Continuing the theme of breaking down races, we’ve turned our eyes to some of the longest races spread across the UK & Ireland. These races will definitely require you to dig deep and we’re not talking about your tub of Vaseline. We also wanted to waffle on about the continuous muscle fatigue, sleep deprivation, gastrointestinal distress, blistering and chafing, mental fatigue, psychological challenges you’ll need to overcome, but we’d rather just cut to the chase.
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11. The Kerry Way Ultra
The Kerry Way Ultra starts and finishes in the town of Killarney, which serves as a gateway to the Kerry Way. Runners follow the waymarked trail, which passes through some of the most stunning scenery in Ireland, including the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks mountain range, Killarney National Park, and the Wild Atlantic Way. The terrain varies from rugged mountain paths to forest trails and country roads.
There are two options for entrants to The Kerry Way Ultra. Tortoise is a 6am Start with a 40 hour limit and Hare is a 10am Start with a 36 hour limit. With around 17,000ft of ascent across the route you might want to put your pride to one side and start with the rest of the reptiles.
10. Silva Northern Traverse
The route traverses the north of England from the west coast to the east coast through three National Parks; The Lake District, The Yorkshire Dales, and The North York Moors. Taking in iconic mountains, valleys, moors and ~6,500m of ascent, the SILVA Northern Traverse is one of the most spectacular ultra races in the world.
The route typically starts in St. Bees, a picturesque coastal village in Cumbria on the west coast of England, and finishes in Robin Hood’s Bay, a charming fishing village on the east coast of North Yorkshire. Along the way, hikers traverse the Lake District National Park, Yorkshire Dales National Park, and North York Moors National Park, experiencing a variety of terrain ranging from rugged mountains and rolling hills to picturesque valleys and coastal cliffs.
The Northern Traverse offers hikers the opportunity to immerse themselves in the natural beauty and rich cultural heritage of northern England, passing through charming villages, historic towns, and iconic landmarks along the route. Highlights include crossing the rugged fells of the Lake District, exploring the limestone pavements of the Yorkshire Dales, and enjoying panoramic views from the moors of the North York Moors.
While the Northern Traverse is not as well-known as some other long-distance trails in the UK, such as the Pennine Way or the Coast to Coast Walk, it offers a unique and challenging adventure for runners seeking to explore the wild and remote landscapes of northern England from coast to coast.
9. Hardmoors 200
The route of the Hardmoors 200 traverses the rugged and scenic terrain of the North York Moors, incorporating sections of the Cleveland Way National Trail, coastal paths, forest tracks, and moorland trails. Runners experience a variety of terrain, including steep ascents and descents, rocky paths, muddy tracks, and exposed ridgelines, as they make their way through the national park.
Navigating the course can be challenging, especially during adverse weather conditions or when running through the night. Familiarity with the route and good navigation skills would avoid losing time for navigation errors and ultimately completing the race in the designated 60 hours.
Overall, the Hardmoors 200 is a gruelling ultra marathon that tests the physical and mental endurance of participants, with ~24,000ft ascent as you navigate the challenging terrain across the Wolds Way and North York Moors.
8. Wild Horse 200 / South Wales 200 mile
We’ve taken the words straight from the Wild Horse 200’s website and if you want to get a sense of what you could be in for check out this Day 1 clip from Kelp & Fern below.
We could tell you that this is the toughest challenge on the planet and we’d be absolute jerks. This 200 mile adventure is very much achievable with the right approach. We take great personal pride in going above and beyond to help each and every runner progress along the course.
All in all you have 120 hours (5 days) to complete a 200 mile trail run across South Wales. The longest it has taken someone to complete the course is 116 hours. The route has approx. 30,000ft of climbing. It’s one life changing adventure across the trails and mountains of South Wales, along Offa’s Dyke, traversing the Beacons Way before catching the Heart Of Wales Line on to the Wales Coast Path and finish line at Worm’s Head.
The race is well supported with aid stations serving food and drink, sleep stations, a skilled medical team, live tracking of runners, and unique finisher buckles as well as other Wild Horse swag to take home… After running 200 miles.
7. Destiny 200
The Destiny 200 follows the Dales Way to Ilkley, then picks up the Dales Way Link to the Dales High Way and then the twist in the tail up to the awesome High Cup Nick before returning to Appleby for an epic journey. Eighty-Two hours to complete 200 miles of the most breath-taking views and brutal trails England has to offer with over 25,000ft of ascent!
The epitome of Beauty and the Beast, Your Destiny awaits…
6. The Bridge & Tunnel Ultra’s
The Bridge Ultra is approximately 50 laps of the Old Severn Bridge. You have 55 hours to complete the 200 miles. This extremely difficult challenge even adds a bit of elevation with the potential of crosswinds just to keep you cool.
