the sizing charts is available here: MALE / FEMALE / HOODIE

Free race photos!

As with all Race Harborough events – you don’t pay for your race pics! Free digital downloads of your race are available to download soon after the race finishes and we’ll announce their availability on our Facebook page.

Charity

For 2026, the main focus of our charity support will continue to be the Jubilee Foodbank, Market Harborough, and the Weston Favell Centre Foodbank, Northampton. Everyone who enters a Race Harborough event in 2026 will be given the opportunity to make a donation to support these good causes and, we hope, our event community will rise to the challenge and help make a difference to those that need it most.

Course Records

Marathon – 4:21:36 Lewis Hyde (2025) and Emily Gent 4:11:24 (2025)
50 Miles – 7:01:39 Charlie Cook (2025) and Oana Sposub 10:57:05 (2025)