Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon
From Race Harborough
- Date Sat 20th June 2026
- Time 08:00
- Location Marlow Park, Grafham Water, Grafham, Huntingdon, PE28 0BH.
- Price £42.66 - £74.50
- Races 2 races
- Distances Marathon, Ultra
Last chance to enter
Race day is fast approaching
Popular
Booked 8 times recently
Event summary
Get ready for an unforgettable day of running at the Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon, organized by Race Harborough on Saturday, 20th June 2026! This exciting event features two incredible race distances: a challenging 50-mile Ultra and a scenic Marathon, both winding through the stunning rural landscapes and ancient woodlands of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, and Northamptonshire along the picturesque Three Shires Way.
Whether you're a seasoned runner or just starting out, these races are designed to inspire and motivate. The routes are well-marked and beginner-friendly, ensuring a smooth navigation experience. Participants will gather at their respective race headquarters, with the Ultra starting at Hanslope Village Hall and the Marathon kicking off at Yelden Village Hall, both leading to the beautiful finish line at Marlow Park, Grafham Water.
With professional support on the course, hydration stations, and a fantastic community spirit, the Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon promises to be more than just a race—it's a celebration of resilience, camaraderie, and the great outdoors. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this amazing event!
Whether you're a seasoned runner or just starting out, these races are designed to inspire and motivate. The routes are well-marked and beginner-friendly, ensuring a smooth navigation experience. Participants will gather at their respective race headquarters, with the Ultra starting at Hanslope Village Hall and the Marathon kicking off at Yelden Village Hall, both leading to the beautiful finish line at Marlow Park, Grafham Water.
With professional support on the course, hydration stations, and a fantastic community spirit, the Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon promises to be more than just a race—it's a celebration of resilience, camaraderie, and the great outdoors. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this amazing event!
Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon
Sat 20th June 2026
Organiser's Description
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
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 account (please note: an admin fee will apply 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.
The routes
Linking with the Swan’s Way at the start, the 49 mile Three Shires Way takes in the county boundaries of Bucks, Beds and Northants at Threeshire Wood, with a 12.4 mile loop around Grafham Water to finish. We’ve added a section to the village hall at Hanslope to get to the magic 50, and created a marathon route that starts at Yelden.
Route Diversion - 50 Mile Ultra 2026
We have been advised by Bedford Borough Council that a section of the Three Shires Way is closed at present. The section between Clifton Reynes and Knotting has now become dangerously rutted, with grooves several inches deep for large portions of this track. Therefore, we have had to divert the Three Shires Way Ultra route using alternative footpaths and bridleways.
The diverted route now leaves Clifton Reynes towards Newton Blossomville at 10.2 miles; passing through Newton Blossomville (11.2 miles), Turvey (12.6 miles), Carlton (15 miles), Harrold-Odell Country Park (16 miles), Odell (16.7 miles), and Souldrop (20.5 miles), before rejoining the Three Shires Way at 21.9 miles just before Knotting.
As with all of the course, we will ensure that the diversion is well marked with red and white tape on the trails and black arrows on a yellow background on the road sections.
A copy of the amended GPX file can be downloaded using the link below.
The GPX file for the Marathon can also be downloaded below - this route remains unchanged.
50 Mile Ultra: Download GPX (right click, save link as)
Marathon: Download GPX (right click, save link as)
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.
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.
Latest updates
For the latest updates about this and other Race Harborough events, please Like & Follow the Race Harborough Facebook page.
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)
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
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 account (please note: an admin fee will apply 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.
The routes
Linking with the Swan’s Way at the start, the 49 mile Three Shires Way takes in the county boundaries of Bucks, Beds and Northants at Threeshire Wood, with a 12.4 mile loop around Grafham Water to finish. We’ve added a section to the village hall at Hanslope to get to the magic 50, and created a marathon route that starts at Yelden.
Route Diversion - 50 Mile Ultra 2026
We have been advised by Bedford Borough Council that a section of the Three Shires Way is closed at present. The section between Clifton Reynes and Knotting has now become dangerously rutted, with grooves several inches deep for large portions of this track. Therefore, we have had to divert the Three Shires Way Ultra route using alternative footpaths and bridleways.
The diverted route now leaves Clifton Reynes towards Newton Blossomville at 10.2 miles; passing through Newton Blossomville (11.2 miles), Turvey (12.6 miles), Carlton (15 miles), Harrold-Odell Country Park (16 miles), Odell (16.7 miles), and Souldrop (20.5 miles), before rejoining the Three Shires Way at 21.9 miles just before Knotting.
As with all of the course, we will ensure that the diversion is well marked with red and white tape on the trails and black arrows on a yellow background on the road sections.
A copy of the amended GPX file can be downloaded using the link below.
The GPX file for the Marathon can also be downloaded below - this route remains unchanged.
50 Mile Ultra: Download GPX (right click, save link as)
Marathon: Download GPX (right click, save link as)
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.
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.
Latest updates
For the latest updates about this and other Race Harborough events, please Like & Follow the Race Harborough Facebook page.
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)
Races
-
50 Miles
Sat 20th June 2026 (08:00)
£74.50
UK Athletics (UKA) save £2.00
Trail Running Association (TRA) save £2.00
Booking for more than 1? -
Marathon
Sat 20th June 2026 (10:45)
£42.66
UK Athletics (UKA) save £2.00
Trail Running Association (TRA) save £2.00
Booking for more than 1?
Reviews
Doing this event?
First-hand event reviews from people who have been there, done that and got the breathable T-shirt, really help everyone choose their next event. You'll be able to review this event once it's taken place.
Location
Grafham Water, PE28 0BH, United Kingdom
Who's In
See who else is doing this event
Maybe
Three Shires Way Ultra & Marathon
