Is there a better running season than autumn? The temperature is still warm without being stifling. The ground is softening but not yet a mudfest. And, best of all, there are loads of great races to sign up for. Here is our round-up of some of the fastest, toughest and quirkiest races taking place this October.

The best races in October 2023

5K

Port Lympne 5K Rhino Run

Port Lympne is a large wildlife park in Kent, home to some 75 species including bears, zebras, lions, giraffes and gorillas. It also happens to be a world-renowned breeding ground for black rhinos, a critically endangered species that at one point in the late 90s only numbered 2,500. The population has since rebounded to around 6,000, thanks in part to the efforts of places like Port Lympne. This 5K takes place before the park opens to the public, so in addition to supporting these essential conservation efforts, you’ll be able to enjoy seeing these wonderful creatures without the crowds.

Training pace calculator, findarace.com

10K

Published: 15 September 2023

You always know what you’re going to get with the Great Runs: solid organisation, a huge throng of excited runners, supportive crowds, big city routes and a decent chance at a PB. This event in Peterborough is no different. The race starts and ends in The Embankment and the small amount of uphill on the route is mostly out of the way by the third kilometre.

Training pace calculator, findarace.com

York, Yorkshire, 15 October

This may well be your first run in a while that properly feels like winter – at night towards the end of October in northern England there could well be a distinct chill in the air. You’ll spend this entire race surrounded by beautiful tall trees, lit up by your headtorch as you rustle swiftly through the forest like a sleek wild beast. With only a narrow beam of light to guide you, your other senses may well heighten – great for feeling in tune with nature but also great because there’ll be pizza at the end.

weird and wonderful British running races, greenermilesrunning.co.uk

Jarrow 10K

Thanks to the Jarrow Arrow, Steve Cram, this town will always be synonymous with running fast. You can do it too on this flat road 10K that starts and finishes on the athletics track at the Monkton Stadium. The only obstacle to a potential PB is the fact that the route involves four 180° turns as you gallop up and down York Avenue and Bede Burn Road, but like most skills, it’s one that you get better at with practice.

World United launches to combat homelessness, findarace.com

Half marathon

Brockenhurst, Hampshire, 29 October Marathon

There’s a point on every journey into Scotland by non-Scots when you stop and realise… jeez, Scotland is big and remote and empty and just drop-dead gorgeous. That’s the bit that this race takes place in. This west-coast half marathon follows narrow country roads that wind through the boggy, hilly terrain and offer you stunning sight after stunning sight to the extent that it actually starts to feel mundane to be surrounded by such wonders. For such a rugged landscape, a total of 230m of ascent makes this actually a very doable race, with only one very steep ascent around 11km.

Bethesda, Gwynedd, 28-29 October, coigach.run

Cardiff Half Marathon

In just 20 years, the Cardiff Half Marathon has gone from a small event of 1,500 runners to one of the global elite with some 27,500 participants. It’s broadcast live on the BBC, some of the best athletes in the world show up, and it raises around £3 million for charity every year. Throw a scenic course into the mix – it showcases the best of the city with a route around the bay and great support from locals – and a generally flat course and it’s hard to think of a single reason why you wouldn’t want to do this race.

weird and wonderful British running races, cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk

Marathon

Chester Marathon

And the prize for the UK's most underrated marathon goes to... this one. You'll pass through quaint English villages and bucolic countryside, along winding streets and Roman roads. You'll also spend about seven miles across the border in Wales, where the street signs change but the passionate roadside support remains. Just save a little in the tank for the tarmacked Everest of a hill that awaits at mile 24.

Training pace calculator, findarace.com

Loch Ness Marathon

The elevation map for this event, like the scenery, makes for pleasant viewing. You start at some 350m above sea level and finish at sea level in Inverness – but you’ll be punished badly if you show up expecting this to be easy. Among all the downhills hide a couple of short, steep uphills, and with all the biggest descents right at the start, the danger of burning out quickly is real. But if you pace yourself right, you’ll be rewarded with one of the quickest, most scenic and best organised races in the country.

