The Berkeley Marathons:
The UK's Tribute to the Barkley Marathons

The Berkeley Marathons was conceived following a chance encounter with Lazarus Lake at The National Running Show. When Laz heard my family roots were in Berkeley, Gloucestershire, he laid down the gauntlet: "You should set up your own race!"

The UK's Answer to the Barkley We accepted the challenge. As the premier Gloucestershire Ultra Marathon, we operate on two simple rules inspired by Laz:

Make it open to all types of runner.
Make it nearly impossible.

This is extreme trail running in the UK at its finest. If you enjoy the mental grit of a Backyard Ultra style event but want a continuous point-to-point challenge, this is for you. We offer 130(ish) miles of mud, hills, and potential failure.

"You can't accomplish anything without the possibility of failure"

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE - ENTER NOW

130 (ish) Mile Ultra Marathon

26 ish miles per lap with 5 laps required, that's enough to get a veteran ultra-runner shaking in their shoes.

15,000ft of Elevation

3,000ft of elevation gain per lap, that's 15,000ft of gain if you manage to complete all 5 laps!

Strict 24-Hour Endurance Race

With a 24 hour cut off each lap would need to be 4:48:12 or under to finish.

100 Places Available

Will you be lucky enough to secure 1 of only 75 purchasable places available?

race info

Date: Friday 1400 25th September 2026

Race Briefing: 1900 25th September 2026 (Map marking to follow)

Race starts: 0900 Saturday 26th September 2026

Race Finishes 0900 Sunday 27th September 2026

Event HQ is located in the fantastic setting of Hamfields leisure centre. All runners MUST attend the race brieifing at 1900 on the Friday evening. Facilities available at HQ include toilets and showers, charging points (for phones, devices etc), Bar and plenty of room for camping room for tents and campers. In addition there is an indoor area to provide shelter, refreshments and live tracking of the runners. HQ will open at 1400 on the Friday for arrival, registration and camp set up. Crew members are NOT compulsory this year.

NO lap cut off times, do 1 lap or 5 in the 24hrs, its up to you
It is the responsibility of the runner to ensure they are capable of competing in the race
A race waver MUST be completed at registration
Runners are ONLY allowed assistance in camp after checking in after each lap.
Runners MUST adhere to the race rules laid out in the race briefing.
Runners and crew MUST be self-sufficient.