Race to the King 2025 – 21st June 2025
Event Information
Overview:
Race to the King is a 100km and 50km options taking on a figure of eight course which starts and finishes at West Dean Estate. Participants will trek along the coastal path of Chichester Harbour National Landscape, through the picturesque ancient village of Bosham and up to Kingley Vale Nature Reserve. The second half of the route runs along the river Arun, past Arundel Castle, before heading to the South Downs.
The event is a public participation ultra-marathon for approximately 1,200 people, many of whom are raising money for a collection of charities. The event website with further key information and details can be found here.
The Organisers:
The event is delivered by Threshold Sports, who are a reputable organisation with a wealth of experience in organising events. Threshold are the company behind other well-known events such as the high-profile Sport Relief Challenges (Zoe Ball – Hard Road Home, David Walliams Thames Swim and others), Ride Across Britain (the largest cycling event of its kind in the UK) and international events including the Virgin Strive Challenge.
Event Dates/Timings:
- Starts: Saturday 21st June 2025 –06:30 at West Dean Estate
- Finishes: Sunday 22nd June 2025 – 12:00 at West Dean Estate
The Route:
Distance: 100k ultra-marathon around the south coast. The full route can be accessed here.
Trail: Two 50Km routes (Coastal and Castle) that range the South Downs Way, Chichester Harbour, and Arundel Castle. Most of the route will be on public footpaths with some sections veering onto quieter roads. There will be 7 pit stops on the route with food, water, and sports nutrition at each.
Signage: The route team will be erecting small red/white arrows and warning signs along the route, from Thursday 19th June for the participants to navigate. These will be removed by the back-marker route team as soon as the last walker is through – therefore all signage will be removed by midday of Sunday 22nd June.
Starts: Saturday 21st June 2025 –06:30 at West Dean Estate
The Participants:
- Non-stop: Majority of entrants do the route non-stop running or walking, taking between 8 and 27 hours to complete.
- 50K Packages: A number of participants will complete either the 50k Coastal or 50K Castle routes, walking or running and taking between 4 and 14 hours to complete.
- Etiquette: All participants will have been briefed in appropriate etiquette and behaviour on the trail, including shutting all gates behind them. The back-marker route team will ensure all gates are closed and there is no trace of litter.
- Small groups: All participants will be passing along the route in small groups so should not cause any inconvenience – however, please be aware that during this weekend there will be an increase in foot traffic on the trail.
Approvals/ permissions
- Approval/ permission granted from event venues, Forestry England, National Trust, National Trails and all other key stakeholders.
- Follow strict H&S protocols including risk assessments and briefings (including use of an independent H&S advisor) and hold relevant company insurances.
As some of the route will be passing through your area, we are sending you the outline details for your information.
*Please note, the route may be subject to change following a final route risk assessment nearer to the event.
Many thanks for your support in advance,
David Sommerville
Event Manager