The Tunnel is described as a mind bending test of extreme endurance and sensory deprivation. This challenge is a 200 mile ultramarathon through the darkness of the UK’S longest foot tunnel. There’s a slight climb in the tunnel, which soon racks up the ascent (5,477ft in total) in the pitch black between 11pm and 5am, there will be low level lighting in effect at other times.
The Combe Down tunnel is in Bath, Somerset and there will be a check point at the south end of the tunnel. You will have 55 hours to run approximately 100 ‘out-n-backs’, or 200 times through the tunnel, which is possibly the greatest mileage ultramarathon ever run 99% underground.
5. Race Across Scotland 215 mile
The Race Across Scotland is a remarkable & unique 215 mile coast to coast ultra marathon that follows the beautiful Southern Upland Way with support right across Scotland.
This is a breath taking Scottish National trail taking runners from the beautiful coastline of Portpatrick, over the mountains, along the valleys, through the forests of the Southern Uplands and along trails steeped in history with live tracking.
4. Thames Ring 250
The Thames Ring 250 is an ultra marathon race in the United Kingdom that follows the Thames Path National Trail along the River Thames. As the name suggests, the race covers a distance of approximately 250 miles. It typically starts and finishes in Streatley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, and consists of a loop course that takes participants along the Thames Path through picturesque countryside, historic towns, and urban areas.
What the website says: “An epic 250 mile circular route Along 3 of Britain’s historic waterways. The Thames River, Grand Union Canal and the Oxford Canal. 250 miles, 100 hours.”
3. Montane Winter Spine Race 268 mile
The Montane Spine Race presents a formidable challenge to ultra runners, combining the exhilaration of conquering the rugged terrain of the Pennine Way with the gruelling test of endurance posed by the harsh winter conditions. You will climb over 10,000 metres as the route crosses some of the most beautiful but difficult terrain found in England, including the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park, Hadrian’s Wall and the Cheviots.
Participants face both the best and worst of the race’s extremes: navigating breathtakingly beautiful landscapes and remote wilderness while battling freezing temperatures, biting winds, and treacherous footing. The race fosters a sense of camaraderie among runners as they support each other through the long, lonely stretches between checkpoints, yet it also pushes individuals to their limits, both physically and mentally, testing their resilience and determination to keep moving forward despite the overwhelming obstacles.
The satisfaction of crossing the finish line after conquering such a monumental challenge is matched only by the profound sense of accomplishment that comes from enduring the most demanding moments that the Spine Race has chosen to throw at you.
2. The Line 300
The Line 300 is an extreme challenge. You have 6 days to run a 330 mile route totally unsupported. Based on the Greenwich Meridian Trail, the route will start at Sand Le Mere in the north and end at Peacehaven on the south coast.
You will be expected to sleep rough and provide for yourself without any outside assistance. This challenge is a true test of self management.
1. Suffolk Backyard Ultra
This might make the purist’s shudder, but the Backyard Ultra format has grown considerably in the last few years with around 30 backyard ultra’s across the UK & Ireland. There’s theoretically no limit to the possible mileage that can be done at these events, so if you’ve got 5 days of running in your legs there’s some silverware to be had.
For those who haven’t come across a backyard ultra just yet, the concept is simple, you start on the hour every hour and have to run and complete a ~4.167 mile route in that time. You must run the loop and be back within the hour and ready to start the next loop or you are out, the race continues until there is only one person who can complete a loop that nobody else completes within the hour. They are then the winner of the backyard ultra, everybody else is a DNF. It should be noted if the last person standing can’t finish their last loop and then therefore DNF’s there is no winner for that event (great blog link from Miles Together here, where just that happened).
The current world record for Backyard Ultra as at 05.03.2024 is held by American runner Harvey Lewis, who ran for 108 hours covering 450 miles in the process (that’s 4.5 days of running on the hour every hour). The Suffolk Backyard Ultra currently has the highest record of loops completed in the UK & Ireland with 82 loops completed by Oriol Antoli Sarrau in 2023. For Ireland Keith Russell has completed 89 loops at the Backyard Masters (2022), with Amy Manser completing 59 loops at the Last One Standing – Florida Manor (2021). Over in the UK Jon Stocker completed 81 loops at Suffolk Backyard Ultra (2021), with Sarah Perry completing 41 loops at The Rasselbock Backyard Ultra – Spring (2024).
So that concludes our breakdown of some of the UK & Irelands longest races, if you’re interested in the longer stuff check out our Race Search section as there’s plenty more long races to give your quads something to think about. Please comment, follow and like on our socials as it helps to know your interested in the content and gives us idea’s for the next article. Now the only thing left is to sign up for a couple of days on your feet, Just One More Loop!
See links below to all race providers websites:
- The Kerry Way Ultra
- Silva Northern Traverse
- Hardmoors 200
- Wild Horse 200
- Destiny 200
- The Bridge & Tunnel Ultra’s
- Race Across Scotland
- Thames Ring 250
- Montane Winter Spine Race
- The Line 300
- Suffolk Backyard Ultra
Author: OneStopUltra
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