RACE ROUTE RECCE 3KM 11KM You’ll see You reach Friday Street, a tiny derelict hamlet with a large pond; the pillboxes place was name-checked on Paul SHERE 42 (concrete Weller’s 1997 album Heavy Soul. bunkers) left Race director Mick Cain over from the guides you along a Second World War. These 14KM marathon through formed a line Leith Hill. The a hilly slice of Surrey START of defence top of Leith Shere’s charm has been a draw for in case an Hill Tower is ‘The area is an ideal setting filmmakers over the years. It was enemy the highest for an offroad trail run,’ says the backdrop for romantic comedy invasion point in south- Cain. ‘We staged our first The Holiday (2006), starring Jude reached the east England race in 2012 with 110 runners and Law and Cameron Diaz. Surrey Hills. (313m). received some really positive feedback. The first event was a 40km race, but we stuck a 2km loop on it over the Greensand Ridge and make it into a full marathon. Since then, we’ve added a 10K event and, 38 40 02 more recently, a half marathon. It’s 36 06 a challenging course with at least 04 eight climbs, adding up to more than 1,100m of ascent. But some START FINISH GOMSHALL Deerleap Wood 08 of the views are stunning, such 34 as the one from Leith Hill; on ALBURY WARREN a clear day they say you can see across 14 counties.’ This year’s race is on July 7. 32 Visit trekhireuk.com Blackheath 10 ABINGER 30 Wotton Common 12 20KM You climb Holmbury Hill, the site of Farley Heath an Iron Age hill fort, before scaling Hurt Wood Pasture Wood 18 Pitch Hill straight afterwards. Both 28 are over 250m high, so buckle up! 16 14 Winterfold Forest 20 24 LEITH 26 22 HILL 300 250 200 FINISH 150 METRES 100 You’ll enjoy 29KM 50 this: for the 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 42 Once you KILOMETRES final kilometre pass Farley you return Heath, where down the the remains steep hill of a Roman 30KM 34KM that you temple lie Here you pass the You pass conquered at Relax postrace (there have site of the Chilworth Newlands the race start. with music, a been notable Gunpowder Mills, Corner, from Once you barbecue, archaeol- where ammunition and where Agatha cross the refreshments ogical finds), explosive materials Christie finish line, and a bouncy there is a were manufactured from vanished in relax on the castle…just stretch the 1620s until 1920 (at 1926. She grass with what your tired through one time it was the only turned up your well- hamstrings and Blackheath authorised gunpowder safely days earned medal quads will be Forest. producer in Britain). later. and T-shirt. WORDS: ADRIAN MONTI. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY PHOTOGRAPHS: MONTI. ADRIAN WORDS: screaming for. JULY 2018 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK 091.