The race starts at Black Rock with views of the route ahead along the Cheddar Gorge stretching out into the distance. A great variety of terrain makes this an all round challenge with a mix of open meadows, rocky outcrops, a few steps and cliff edge running.
Cheddar Gorge is one of the Seven Wonders of the UK and running around the gorge is very special experience - definitely a race not to be missed!
The race video below is of the 10km which includes the 6km route, the 10km extending out further during the middle of the loop.
Starting from the event village, the first 1.5km is nice and flat and long range views through Cheddar Gorge open up as you run along. There is a little descent to bring you close to, but not actually past, Feed Station 1 (FS1 on the map below), hopefully you don’t need a drink 1 mile in!
2-2.5km is a gentle downhill, leading into some more technical sections with little rises through woodlands. After 2.5km there is a split, the 6km runners branch off and make a right turn and start their climb up the valley. Runners of the longer distances go straight on at this point.
At the top of the climb, the 6km merges once again with the longer routes and together all runners move around the hill top together on a largely flat section before heading down a descent towards Feed Station 1 (FS1) on the map below. Shortly after the drinks station there is another split, the 6km and 10km runners go straight ahead, with the half and marathon branching off to the left. All split points are well signed and marshalled.
The area ahead is steeped in history; the whole area has been extensively mined from the Roman times through to Victorian. This area is generally flat with a few scramble sections over old mining settling beds. The biggest climb comes towards the end of the route with a final section of the route around the event area before making a final left turn into the finish.
There is approximately 148m height change over a route of 6.7km
The route has rises and falls throughout, all but the very first runners will walk these climbs so you don't need to worry about the hills and instead focus on the beautiful views and the most amazing setting for this race.
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