- Sat 13 Jun 2026
07:00
Age 18 & over
£139
- 53 km trail running + 1600 m ascent
Event overview
Thousands of adventurers have taken on the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge® - part of the UK’s biggest and best series of treks and trail runs for a wide range of ages, fitness and experience levels which raises £10+ million a year for charities!
You’ll get full support all the way so you can set a new 50km goal, conquer the 1st Half of the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge® and push yourself further for an important cause. If you’re up for a charity challenge this year, make it the Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge® .
The Ultra Challenge Experience
Do it at your own pace. The level of support enables you to go further. There are marquee rest stops, lots of food and drink, medical and massage teams, with a fully signed route to guide you.
A big finish-line celebration awaits with an amazing sense of achievement for you personally and also for your fundraising efforts.
Get Sponsored for Charity
You’ll be amazed how much you can raise on these tough challenges as friends and family will recognise and support your courageous endeavours - 50km is impressive! All fundraising goes directly to your charity via an online JustGiving page.
£10+ Million Fundraising
The series raises £10+ million a year for charities. Choose your charity, set up a JustGiving sponsorship page and make your challenge count!
Prefer to enter directly? General entry options are explained on the 1st Half page.
Event photos
Event video
Charity places
The charities below have places in the event. To secure your charity place, simply find a charity then book a charity place or join a charity team with your own place.
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- All fitness levels
- Beginner-friendly
- Event village
- Families
Your challenge, your way
Whether you’re a walker and new to challenge events, an experienced trekker, a marathon enthusiast upping the distance, or a seasoned ultra runner after ITRA points, there’s an Ultra Challenge® for you! Walk, Jog, or Run, as an Individual or a Team, for a charity of your choice or just for you. On the Full and 1st Half challenges, there’s a new Ultra Trailblazerz® for ‘rapid runners’, and an Ultra March® option for ‘hasty hikers’, plus a friendly ‘Solo Challenger’ start time to join up with others.
The Cotswold Way Ultra Challenge® is fun, safe, and rewarding, with full support all the way, enabling you to push yourself further in stunning English countryside.
Best support & hospitality
This Ultra Challenge® famously lays on the best support and hospitality available on any UK endurance-style event. This enables you to step up and confidently tackle an 'Ultra' distance, with the best chance of success - and to enjoy your challenge!
- Check points
- Distance markers
- Entertainment
- First aid
- Food stations
- Hilly
- Marshals
- Mass start
- Point to point
- Return transport
- Sleeping facilities
- Sweeper
- Toilets
- Water stations
- Way markers
Overview
The 1st Half of the Challenge starts at the basecamp in Cirencester and finishes in Wotton-under-Edge. The route is tough with 1600 metres of climb and there are steep ascents and descents taking you into the heart of this beautiful landscape with magnificent views out to the West.
Map
- Accommodation
- Bag transfer
- Bar
- BBQ
- Cafe
- Camping
- Changing facilities
- Entertainment
- Free parking
- Music
- Rural
- Secure bag storage
- Showers
- Toilets
- Urban
Event HQ
Cirencester Basecamp
Cirencester
Gloucestershire
GL7
UK
Accommodation
Cirencester - Friday and Saturday:
- Stay at the ‘university hall’ accommodation
- Single and twin rooms available
- Pre-registration on Friday
- Saturday breakfast included
- Baggage storage, hot showers and more
- Fundraising materials
- Fundraising support
How to start fundraising
You need to create your fundraising page on JustGiving within 48 hours of registering for your challenge. Then you can start your fundraising by sharing your page online with your friends and family.
Fundraise as a team
As long as you’re all fundraising for the same charity, you can create a team fundraising page on JustGiving. You will still have to reach the combined total fundraising amount as the target is per person, not per team.
Fundraising concerns
Speak to your charity about any worries. They are the experts and will offer you support, materials and inspiration throughout.
Remember only 50% of the target has to be reached 3 weeks before the challenge meaning you’ve got time after the challenge to impress everyone with your achievement and keep on fundraising.
Help for you
If you don’t reach the fundraising target, there are alternative options. You can always change to a self-funded place and still take part in the challenge.
Next steps
Once you've got your charity place, your details will be passed to the charity and you will hear from them within 14 days.
- Camping
- Chip timing
- Event app
- GPS tracking
- Map
- Massage
- Medal
- Pre-event training sessions
- Training plan
- T-shirt
Included
- Snacks and drinks every 10-15km
- 24km | picnic lunch and fizzy drinks
- 53km | hot meal
- Finish | glass of fizz, medal and t-shirt
Bookable extras
- Camping packages
- Parking
- Pre challenge transfer
- Post challenge transfer
- Baggage transfers
- Challengers meal
