Challenge Running Ltd

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Challenge Running Ltd

Trail Running Event organiser. home of the UK's largest Backyard Ultra and other ultra distance races.

12/10/2026

There's still time to get your name on the list of volunteers for the Stort30. If you can offer some time to help, please complete the volunteer form on our website:
www.challenge-running.com/contents/3109-volunteers

Our events rely on your support to make them the success they are. And remember, points make races!

10/10/2026

We can't believe it. Featured in another
magazine! First the Opulent Traveller and now (older than) Seventeen.

This month we have another complete spread helping you choose the perfect race for you.

Make sure you take the quiz and let us know what you end up with in the comments!

(Did this take me longer than I'd like to admit? Yes
Could AI have done it quicker? Probably
Are Canva and I still friends? Questionable
Will Lindley like being featured? He's in Borneo. It
doesn't matter)

09/10/2026

We've all had that conversation or
thought...

What would your race concept be?

Best one gets added to the Challenge Running
calendar... (well probably not but Lindley's in Borneo
again so I can make false promises...)

07/10/2026

Good morning runners and riders. Stort30 will be upon us in just two and a half weeks and we really need some more volunteers to help keep us on track:

We need 2 markers/sweepers to mark the course from 6am and then stay at CP3 and return collecting markers sweeping (snacks will be available).

Another person for each CP location or two even.

Another 1 or two for setup/HQ etc.

Remember that hours make points and points make races, so everyone wins!

05/10/2026

You know you want to.

Maybe you want to squeeze one in before the end of the year in which case the Stort30 and St Edmund Way Ultra are calling your name.

Maybe you're looking ahead and planning your 2027? Peddars Way, Peters Way, Thames Ring, Backyard Ultras, 24 hours... There's so much to choose from.

You can't go wrong with a challenge running event 🤩

https://www.challenge-running.com/calendars/sport-events

30/09/2026

St Edmund Way Ultra is new for 2026, and there's something special about running a race nobody has ever finished before.

It's 80 miles through Essex, Suffolk and Norfolk, starting at 10am on Saturday 5th December. You'll have 28 hours to reach the finish, which means a proper winter night out on the trail with just your headtorch, your thoughts and whoever happens to be nearby. It won't be easy, and that's the point. December ultras have a way of stripping everything back, and the ones you finish tend to be the ones you remember.

There are four checkpoints along the way, live tracking so the people at home can follow every step (and see exactly how long you spent at CP3), and a bus back to the start on Sunday morning once it's all done. We're still finalising a few details, but the date and distance are set.

Whoever crosses the line this December will be the first to finish it. Thirty people have already entered, and because early entries are cheaper, it pays not to wait. Entries are open now.

https://www.challenge-running.com/e/st-edmund-way-ultra-13957

27/09/2026

Looking for your first ultra? Stort30 is a great place to start.

30 miles, a flat and runnable riverside route, regular checkpoints and an 8 hour cut off make it a straightforward step beyond marathon distance without throwing you straight into mountains and technical trails.

Already an ultra runner? It’s a chance to really settle into your rhythm on a fast, runnable course.

And if 2027 is more your thing, the reduced early entry price is still available until 50 people have entered.

Stort30 2026 | 25 October | 30 miles | Bishop’s Stortford

Your first ultra could start here.

👀 Can we tempt you?

https://www.challenge-running.com/e/stort30-10280

22/09/2026

Apparently, 90's nostalgia is a thing.

If you were a kid in the 90s you were basically raised to run ultras. Here's why...

1. You already know how to spend hours being uncomfortable
Have you ever sat through a family car journey with no entertainment.
Ultra.

2. You understand delayed gratification
We waited until Saturday morning to watch cartoons.
You can wait 40 miles for the good checkpoint food.

3. You know how to function without technology
Your Nokia 3210 had Snake and that was considered plenty.
You can handle having to save the battery on your phone.

4. You have experience with questionable nutrition
Space Raiders. Sunny Delight. Turkey Twizzlers. Panda Pops.
Your nutritional strategy has nowhere to go but up.

5. You remember when entertainment involved going somewhere
The woods. The park. The field. The local swimming pool.
An ultra is essentially an extremely long trip to somewhere.

6. You have already completed several endurance events
School sports day.
Duke of Edinburgh.
Waiting for your parents in a queue while they bought something from Argos.
You know endurance.

Send this to someone who really should enter a/another ultra...

18/09/2026

Hi all, Ben has finished uploading all the photos from last weekend's TBYU.

These are free to download and share as you wish.

Hopefully you find some good ones you are in but please remember Ben was doing us a favour as the smaller events don't have the budget for a full media team and there was only one of him.

https://www.picdrop.com/benroake/ABYCvxFdEM

Let us know what you think.

Lindley

15/09/2026

Hi all. Just a quick message to thank everyone who took part in this weekend's TBYU.

No matter what your distance we saw some massive PB's and amazing running all the way through.

You will have an email asking you to review the race in your inbox from the Saturday and if you have some time to review the race we would appreciate it.

I would like to publicly thank my amazing volunteers for putting in all the hard work looking after everyone and helping set the event up and take it down after.

Mandy our kitchen manager
Clair and Richard helping in the kitchen.
Joe, Jon and Andrew who camped people and kept the site clean and serviced toilets.
Stephen and Kate who helped check stuff each hour and managed the car parking and generally looking after everything.

Lisa our volunteer manager doing stuff behind the scenes.

Our social media team Jen and Robyn posting out during the event from the background.

Ben taking photos.

The High Lodge team.

Hopefully see you next year or at another of our events before then.

Lindley

Address

Suite 108, Communications House
Colchester
CO27NN

Website

http://www.challenge-running.com/

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