Saturday February 7th 2026, Queen Elizabeth Country Park.
5.30am: Registration and kit check opens.
7.30am: Registration and kit check closes.
9am: Race start.
5pm: Race finish, Queen Elizabeth Country Park.
The race will start and finish in Queen Elizabeth Country Park. There will be toilets available. The What3Word location is
https://w3w.co/cools.monks.rational
There is plenty of free parking next to the start finish area
https://w3w.co/argued.recruiter.overruns
Once this parking is full there will be more available in the main carpark. There is a very small charge for this of around £2 per hour or £7 for the day. This carpark is a 5 min walk to the start/finish area and registration.
https://w3w.co////package.dustbin.plotting
Race numbers will not be sent out but must be collected at registration.
Please make sure that all the information you have given us is correct and updated if it has changed since signing up. This includes Next of Kin details, your mobile number, any medical issues and medication you are taking. This is all very important if a situation arises during the race. You can update this by going to your Eventrac account or if you don’t have one, then the confirmation email you received when entering will enable you to manage your entry. If you can’t find this email, then please get in touch and we can send you another.
On race weekend we will be using the App What3Words. We ask that all runners please download it to their mobile phone if possible and make sure the location setting is switched on. All runners will be wearing a GPS tracker however, if for any reason this stops working or signal is lost, then this app will allow everyone to give us their exact location if lost, or in an emergency. It’s very easy to use and could be very important.
https://what3words.com/products/what3words-app
Please be sure to download the GPX file as close to race day as possible. This can be found below. There have been a few small adjustments made already to the route recently, and there is always the possibility of more diversions popping up beforehand. If you have downloaded it already, then please do so again and do it as close to race day as possible. Route GPX
There will be 2 very well stocked aid stations along the route which are listed below with both of these being indoors. Please be aware that all runners must be manually checked off at each station and must physically go to each one. Aid stations will carry a wide range of food and drink. They will cater for everyone’s needs including vegan, vegetarian and gluten free.
As a minimum, the below will be available at the aid stations:
There are no cutoffs for this race along the route but runners must be finished by 5pm.
There are no crew or pacers allowed for this race. Supporters are welcome along the route but please not at aid station locations. This is very important due to Landowner requests. We will disqualify runners if their supporters turn up at these locations. We of course like supporters to come and cheer on their runners but must always be aware of upsetting landowners and local residents along the route. There are not many places for supporters to watch runners on the route and we ask that they only watch from the this location at Harting Down. Parking up at any other location is going to cause upset with landowners and local residents so please tell supporters not to.
Runners will have the choice of leaving their finish line bag at the start area in Queen Elizabeth Country Park where it will remain safe until collected.
The course is predominantly on easy going trails with small road sections as well. At the time of year the race takes place the ground should be soft, wet, muddy and even frozen. We therefore suggest that trail shoes with a moderate to aggressive grip are suitable. We will send more details out during race week to confirm the underfoot conditions.
Runners must carry the following equipment with them at all times and will be disqualified for failing kit checks. Inspections will take place before, during, and after the race.
It is not mandatory but we do suggest you bring the following:
The course will be thoroughly marked with our UK Ultra arrows and ribbons. Even though the course will be thoroughly marked, it is the runner’s responsibility to navigate it successfully. We do however suggest you try and recce the route as much as possible, and STRONGLY suggest you download the GPX file onto your GPS, handheld or mobile device. Unfortunately, sometimes markers do get removed by members of the public or turned in the opposite direction.
Even though we will mark the route as thoroughly as possible, please don't rely on this. Having the GPX downloaded will save you a lot of hassle in this situation as it is very accurate, and you can easily navigate the route with this alone if markers are tampered with. This doesn't happen very often however, all it takes is for one marker to be tampered with to send you in the wrong direction.
We ask all runners to please not wear earphones during the race. This is purely for Health and Safety reasons when crossing roads, if we try to call and hearing instructions from Marshall’s. As mentioned, if we need to call you for any reason during the race then it is important you can hear your phone. Bone Conduction are ok.
There are several road crossings along the route, some of which are very busy and potentially dangerous. It is your responsibility as runners to always navigate these road crossings safely. Please pass along and cross these as you normally would by using the Highway Code and staying on the righthand side against the flow of cars when on country lanes. A few small sections will entail running on country lanes without pavements, so please stay on the right and be cautious. There will be marshals at some of these crossings however, the majority will be unmanned, so please take your time and be sensible when navigating them.
There are also small carparks along the route that can potentially be dangerous. Please be cautious of vehicles when approaching and passing through these.
Please be aware that the race route follows trails, paths and fields that will be shared by other members of the public and livestock. It is very important to be polite, courteous, and kind at all times. Just because you are in a race does not give you priority over them. Please be cautious when running through fields with livestock. Please approach and pass them slowly and cautiously.
The route backs onto homes at many points during the race, but please be especially considerate at nighttime and in the early morning where the race passes through residential areas. There must be absolutely no littering along the course. Anyone seen doing so will be disqualified. There will also be times where the race passes through farmers’ fields with livestock in, and it is essential that all gates are please closed after using them. Failure to do this will obviously mean livestock can potentially escape.
There will be an experienced team of race medics available to runners before, during and after the event including first aid teams, response cars and ambulances. There is the possibility due to some locations on the course that the medical team might take some time to reach you. In this situation you should call 999.
We have teamed up with Mick Hall Photos to cover the event. These images will be FREE to all runners and will be available a few days after the event.
Please do not get in touch asking when they will be ready immediately after the event. This has nothing to do with us and the photos will be ready once the photographer has had time to process them all. As soon as they are ready they will be made available on the website and sent out via email.
Hibernal Hills 20 mile is a UTMB Index Race and has been awarded 1 ITRA point. Results will be sent to UTMB and ITRA about a week after the event has finished so please be patient with this. If you would not like us to share your results with any of these three then please let us know.