Original data

The UK Race Index

Every race guide on Verus is researched and fact-checked by hand, one at a time. This page is what that adds up to for the UK: 154 running and triathlon events in a single dataset — dates, distances, elevation, cut-offs and real charity-place minimums.

Events indexed
154
Months covered
12
Counties
44
Busiest month
September

Flattest and hilliest races in the UK

Ranked by total elevation gain. These tables cover only the 34 races (32% of the running calendar) where an official or independently cited elevation figure actually exists — the rest publish no figure, and Verus does not estimate one.

Flattest

  1. 1Hatfield 5 39 ft
  2. 2Brighton & Hove 10K 57 ft
  3. 3Tewkesbury Half Marathon 109 ft
  4. 4Manchester Marathon 121 ft
  5. 5Hitchin 10K 148 ft
  6. 6Watford 10K 180 ft
  7. 7Welwyn 10K 190 ft
  8. 8Great Eastern Run 213 ft

Hilliest

  1. 1Montane Lakeland 100 20669 ft
  2. 2Arc of Attrition 100 18068 ft
  3. 3Montane Lakeland 50 10171 ft
  4. 4Wendover Woods 50 10000 ft
  5. 5Highland Fling Race 7500 ft
  6. 6South Downs Way 50 5700 ft
  7. 7Chiltern Wonderland 50 5600 ft
  8. 8North Downs Way 50 5600 ft

What charity places actually cost

Real published charity-place terms, highest minimum first. A charity place trades guaranteed entry for a fundraising commitment — the spread below is wider than most runners expect.

Race Charity Entry Min. raised
London Marathon Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity £120 £2,500
Edinburgh Marathon Macmillan Cancer Support £35 £750
Thames Path Challenge Full Charity Sponsorship (100km) £50 £575
Brighton Marathon Alzheimer's Society £20 £550
Race to the Stones Mental Health Foundation (100km non-stop) £60 £550
Race to the Stones Mental Health Foundation (100km over two days) £80 £550
Manchester Marathon The Christie Charity £20 £400
Great Scottish Run Half Marathon Cancer Research UK £20 £400
Yorkshire Marathon MS Trust £30 £395
Thames Path Challenge Full Charity Sponsorship (50km Half) £40 £375
The Big Half British Heart Foundation £10 £350
Race to the Stones Mental Health Foundation (50km, either day) £50 £350
Hackney Half Shelter £29 £349
Thames Path Challenge Mixed Funding (100km) £110 £330
Cambridge Half Marathon MS Trust £25 £325
Cardiff Half Marathon NSPCC £40 £300
Great Manchester Run 10K Mind £20 £300
Great Manchester Run Half Marathon Mind £20 £300
Great Bristol Run 10K Alzheimer's Society £25 £300
Great Bristol Run Half Marathon Alzheimer's Society £25 £300
Robin Hood Half Marathon Brain Tumour Research £30 £300
Reading Half Marathon Charlie Waller Trust £25 £250
ABP Southampton Half Marathon Solent Mind Charity place £250
Reading Half Marathon Sue Ryder £15-£25 £200
Chester Marathon Hospice of the Good Shepherd Free £175
Leeds 10K Macmillan Cancer Support £20 £150
Great Birmingham Run 10K Alzheimer's Society £19 £150
Great Birmingham Run Half Marathon Alzheimer's Society £19 £150
Run Kent Half Marathon Thrombosis UK £15.60 deposit £125

The full calendar, month by month

Every guide Verus covers in the UK, grouped by the month it runs in.

January

2 events

February

4 events

March

11 events

April

13 events

May

27 events

June

16 events

July

13 events

August

8 events

September

28 events

October

26 events

November

5 events

December

1 event

How this data was gathered

  • Every full guide was researched individually against its official race website, and every directory listing links straight to the organiser rather than to a ticketing affiliate.
  • Where a fact could not be confirmed — an elevation figure, a cut-off, a 2027 date — it is recorded as unconfirmed rather than estimated, which is why the elevation tables above cover only part of the calendar.
  • Charity-place figures come from real published terms at the time of research; charities revise these, so always confirm directly before committing.
  • Each race page carries its own last-verified date.

Free to cite or reference with a link back to this page.