Wye Valley Tunnel Run 6km, 10km, Half Marathon and Marathon
Sunday 16th July 2023 - Registrations are open!
Join the Relish 100
Make the Wye Valley Tunnel Run one of any 5 races (min distance 5km) with us over 2023 to be part of the Relish 100! Spaces are limited to only 100 runners, being part of the Relish 100 comes with a host of amazing perks! Find out more here.
- Receive an ENORMOUS bonus medal upon completion of your 5th race. You still collect medals from the individual races too.
- One runner, drawn at random, from the Relish 100 who completes their 5 events will receive a free race pass for the whole of 2024!
- Pick your own race number from 1-100 to use during 2023! Grab your lucky number before someone else does. Must register before 20th Feb for number customisation.
- Your special edition Relish 100 race numbers will be sent to you in the post, no more queues at number collection on race day!
- Extra shout outs on social media, twitter and instagram, if you supply your social media handles.
- 15% off Relish Running kit.
New Distances and Routes for 2023
Colourbust: We have a 500m and a 2km Colourbust event which is on laps of the Wyedean School football pitch, a great spectator friendly environment which lets us maximise the number of colour stations. There are medals for all our little runners too!
6km: A 1 lap course. We walk the 6km runners out together approximately 1 mile from the main start area. This gives the runners 1km before the tunnel to settle into their running, 1km out and back through the tunnel, and a final 3km back to the main finish area. The route is predominantly flat..
10km: A 1 lap course. This is an out and back route, predominantly on the old railway line so it is lovely and flat and benefits from a lot of tree shading which is great on a warm day. This route has 2km in the tunnel which comes mid way on each length of the route. The route is predominantly flat.
Half Marathon: A 1 lap course. This is a very flat, essentially out and back route following the railway line all the way from Sedbury on the outskirts of Chepstow, all the way to Tintern. This route has 2km in the tunnel, lots of running along the riverside trails and has a turnaround point at Tintern Old Station with a feast station stop along the old platform. The route is predominantly very flat being based on old railway trails and river side paths.
Marathon: A 2 lap course. This is a very flat, essentially out and back route following the railway line all the way from Sedbury on the outskirts of Chepstow, all the way to Tintern. This route has 2km in the tunnel, lots of running along the riverside trails and has a turnaround point at Tintern Old Station with a feast station stop along the old platform. There is a 3hr cut off to start the second lap. The route is predominantly very flat being based on old railway trails and river side paths.
Terrain: All our courses are very comprehensively marked and well marshalled so you can relax and enjoy your run. The vast majority of the route is on old railway track, a flat and solid surface. It is not perfectly smooth, but it is a good surface.
Cut Offs: There is a 3hr cut off to start lap 2 of the marathon.
Essentials
When: Sunday 16th July 2023. Start Times are from 10:00 for the main races, please see the Provisional Schedule for details.
Location: Wyedean School, Beachley Road, Sedbury, Cheptow, NP16 7AA. What3Words /// jumped.bend.octagonal
Register: Register here for the Colourburst (£10-£12), 6km (£20), 10km (£25) and Half Marathon (£35).
Group discounts: Find out more here. 10-19 runners save 15%, 20-49 runners save 20%, 50+ runners save 25%. Runners can include any mix of distances to reach the 10 runner minimum, everyone just needs to be racing on the same date.
Format: We set off runners in waves of ~100 runners so everyone has plenty of space to enjoy their run. When you register you will be given the option to select a wave, please share your wave selection with your friends or family so you can start together.
Drinks Stations: There are one drinks station on the 6km. There are 2 feast station on the 10km, 5 feast stations on the Half Marathon and 11 feast stations on the Marathon. There will be water, electrolyte to drink and a mix of food including GF, DF and vegan snacks around the course and again at the finish. There will be flat coke on lap 2 of the marathon.
Medals: All runners of 5km and longer distances will take home a large 10cm x 10cm, 2 sided medal specific to this event. Fun run medals may be a mix of designs.
