Session Distance: Race

Weald Challenge

I’ll be doing this race myself for the first time in 2025 so will offer more details afterwards. It looks like a beautiful trail from the video on this page and comes highly regarded. With 306 metres of elevation it’s certainly not flat. So where are the hills. The first few miles are uphill, Mile […]

Hastings 5 Miler

A great race put on by the best club in England. Not that I am biased. It’s a great start/finish, right in the centre of Hastings, in front of the town hall. There are normally big crowds to gather to cheer you in. One of my favourite finishes to any race. Always get a good […]

Rye to Hastings

One of my favourites due to variations and challenge that awaits. You can pretty much split this race into 4 segments. Segment 1 – Rye Nature Reserve  – a 5km stretch along the tarmac path. Dead flat but exposed to the elements. If the wind is against it’s pretty brutal. This part of the race […]

Loch Ness Marathon

Definitely a marathon on my wish list. I’ve heard excellent things about this race from fellow Hastings Runners that have taken part. The fact a large part of the route is downhill is certainly a selling point. Running alongside the Loch offers plenty of appeal and it’s clearly a well attended event with over 2,500 […]

Hove 10K

A Sussex Grand Prix race so should attract a strong field. Pretty much dead flat and the main issue will be the wind and how strong it’s blowing. It’s an out and back course where you complete 2 loops. So not ideal in that sense. It’s a 9am start so get yourself there in plenty […]

Great South Run

I’ve heard really positive things about the Great South Run and it’s a race I would love to do one year. The course is very flat and it attracts a strong field with a massive entry list. 10 Miles isn’t a distance we cover very often so it’s important to get the pacing right and […]

Bedgebury Half Marathon

The Bedgebury Half Marathon is a local race which I’ve yet to compete in myself. In fact, whisper this quietly, I’ve still yet to take part in any race (including park run) at Bedgebury. 🙄 The narrow Woodland Trails can be challenging but I’ve heard great things about the route and it’s traffic free which […]

Whitbread Hollow XC

An undulating route near Beachy Head. Not a race I’ve done myself but I do recall being told even the first place female runner was forced to walk at one stage.

Beachy Head Ultra

The Beachy Head Ultra is a new addition to this popular event. It takes in the Marathon route which starts in Eastbourne and heads inland through Jevington and Alfriston. It then heads South taking in some amazing views as runners tackle the challenging Seven Sisters and Birling Gap. When getting close to the finish the […]

Beachy Head Half

If you’re looking for a fast half marathon time then you’ve entered the wrong race or at least landed on the wrong pace. This isn’t one for maintaining a consistent pace with an elevation just shy of 500 metres (more according to other sources). The race starts with a steep incline as you make your […]

Beckley 10K

This is a challenging route with 9 hills to climb in just 10k. The total elevation is 155 metres. The first few kilometres are pretty much all up hill and you reach the highest point of the route around 3.8km. A nice downhill section (what goes up must come down) follows, but then a tough […]

Rye 10

A very difficult route to pace correctly. I love it. It means more calculations needed in my head to work out if I’m on target for goal pace. It’s a nice mental distraction. If you don’t have a time in mind, that’s good. But focus on good form up and down the hills. So keep […]

Winter 5K

The Hastings Runners club only races are excellent and surprisingly different to parkrun as they create a unique atmosphere. Some of my best 5K times have come running in these races, knowing those around me and having more determination to get to the finish line before they do. The race is free to enter if […]

Worthing 10K

The Worthing 10k is an excellent event with a flat route providing a great opportunity to run a PB. It’s a race I’ve entered several times before although I’m not 100% sure the route is the same when I took part. It started and finished on the prom, heading inland slightly, but generally there was […]

Santa Dash

Really this is a fun event and should be treated that way. And fun it is. Everyone dresses up in the Santa costume provided. Some regulars of the race and found ways to keep the costume in place, braces and velcro were witnessed when I tackled the race for the first time last year. I […]

Christmas Pudding Dash

I can’t really take this event seriously from a coach perspective. It’s a great event but it’s more about dressing up and celebrating Christmas than actually chasing a time or prize. Hence why I have given it such a low training load as the majority of my runners who have done this in the past […]

Staplehurst 10 Miler

The Staplehurst 10 Miler always takes place on the last Sunday of the year. It is also referred to as the EOY 10 (End of Year). The race is organised by Running & Riding, an events company that have been around since 2007 and host a number of races in the South East. I took […]

Chichester 10K

The Chichester 10k is a really strong event early in the season each year and normally attracts a stacked field. I took part for the first time in 2025 and really enjoyed it. The setting is brilliant, Goodwood race circuit, with plenty of parking and ample toilets. The race starts and finishes in front of […]

Eastbourne Half Marathon

Eastbourne is a local race to me and handily placed in the calendar a few weeks before Hastings Half. That said I’ve only ran it a few times and found it somewhat underwhelming on both occasions. Logistically it’s quite easy to get to with parking nearby and the start and finish located at Princes Park […]

Pier to Pier

This comes early in the calendar, mid February, so ideal if you are training for a spring Marathon. If you haven’t got your long run distance up to at least 12 miles (19.5km) prior to this race I would advise giving it a miss. Poor preparation for longer races such as this can significantly increase […]

London Marathon

It really doesn’t get any better than this. Arguably the biggest race in the World, so if you have entry and the opportunity to take part then that’s amazing. Training for a marathon is very important so if you are not part of the team or working with a running coach, then get in touch. […]

Hastings Half Marathon

A challenging route and if you are going for a specific time then having a clear strategy of how fast you want to run each kilometre or mile is important. There are pacers and if they match your target time then put your trust in them. The first 3 miles (5km) have several challenging hills […]

Pett XC

I’ve only done the Pett Cross Country a few times and that was to support my club. For anyone who has also done the Christmas Pudding Dash at Pett with Nice Work, it’s almost the same course. The distance has varied in the past, and generally falls somewhere between 4.5 – 5 miles. The race […]