Ultra marathons

For a truly monumental endurance challenge, sign yourself up to an ultra marathon. The category is huge - encompassing any event longer than a standard 26.2 mile marathon - which means that there is lots of variety available, including urban canal paths and precarious mountain ridges.

Clearly, an ultra marathon will take some serious training and is not suitable for someone who is new to running. Some ultra runs can be completed in a single day, like the popular Race to the Stones, but others are multi-day events and can cover hundreds of miles. For example, the Montane Spine Race traverses the entire Pennine Way - a ruthless 268-mile route across rough terrain that is tackled non-stop in winter. That is the extreme end of ultra marathons, though!

Although an intense challenge, ultra marathons can be enormously rewarding for competitors and often explore truly breathtaking scenery, following routes that regular marathons do not have the time to include. Once someone has completed their first ultra, it can be difficult to go back to normal marathons or even shorter distances!

FAQs

What distance is an ultra marathon?

Technically, an ultra marathon is any race that is longer than a regular marathon, which clocks in at 26.2 miles (42K). This means an ultra run could be 50K or 100K, running over a single day or across multiple days. There is a wide variety of ultra runs across the UK and abroad, so you can find races suited for beginners and experienced ultra runners alike.

What are the best UK ultra marathons?

As with above, the answer to this will depend on whether you are looking for a shorter, single day ultra run or something more extreme. The Threshold Trail Series - i.e. Race to the Stones and Race to the King - are among the most popular ultra marathons in the UK and you can choose to run 100K in one go or split it across two days, running 50K each time.