Challenge Running Newsletter

September 2025

Welcome to the September 2025 and our 1st edition of the Newsletter.

We plan to do one of these newsletters each month. 

They will be emailed out to all or previous competitors and volunteers and will have any news, race updates and volunteer info all in one place delivered to your email inbox.

Obviously if you don't want to receive these you will be able to opt via the unsubscribe link at the bottom.

Lindley

News

New Race for 2026

We have a new race coming in 2026, it will be a winter race in the South East region. A trail run of around 80 miles with regular indoor checkpoints. Tracking, medical support and well stocked Checkpoints. Most likely in November. We are still at the early stages of planning and once finalised over the next couple of months we will open entries and reveal all. 

Trail Team

We are also (for 2026) going to build a " Trail Team " of volunteers to check our routes during the year and just before races. With all the events we do and the other activities such as Challenge First  Aid and  my expedition work we need volunteers to help us manage the routes. Routes have been split into sections and you will get substantial discounts of the race you check the route of and our other races if you help us out. Please see the Trail Team section of the website for more info and how to get involved. 

https://www.challenge-running.com/contents/3257-trail-team

Thetford Backyard Festival

for 2026 our Thetford backyard changes it's name to the Thetford Backyard Festival where we will offer several entry options, full event, 12 hour and 6 hour races. This will give those of us new to backyards or those with more modest targets a lower price point for the event. You will automatically be DNF at your max hours and also can not continue past your hours. See race info. 

Race Updates

T184

This is the last running of this iconic event starting on September 4th at 2pm and you can see the race info on the race page https://www.challenge-running.com/e/t184-10206

Live race tracking is here https://live.opentracking.co.uk/25t184/

Thetford Backyard Ultra

We are all set for the 1st running of this event as a low key alternative date to our more serious SBYU, same route and planning just a bit lower key. Next year we hope to build on this years event and make it more of a festival. 

Stort30

Very pretty fast, flat 30 mile trail race with great support and checkpoints. The 1st ever race we organised in 2012. 

Peddars Way Ultra

Classic 48 mile trail run from Knettishal Heath to Holme Next the Sea in Winter.

Flat and runnable in an almost straight line,

St Peters Way

Winter 43 mile trail race from Chipping Ongar to St Peters Chapel at Bradwell on Sea, the oldest Chapel in the UK. The best of the Essex countryside with a little mud thrown in. 

TR250

Iconic 250 mile trail race, running since 2009.

You have 100 hours to cover 250ish miles along riverside and canal paths.

With a finish rate of well below 50% it's not as easy as you would think a flat course should be. 

SBYU

Our biggest and best Backyard race, home of the UK record performances for both male and female runners and a previous world record holding event. Flat, fast and well supported with the largest entry limit of any UK race at 500 and the 1st Backyard race on Mainland UK. 

Volunteering

Our events don't happen without the amazing support of our volunteers ensuring you are well looked after at every event.

We still need volunteers for the Thetford Backyard event October 13th-15th and the Stort30 on October 26th, if you can spare some time we would be most grateful. 

As always volunteers get volunteer points for each hour they help and can use these to pay for future races up to 3 years from when they earn them. Plus all the crappy CP food you can eat!

We really want to get more clubs involved in volunteering at our events, we will give whover volunteers at the event the usual points but also for each CP location staffed by a club we are willing to donate a few places for that years event to the club to use or raffle off or give to runners they choose in any way they want. If you are a club member and think you can get a team together to take over a CP at an event we want to hear from you. We are happy to have you bring club banners and branding to promote your club at the CP. 

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