Take on tough terrain, demanding distances and test your strength and stamina.
Whether you’re a running pro or complete novice, anyone can take on one of the most extreme races taking place in Gloucestershire in 2020.
Ranging from brutal challenges of stamina and endurance to thoroughly good fun in full fancy dress, sign up and get training for 16 of the most extreme Gloucestershire runs that are worth putting your trainers on for.
Testing even the fittest of runners, Gloucester City Marathon will return on Sunday 19 January 2020 to challenge contestants as they make their way around the gruelling 26.2-mile course.
The route takes in some of the city’s most iconic sights, including Gloucester Cathedral and Kingsholm Stadium, and will also offer a half marathon option for those who don’t want to tackle the full distance.
Explore the glorious Cotswolds Hills with a choice of three distances from 7k to an impressive 23k at the Maverick Adidas Terrex Original Race, taking place on Saturday 7 March 2020.
Starting at the magnificent Sudeley Castle, this testing trail leads runners up a steep single track, weaving through woodland and along some of the Cotswolds’ most famous routes.
With ditches, swamps, streams, a rifle range, walls, scramble nets and more, this 10-12k route around the Forest of Dean is not for the fainthearted.
Test yourself on some of the toughest terrain for an event that says ‘you will get wet, you will get muddy, you will be tested and you may not finish’ on Sunday 26 April 2020.
If fitness and nature are two of your favourite things, then look no further than the Westonbirt 10k on Thursday 7 May 2020.
Racers will compete along the greenest of courses, hailed as ‘one of the most beautiful running routes in the UK’ and all proceeds go straight back into the conservation of the beautiful arboretum.
Encompassing a full marathon, half marathon and quarter marathon route, runners on the Stroud Trail will take to the towpaths and test their stamina on Sunday 3 May 2020.
With glorious wrap-around views of the Cotswolds as you run, this challenging event will see runners of all abilities battle it out to cross the line first, with prizes for the first three runners in each category.
After drawing in the crowds in their masses last year, Rough Runner returns to Chipping Norton this spring, promising an even bigger and better fitness challenge on Saturday 23 and Sunday 24 May 2020.
Complete with obscene obstacles and a course that leads runners through the stunning Cotswold countryside, this event offers a choice of 5k, 10k and 15k distances.
Get stuck in at Warrior Mud Run, taking place in the stunning Forest of Dean on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 April 2020. Starting at Speech House Hotel in Coleford, runners on the 10k race will have to squelch their way through the off-road route, encountering deep pits of mud along the way.
There are also 5k and junior 5k runs too so everyone can take part.
Fitness fanatics and budding runners alike can push themselves to the limit at the Cheltenham Challenge with 5k, 10k and a half marathon all on offer this summer.
Taking place on Sunday 14 June 2020, all races begin at Cheltenham Racecourse and head across the scenic Cotswold Way, offering testing climbs and challenges along the way.
Get training for Forest of Dean Spring Trails Half Marathon, taking place on Sunday 29 March 2020. At just over 13 miles, the trail is not for the faint hearted. Meet outside The Speech House Hotel before commencing the off-road track. All proceeds go to local and national charities.
Team up and take part in this summer’s Forest of Dean Relay for Life, a community event which shows that people are stronger than cancer, in a 24-hour walking event, Saturday 27 June 2020.
Teams of between eight and 15 are invited to get involved, with each member taking turns to walk around the track for the duration of the event, with music, games, entertainment and food all on offer, turning the overnight event into a colourful celebration of life.
Returning for a second year, The Cotswold Way Challenge is set to push contestants to their limits on Saturday 27 to Sunday 28 June 2020 with a gruelling 100km route through the picture-perfect Cotswolds.
With a choice of walking, jogging or running, this testing route will start in Bath and finish up in Cheltenham.
Set to test keen runners and cyclists alike, Cheltenham Triathlon is returning for another year on Saturday 11 July 2020.
Testing their bodies, contestants will begin with a gruelling indoor swim followed by an off-road cycle and finish up with an energetic sprint around Pittville Park.
The 24-Hour Race in Cirencester will take place on Saturday 25 July 2020 in support of Cancer Research UK.
Competitors will run through the day and into the night in teams, pairs, or as valiant individuals. Entertainment will be provided on site for those who prefer to watch the race unfold rather than take part.
Spanning more than a few hundred acres of rough and rigorous terrain, the international Tough Mudder endurance race features some of the highest climbs, deepest mud pits and tiresome tribulations, testing entrants’ skill, determination and even sanity during the 5k event.
Tough Mudder will be returning to Badminton Estate on Saturday 15 August 2020, inviting Gloucestershire runners to take on obstacles such as island hopping; cage crawling; underwater tunnels; live wires; and walls of flames.
New for 2020, runners can take part in The Castle 265 run starting at Chepstow Castle. An uphill route, participants will encounter the Giant’s Cave before tackling 365 steps up to the Eagle’s Nest viewpoint. The 10k route will end back at the castle, where prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd places.
Grab those running shoes and take part in Cheltenham Running Festival, taking place at the racecourse on Sunday 7 June 2020. With options to partake in 5k, 10k, or half marathon runs, it really is a great opportunity to reach those fitness goals. The entire course involves running laps of the racecourse, where runners can take in the beautiful Cotswold scenery.
© SoGlos
Thursday 02 January 2020
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