The first of our championship events for October and the second Relish Event of the Championship, The Bath to Bristol Railway Races Starting from Green Park Station.
The Bath & Bristol Railway Races follow the route of the original train line from Green Park Station in Bath to Bristol Temple Meads and this route is the flattest of all the races in our calendar! The route is 100% tarmac, offering a road race like experience through the green countryside and into the heart of Bristol. The trainline was in use from 1869 - 1971 and between 1979 and 1986, Sustrans converted the railway path into what would become the first route on the National Cycle Network.
Along the route you will find historic and active nods to the routes heritage. The Half Marathon runs out and back to Bitton Train Station, with 2.5km in each direction running alongside the Avon Valley Railway, an active heritage line that still runs on the original route today.
The 25km, Marathon and 50km run alongside the Avon Valley Railway station at Bitton and onwards to Bristol, passing restored signal boxes, picturesque stations at Warmley and Mangotsfield.
Of course there is a tunnel! The 450m long Staple Hill Tunnel is on the route of the 25kmand 50km race. It is significantly larger than the tunnels at the Two Tunnels and Wye Valley Tunnel Run as the route had two railway lines running through the tunnel. The Staple Hill Tunnel is well lit.
Transport & Parking: If you are driving to Bath please park at Public Car Parks at either Charlotte Street, Avon Street or South Gate. Alternatively you can park at one of Bath's Park and Rides (check the schedule doc above to see if the journey times work for your start time) and catch a bus into the city centre and walk to Green Park. Unlike our Two Tunnels races, there are no dedicated bus services for the race.
Bath Spa Train Station and Bus Station is 900m from Green Park
Distances: We have a 10km, Half Marathon, Marathon and 50km - all of which are on an out and back format, starting and finishing in Bath at Green Park. There is a point to point 25km which runs from Bath and finishes outside Bristol Temple Meads Train Station.
There is a 3.5hr cut off for runners to start the return leg of the marathon, targeting an overall finish time of 7.5hrs. There is a cut off of 4hrs for runners to start the return leg of the 50km, targeting an overall finish time of 8.5hours. There are no cut offs for the other distances, though please note the races are not open to pure walkers, but we always welcome people who will do a mix of run, jog and walk their way around our routes.
We are making use of public footpaths and not closing any roads. Therefore there are places were runners will have to cross potentially busy roads. All major crossing points have either Zebra or Pelican Crossings and will also be marshalled. The marshals do not have the power to stop the traffic. You must wait and make your own decision as to when to cross the road. You may have to wait a few seconds for a light to change so please be patient and take the opportunity to catch your breath. Anyone deemed to make an unsafe road crossing by one our marshals will be disqualified. Whilst this is a race, your safety is our highest priority and the same rules of the road apply during the race as at another time – do not put yourself or others runners at risk for the sake of a few seconds!
All paths used by the race are open to the general public, many of whom use the routes as their regular walking routes. Please make the event a success by being polite and courteous to the others users of these paths so that has a positive impact on everyone involved.
Please do not run with music players which have in ear headphones, only bone conducting headphones are permitted in line with UK Athletics rules who license these events. It is very important that you can hear the marshals instructions, be aware of other users in the tunnels (think cyclist's ringing their bells to come past you!) and traffic on the sections of the course that cross roads. Thank you!
Register: Register here for all races.
Discount of 10% for Somer Club members use Code SOMER25
