The South Downs 20 miles is a beautiful route in a stunning location, through the South Downs National Park. It is an achievable, single loop race that is a great option for first time trail runners and, also a great way to prepare for marathons/longer events later in the year. Runners will start in Eastbourne and follow the South Downs Way to the Friston Forest and some fantastic woodland trails before heading towards the Seven Sisters and over Beachy Head back to the start. The views are spectacular and the course is a combination of grass trails with a few farm tracks and forest paths dotted throughout with 2900 feet of elevation. There are some hilly sections, but also flat parts too. The terrain is very runnable and not technical.
Our permits are granted through ARC. Permit Number: ARC/25/0372
Entry details
Entries are available on a first come, first served basis and once it is full, they will be closed. No waitlist will be in operation. No qualifier is needed in order to participate. Entries will close 2 weeks prior to the race or once entry limits are reached.
Refund, Deferral and transfer Policy
Any time up until March 2nd 2025 you are entitled to a 50% refund. After this time no refunds will be given. The only exception to this is pregnancy. In this case if you inform us before the race you will receive a full refund.
If you can no longer make the event, there is the option of deferring your place to 2026 or transferring it to another runner. Deferrals to the following year can only be made up until one week before race day and transferring to another runner must only be done one week before and, not after. Deferrals can only be made once. Pregnant women will be able to defer their place to 2027/28 if they wish and for a further 2 years if they fall pregnant again within that period. Please email neil@ukultra.co.uk if you wish to do either of these.
Elite Entries
We want highly competitive races at the sharp end of the fields and, welcome elite runners to come and compete for wins and course records. We do reserve places for elites and have packages in place to help. These are decided on an individual basis by the Race Director. If you are an elite runner and would like to take part then please email neil@ukultra.co.uk.
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- A fully signed and way marked route through the South Downs National Park
- A bespoke UK Ultra finisher medal
- Downloadable, high resolution, race photos
- 3 well stocked aid stations
- Chip timing to track runners progress and times
- 1 ITRA point
- Points towards runners UTMB Index
- Event insurance
- First aid and medical cover
- Great day out on the trails!
- Free shuttle bus from finish line to local hotels and Eastbourne Train Station
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