Transport: The Wye Valley Tunnel Run is 25mins from Bristol, 40mins from Bath, 40mins from Cardiff, 2hrs 15mins from London. There is on site parking which is £2/car payable to the schools that we use for parking. The nearest train station is Chepstow, which is 1 mile from the start line.
Register
Other Info
Facilities: There are on site toilets and a mobile coffee van. There is a bag drop. There are no changing rooms.
Photos: Professional photos will be available to purchase within 48hrs of the event from our photographer's website here.
Buggy or Canicross runners: The 6km and 10km routes are suitable for buggy runners but this event is not open to canicross runners.
Spectators: Spectators are very welcome. The best location to watch is the start / finish line of the 6km and 10km. The Half Marathon and Marathon goes to the Old Tintern Station which spectators could check in with their runners at the far end of their course.
FAQs: Please see our FAQ Page if you have any more questions and you can contact us from there is you would still like assistance.
Photos by Wye Valley Greenway
Wye Valley Greenway and the Tidenham Tunnel
The Wye Valley Greenway will open for the time in its history on the 1st April 2021 and we are extremely excited to be bringing the first organised event to the Greenway and the Tidenham Tunnel. The charitable organisation Greenways and Cycleroutes has been behind reinvigorating this section of the Wye Valley Railway with a new lease of life; removing the old track, refurbishing and lighting the 1.1km long Tidenham Tunnel and resufacing a large portion of the route with a mix of compact stone path and tarmac. The Wye Valley Greenway is a shared use path, to be used and enjoyed by cyclists, walkers and runners.
The original railway ran from Chepstow to Monmouth. The last passenger train ran in 1959, but trains from nearby quarries only finally stopped in 1990.
The race starts at Wyedean School and heads along the rail path towards Tintern. Tidenham tunnel is 3km into the race and is itself over 1km long. There are great views along the wye valley as the two routes head to their turn around points before retracing their steps back to the finish line at the station.
If you would like to visit the tunnel and wye valley greenway please take a look at the visitors information page on the Wye Valley Greenway website which includes info on opening times and access points.
Notes
There is a 3hr cut off for marathon runners to start lap 2 of the marathon. Please note the event is not open to people would like to purely walk the event, but if you need to do a mix of running/jogging/walking to complete your distance then we are very happy with that.
Runners with buggies are very welcome for the 6km and 10km. The Half Marathon and Marathon routes are not suitable for buggies. The terrain is a mix of compact stone path, road, forest path and tarmac for the 6km, the 10km has some more uneven sections which we would be more suited to a specific off road running buggy and you may need to walk over these short sections. We would ask you start at the back of your wave when we move to wave starts. Unfortunately none of the events are suitable for canicross.
There are great group discount rates for groups of 10 or more runners taking part in races of any distance, on the same date. 10-19 runners save 15%, 20-49 runners save 20%, 50+ runners save 25%. All bookings must be made in advance of race day to qualify for the discounted rate. We ask all groups to be registered at least four weeks in advance of the race date to we have the opportunity to top up our medal order if necessary.
Prizes
All our finishers receive a top of the range custom medal as well as a buffet of fresh fruit and other tasty treats. We also recognise a few of the speedy runners on the following basis.
Prize Categories
- Top 3 male and top 3 female
- First U20 male and female
- First 20-39 male and female
- First 40-49 male and female
- First 50-59 male and female
- First 60-69 male and female
- First 70+ male and female
The final number of prizes awarded is determined by the number of finishers for each gender in a given race distance. If there are more than 100 finishers then the full range range of awards are made as shown above. If there are less than 50-100 finishers then the top 3 finishers overall will be awarded a prize. If there are less than 50 then only the winner will be awarded a prize. We do not have any winner's prizes for any of the children's events as would like to keep this participation focused.
There is no on the day prize giving because of the multi wave, multi start time format of the events. Prize winners will be contacted mid week via email.