A 48 mile route through historical Suffolk and Norfolk, Starting from Knettishall Heath Nature reserve and running north to Holme-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk Coast. This is an ancient Pre Roman trading route and was a Roman road, it has existed on maps and as a known routes all through recorded history in the UK.
It’s a mix of straight tracks, bridleway’s, footpaths and quiet country roads and is relatively flat and easy to navigate, it’s well marked with signage on finger posts and National Trail Acorn markings. You will also have our detailed .gpx file to use on any device. With a generous 12 hours to complete the run its a great run for all running abilities and a good entry level event for beginner ultra runners. Two outdoor and two indoor checkpoints with a shuttle bus provided from the finish car park to the start as an option.
GPS Tracking and first aid cover for your safety and tracking allows friends and family to follow you.
Bespoke Wooden Medal and the option of a quality T-Shirt.
Please note this event is CupLess so you need to carry a reusable cup with you or be happy to pour drinks into your bottles etc. We will not have plastic cups at the checkpoints.
Date
Sunday, February 2nd 2025 – 8:30am Start at Knettishall Heath Nature Reserve.
Timings
5:30 – 5:50 – Meet at Beach Rd car park in Holme-next-the-Sea
5:50-6:00 – Walk up to the bus and load onto the bus
6:00 buses leave for Start – Journey is about 90 minutes
7:00 registration opens at Knettishall Heath Nature reserve – Numbers are collected here.
7:30-45 buses arrive at Knettishall Heath for registration.
8:15 Registration Closes and Race Briefing before walking to the start.
8:30 Race Start
20:30 (8:30pm) Final Cutoff at the finish (12 hours) there are cutoffs at each CP.
Location
Start Location – Knettishall Heath Nature reserve, Thetford, IP22 2TQ
The postcode gets you to the nearest farmhouse about 750m away, best to search for the nature reserve on google/apple maps
Finish Location – Holme-next-the-Sea Village Hall, Kirkgate, PE36 6LG
Route
The route is a mix of footpaths, bridleways, rural lanes with a few small off road sections and is mostly good underfoot.
Please note due to flooding and some downed trees that are causing a blockage on the boardwalk section we are going to have to use the posted National Trails diversion route which adds a couple of miles!
Unfortunately we are booked into the timings for venues etc so cant extend the cutoffs but the increase in pace is only rising from 4mph to 4.16mph.
The diversion route is included in the gpx file as of Thursday 23rd so please ensure you have downloaded the route after this date – a map of the diversion is also below for you to print/download as it will not be signed by us at all.
Below is an overview of the route you can zoom in and scroll and also print a map and download a .gpx file or other tyes of file. Click “Learn More”. You may be required to set up a free account to access downloads.
Checkpoints
There are 3 checkpoints along the route at regular intervals and a finish checkpoint.
Please instruct your friends or supporters to not visit these locations as there is No Parking at any of them – Please park elsewhere and walk to here if you wish to support at any of the locations.
CP1 – 14 Miles – Watton Road, Side of trail. No facilities and only basic cold drinks and snacks
Cut-off Time – Leave CP by 12:00
CP2 – 27 Miles – Castle Acre Village Hall – Cold foods and snacks, hot drinks, Toilets.
Cut-off Time – Leave CP by 15:15
CP3 – 34 miles -Roadside/Layby near the Dogotel, Hillington, Kings Lynn.
Cut-off Time – Leave CP by 17:00
Finish – 48 miles – Village Hall, Holme-next-the-Sea. Hot food, Hot drinks, Changing, Toilets, end of race Bag.
Finish Cut-Off 20:30
You need an average of 4mph or 15 minute mile pace or better to stay inside cutoffs.
Facilities
There are toilets at the car park for the bus, the start, Castle acre indoor CP and the finish.
There are cold foods and hot drinks at CP2 at Castle Acre.
There is hot food and drink at the finish.
The other 2 CP’s will just offer cold drinks and snacks and will be basic.
There is a bus option to leave your car at the Beach Road car park near the finish (Pay and Display or Online App) then bus to the start. The bus will pick you up from the road beside the car park and we will have a member of staff boarding you.
Parking
If you wish to leave your car at the finish and get the bus to the start there is a local pay and display car park in Holme and you do so at your own risk and are responsible for ensuring that you pay any parking charges and park responsibly.
The car park has a 6ft/2m height restriction – See signs at the entrance. Part of the car park is on grass and when wet it can become slippery and cars have been stuck in the past.
The bus must be booked and paid for in advance and you cannot just turn up and get a space on the bus, you will not be allowed to board if you are not on the list as we book the space needed.