Your ultimate guide, findarace.com

Yorkshire Marathon

The best of all worlds at this event: a city-centre start and finish with plenty of support to get the adrenaline running, and also plenty of time out in the countryside to let your thoughts drift and help you get into the zone on this largely flat marathon. You’ll explore some towns and villages to the east of York – just make sure to keep some energy in reserve for the short hill right at the end. It’s not especially big but any hill after the 40km mark of a marathon can feel like Everest.

Dunoon & Relay, runforall.com

The OMM

The country’s most iconic location-hopping outdoor adventure is back again for a 54th time. The OMM is arriving in North Wales for the first time since the late 80s, and for those unfamiliar with its unique format, this is a race of endurance, navigation, tolerance of miserable weather and appreciation of nature. You compete in teams of two over a weekend to reach various checkpoints speckled around mountainous and scenic terrain, battling fatigue, grumpiness, wind that will blow your map away and rain that will saturate your tent. It’s hard to imagine a more fun way to spend a weekend in October.

World United launches to combat homelessness, theomm.com

Ultra

Autumn 100

This cleverly designed course sends you off on four 25-mile out-and-backs, each time returning to Streatley before setting off on the next. The first and last legs are generally pretty flat, while the middle two contain the vast majority of the race’s 1,000+ metres of ascent. The benefits of returning to the same place are clear: you get to access your kit bag and the chances of getting lost are a lowered. But on the flip side… wouldn’t it be tempting to just… stop? It would. It really would. And there’d be no shame if you did. But we know you won’t.

Your ultimate guide, centurionrunning.com

Dunoon Ultra Marathon & Relay

You’ll most indubitable be using a ferry to get to this 54.5km ultra, and the race will be finishing right on the pier that the ferry departs from. As ultras go, this one is on the shorter side, but is nonetheless not to be underestimated: it comes with long, challenging uphills and a few short, steep downhills as you negotiate the beautiful countryside around the long, narrow and very pretty Loch Eck. There’s also an option to split up the ultra and run it as a relay with two teammates.

Runners World, Part of the Hearst UK Wellbeing Network, dunoonpresents.co.uk

Atlantic Coast Challenge

Have you ever fancied doing three marathons in three days over very rugged and windswept terrain? If you have, this is the event for you. By the end, you’ll have covered 78.6 miles. Accommodation is in St Ives Bay Holiday Park, which has a heated swimming pool for you to collapse gratefully into after each day of running, and the onsite bar will have three kegs’ worth of free beer from 7pm on the final day. If that’s not an incentive to get there ASAP, we don’t know what is.

Salisbury, Wiltshire, 8 October, findarace.com

Miscellaneous

Rise 8K Run for Women

Dover steals all the headlines when it comes to white cliffs, but Brighton has some pretty impressive ones too. This race runs along the bottom of the escarpment from Saltdean to Brighton Marina and back, and as well as a great run right by the sea, you’ll get to raise funds for an excellent cause. RISE is a local charity that supports people affected by domestic abuse and violence, so every penny you make while fundraising will be put to good use.

Saltdean, Sussex, 8 October, riseuk.org.uk

Salisbury Marafun

You’d be forgiven for thinking that a marafun might be around 42.2km, but in fact it’s 21.1km. Which makes perfect sense when you think about it: we have certainly never had fun on a marathon after the 20km mark. One thing that looks especially fun on this brand new event is the large hill that pops up out of nowhere around 9km into the race, after you’ve left Salisbury and adventured out into the Wiltshire countryside. There are a couple more decent ascents along the way, but the final two kilometres are a careening rollick downhill back into the city centre.

Salisbury, Wiltshire, 8 October, runsalisbury.co.uk

New Forest 10

This 10-miler will keep you entertained with a constant supply of uphills and downhills, none of which are particularly challenging by themselves. The terrain underfoot will also change frequently, starting and ending on grass with mostly gravel track and a bit of road in between. In our experience, these events always end up feeling incredibly satisfying: challenging but not torturous, entertaining but not overstimulating. There’s also a one-mile race for kids before the main event.

Published: 15 September 2023, newforestrunners.com