It’s easy to get carried away with signing up to every race that dangles the promise of a medal and a banana under your nose when you’re running. For 2020 I’m attempting not to spend the same ridiculous amount of money on race entries as I did in 2019 – particularly as I didn’t manage to make it to half of them which stung doubly!
As part of my ‘Shoestring Challenge‘, I’ve set myself a limit of entering only races which are not more than £10 with an Athletics Association membership, and including travel should cost me no more than £15 – I can only go to races further than 18 miles from home if the race entry is proportionally under £10. I’m not likely to be earning many medals, but I’m looking forward to going to many new places!
Below is the list of all the races I have come across in the North-East to date. If I have completed them, either this year or previously, and written a race review this will be hyperlinked with the date, and the race entries where possible will be linked in the race title. Some event links may be to previous year’s – I will update when I find the 2020 information has gone live.
If a cost or date has a (?) after it, this is based on last year’s date/entry fee and will be updated when I find more information – if the price has gone over £10 for 2020, the entry will be deleted from this list.
All Year and FREE
parkrun – 5k – various locations – it wouldn’t really be a list of cheap events without this on here somewhere?! My locals are Blackhill and Gibside
Great Run Local – 5k – various locations – Gibside is the closest to me
Trust 10 – 10k – Cragside, Rothbury and Ormesby Hall, Middlesbrough (other locations in the country but these are the only one currently in the North-East)
Run Together – various distances – local running groups across the country covering couch to 5k, social runs and training sessions
EXPLORING! There are a huge number of marked up local paths and routes, as well as the opportunity to find your own either by stealing other people’s from hiking sites, discovering your own from Ordnance Survey maps and similar, or just taking that random path you’ve always wondered where it heads off to.
January
8/1 Steel River – 5M – Middlesbrough – Stride Out Athletics – £10
12/1 South Shields Winter Trail Series – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £6 (on arrival)
26/1 Acklam Grange Trail – 5km – Middlesbrough – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
February
2/2 South Shields Winter Trail Series – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £6 (on arrival)
17/2 Run Newcastle Valentine’s – 5km – Newcastle – Run Nation – £10
18/2 Pie & Pea Trail – 5km – Trimdon Grange – Muddy Roads – £8/£10
23/2 Holme House Prison Trail – 5km – Stockton-on-Tees – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
March
1/3 South Shields Winter Trail Series – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £6 (on arrival)
1/3 Run Durham Dalton Park – 5km – Murton – Run Nation – £8
15/3 Brough Law – 8km – Powburn – Northumberland Fell Runners – £5 – 2020
21/3 Town Moor Cow Bell – 5km – Newcastle – Newcastle University – £5
22/3 South Shields Winter Trail Series – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £6 (on arrival)
22/3 Saltburn Trail – 5km – Saltburn – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
29/3 Temple Park – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £7.50
April
22/4 Neptune Relays – 1.7M 4 person relay event – Sedgefield – Sedgefield Harriers – £10ea
22/4 Pine Forest Trail – 5km – Middlesbrough – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
26/4 Terry O’Gara Memorial – 5km – Wallsend – Wallsend Harriers – £9(?) if booked before 31/1
30/4 Cockfield Chase – 7km – Bishop Auckland – Durham Fell Runners – £5
May
9/5 Raby Races – 5km – Raby Castle – Teesdale AC – £10
13/5 Saltburn Trail – 5km – Saltburn – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
23/5 Allendale Fair – 7.5M – Allendale – Allen Valley Striders – £7 pre-booked, £8 on the day
June
2/6 Bolts Law Basher Run – 7M – Weardale – Derwentside Athletics Club – Free
21/6 Windy Gyle – 8.5M – Alwinton – Northumberland Fell Runners – £5
24/6 Pinchinthorpe Trail – 5km – Guisborough – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
28/6 High Force Trail Race – 18km – Forest-In-Teesdale – Durham Fell Runners – £5
28/6 FACT North East Cancer Run – 5km/10km – Swalwell – FACT – £10 for either distance
July (seriously, how many things to do are there in July?!)
5/7 The Cross Fell Race – 24km – Garrigill – Garrigill Community – £8
5/7 Bottom’s Up Cup – 5km – Washington – Washington Running Club – £9/£11 – 2015, 2016
7/7 Saltwell Harriers – 9km – Stanhope – Saltwell Harriers – £5
9/7 Beacon Hill – 6M – Rothbury – £5
12/7 Red Kite Trail Race – 8M – Dipton – Derwent Valley Trail Runners – £8/£10 – SOLD OUT
14/7 Chapelfell Top – 7km – Bishop Auckland – Durham Fell Runners – £5
15/7 Lordstones Trail – 5km – Stokesley – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
21/7 Cock Crow – 5km – Hebburn – Jarrow & Hebburn AC – £10
26/7 Temple Memorial Park – 5km – South Shields – RunEatSleep – £7.50
(?) Castle Eden White Wolf Run – 5km – Peterlee – Run Peterlee – £8(?)
(?) Willow Miners Trail – 5.3M – Durham – Elvet Striders – £7(?) – 2019
August
19/8 Trimdon Loop Night Trail – 5km – Trimdon Grange – Muddy Roads – £5/£7
29/8 Bellingham Show – 4M – Bellingham – Bellingham Show – £8
September
19/9 Simonside – 11km – Coquetdale – Northumberland Fell Runners – £2 + show entry = £5.50
23/9 Newham Grange Trail – 5km – Coulby Newham – Muddy Runners – £5/£7
October
25/10 Run Northumberland Hexham – 5km – Hexham – Run Nation – £10
25/10 N S Poly Ingram Hills – 9.5km – Ingram – North Shields Poly – £6
(?) North-East Harrier League starts – various dates and locations throughout the North-East – £2-3 for the whole season – running club members only
November
December
6/12 Angus Tait Hexhamshire Hobble – 17km – Allendale – Allen Valley Striders – £8 pre-booked, £9 on the day
13/12 Simonside Cairns – 11M – Rothbury – £8
26/12(?) Woodlawn Boxing Day Pudding Run – 5km – Whitley Bay – North Shields Poly – £8(?)
Blue Runnings 