The Car park at the start in also pay and display but is free until 10am so anyone being dropped off should be fine, if you leave your car here for any reason then please note it’s pay and display after 10am and you can not leave a car here overnight under any circumstances. Fines and car parking issues are not in any way the races responsibility.
Timing/Tracking
At registration you will have a GPS tracker fixed to your shoulder strap by us and this will be viewable on a tracking page we will make public the day before the race.
Our tracking partner Open Tracking will be providing the tracking system.
Kit List
February can be unpredictable for weather conditions ranging from very mild to near freezing conditions with wind and rain, so for your safety and in case of an injury or other reason that causes you to stop or slow down we have a mandatory kit list.
All these items are compulsory and not optional, you will have some of them checked at registration and if you are found to not have the required kit you will not be allowed to run.
- Waterproof Jacket with a hood – Must have taped seams. Windproof is not suitable
- Waterproof Trousers – Must have taped seams as above.
- Spare warm layer such as a baselayer or midlayer to put on if you are cold or sitting waiting for a pickup.
- Headtorch, Minimum 100 Lumens – This is regardless whether you think you will finish in daylight.
- Hat or buff to keep your head warm.
- Gloves to keep your hands warm.
- Map of the route or have the route saved on a device such as a watch or phone navigation App
- Carry sufficient food and drink for the legs between CP’s – a minimum of 1ltr water carrying capacity.
- Suitable Shoes for the terrain and conditions – We wont be checking this but hopefully its obvious.
Finish bags – We will transport a bag of warm dry clothing to the finish from the start, there will be an area at registration for you to leave a small bag of spare kit. This only goes to the finish only and will not be available anywhere else on the course. If you drop out or are a DNF you will still need to return your tracker to us and collect your finish bag.
Unlike previous year we will NOT be transporting personal drinks/food/kit to Checkpoints, you will only have a bag transported to the finish.
Entry Info
Entry is via our entry system, Eventrac. Click the button below to enter or see the current entry list.
You must be 18 or more to enter this event, it’s not suitable for wheelchairs/buggies but guided runners are welcome.
Cost is £40 for the 1st 30 people who enter then the full £50 after that.
The bus will be £15 for a person and payable at the point of entry.
Everyone gets a bespoke wooden medal but if you wish to add a T-Shirt or other items you will add these and pay for them when you enter.
Entries close 2 weeks before the race. You can edit your personal info such as email, medical info and contact numbers etc online up to this date.
You can pay via instalments if you wish to spread the cost as long as there is enough time before the race to set up instalments.
You can insure the event entry against illness and injury and other unforeseen circumstances, this will add 15% to the cost of the entry but it insures 100% of the entry cost. Claims are made from the info sent to you at the entry time. This is managed by a third party insurer and we do not deal with insured refunds.
There are NO refunds available from Challenge Running under any circumstances if you do not choose to insure the race, below are your options.
Up to 6 weeks before you can transfer to another person, or to another race or to the same race the following year. This can be done on the entry page and is self managed. There will be a £10 admin fee to transfer your place plus any additional cost if the race you transfer to costs more.
You will need to set up an account on Eventrac to see the options to transfer or defer an entry.
Bus tickets are paid for on entry and are not refundable except under the insurance scheme and its terms.
The bus will board from 5:50am and leave at 6am promptly and will not wait for anyone who is late.
The pickup point is near Beach road near the car park where you can leave your car for the day, car park info is above in the parking section.
FAQ’s
- Can I run with my dog? – No we can not allow dogs to run with you
- Can I have support on the course? – No please don’t have planned support on the course – Someone waving and cheering as you go by is fine but they cannot hand you anything like food or clean shoes.
- Can someone not in the race run with me? – No we don’t have capacity to have others who have not paid for the event to make use of the resources provided by the event and things such as first aid and food etc. It’s also unfair to have your own pacers and support when others don’t.
- What if I need to drop out during the race? – Please make your way to the next checkpoint if possible and we will do our best to look after you until you can arrange transport to the finish to collect your drop bag and return your tracker. We have limited ability to provide onward transport, CP staff may be able to move you forwards but only at their discretion depending on space available and if those staff are moving up the course. If it’s an injury the please call our team of medics/HQ and we will decide the appropriate response.
- Why do you no longer do refunds? Refunds are expensive and hard to manage and it’s difficult to administer and take money in and plan an event then pay a substantial amount of refunds closet to the event. We believe allowing you to transfer to another event, transfer to a friend or the event next year is a better option. If you take out the optional insurance you can claim for last minute illness or injury and certain personal circumstances.
Rules
Volunteering
Below is the volunteering spreadsheet showing what volunteer roles we still need and who has volunteered for each role and what spaces we have left. If you wish to volunteer then please go to our Volunteering Page for more info.
Results
Media
T-Shirt, Buff and Wooden Medal Designs
