This is a single loop event around the trails of East Sussex. Starting and finishing in the seaside town of Eastbourne, runners will begin over Beachy Head and the famous Seven Sisters before heading up towards Mount Harry, Blackcap and Lewes along the South Downs Way. The route then passes Mount Caburn, through Glynde and Firle before finishing back in Eastbourne. The views are spectacular, and the course is a combination of grass trails, farm tracks and woodland paths. There is 7,500 ft of elevation to navigate, but the route is generally very runnable and best described as rolling hills with some longer, steeper climbs also. The weather at this time of year can be unpredictable with anything from glorious crisp sunny days to strong winds, rain, sleet and snow. East Sussex, and the eastern side of the South Downs, lends itself to being ideal for a race at this time of year with it having probably the driest climate in the U.K. The terrain has fantastic drainage meaning although some places can and will become wet and muddy, it is generally speaking, very runnable all year round.
Permit: Our permits are granted through the ARC (permit pending)
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. In order to qualify you must have completed at least a marathon distance race within the last three years. This preferably should be a trail marathon, and having experience of running during darkness is also recommended although, neither are mandatory. Entries will close 2 weeks prior to the race or once entry limits are reached. Runners can enter before achieving this qualifier, but it must be updated before race day. Please get in touch by emailing neil@ukultra.co.uk if this applies to you.
Any time up until October 5th you are entitled to a 70% refund and 50% after until November 9th. After this point 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 2025 or transferring it to another runner. This can only be done up until 2 weeks before race day and, not after. Please email neil@ukultra.co.uk if you wish to do either of these.
We want highly competitive races at the sharp end of the fields and, welcome elite runners to come and compete for wins, course records and prize money. 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.