Hanwell Hammering
The Hanwell Hammering is back! Legend has it that once upon a time the village of Hanwell courageously resisted an invasion of the Vikings, but the Vikings will be returning for a hammering in the weekend of May 1-2, 2026! This is the Hanwell Hammering! You will "hammer" your way on the trails of Hanwell Recreation Park until you finish your quest and are victorious! Or is it the other way? Will those trails give you a hammering until you are squashed? We will find out what you are made of.
New in 2026!
- We will have chip timing for the Saturday events.
- Another new single-track trail has been created to increase the fun and make the total course a bit more challenging.
FRIDAY NIGHT
On Friday night a 5km (the Plastic Hammer) will be offered for anyone who would like to try out these trails, whether you are participating on Saturday or are new to trail running. This course will be slightly different and easier than the one for the Saturday events.
THE MAIN EVENT ON SATURDAY
The race will have 3 distances, each with a number of loops. The loop consists of rubberized material, brand-new single-track trails and double track trails. Total length of a loop is about 5 kilometer and has about 60 meter of elevation gain.
- Rubber Hammer: 2 loops ~ 10 km
- Wooden Hammer: 5 loops ~ 25 km
- Iron Hammer: 10 loops ~ 50 km
There is a cut-off on the Iron Hammer; you will have to have finished 5 loops (25 km) by 1:30pm (this is 5 hours of running). If you don't make it, you can continue your run if you want to, but in the results you will get a DNF.
Race kit pick up, Bag drop & Parking
For the Friday race you have to pick up your bib and swag between 6:30pm and 6:50pm inside the Community Centre. For the Saturday races you can pick up your race kit at the Community Centre starting at 7:30am to 10 minutes before the start of your event. In the Community Centre you can also drop off a bag for after the race. There is limited parking available at race site, so carpooling is encouraged. In case the parking lot is full, please park at Hanwell Park Academy, next to the park; do NOT park on Nature Park Drive!
Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) Index
The Hanwell Hammering is the first race in New Brunswick that is a UTMB Index race. If you are intending to do one of the UTMB races for which you have to enter a lottery (OCC, CCC, UTMB), you need to have a valid UTMB Index as well as a so-called Running Stone. There are only 50 races in the world where you can get a Running Stone; these races are UTMB World Series.
AWARDS
Awards will be given as soon as all numbers 1 to 3 for a distance have finished.
KIDS RUN
At noon on Saturday the Hanwell Hotdog Hunt will start; kids from ages 3 -10 are welcome to hunt the hotdog on a loop around the Community Centre, but are not allowed to eat it! All information can be found in this Facebook event.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- This is a cup-less event, so make sure you have your own cup with you.
- We have one aid station at the start/finish area where we will provide you with water and nutrition.
- There are washrooms at the Community Centre and two porta potties at start/finish.
- On Saturday there will be First Aid close to start/finish.
- There will be no refunds or deferrals.
- A short transfer period will open as soon as the race is sold out.
- There is no waiting list once sold out.
- There will be no race day registrations; all registrations will have to be done on-line through Race Roster.
- On-line registration closes April 30 at 6pm.
- By registering you automatically sign a waiver basically saying you know the risks of the event and are responsible for your own health and decisions.
- Dogs are not allowed to participate.
- On Saturday there will be massage students from the Eastern College to work on those tired, sore muscles of yours, before or after your race.
- Showers are available for after your race.
- Contact: [email protected]
HOW TO GET TO THE RACE
The race takes place in Hanwell Recreation Park, which is located on Route 640/Hanwell Road which leads from Fredericton to Harvey. Coming from the direction of Moncton or Saint John, you take the TransCanada towards Edmundston and you take exit 281 Fredericton/Hanwell. At the end of the off ramp turn right and right again in the direction of Hanwell, Route 640 South. This is also called Hanwell Road. You follow the Hanwell Road for 6.8 kilometers and find the Hanwell Community Centre on your right-hand side. Coming from anywhere in Fredericton, you just follow the Hanwell Road until you reach Hanwell Recreation Park. Coming from the direction of Woodstock, you take the TransCanada to Fredericton and take exit 271 Hanwell/ Mazerolle Settlement Road. At the bottom of the off ramp you turn right and continue on the Mazerolle Settlement Road for 1.3 kilometers. Turn left onto the Hanwell Road and follow this for 1.8 kilometers; you will find the Hanwell Community Centre on your left-hand side. There is limited parking; volunteers will guide you to a parking spot. Once parking here is full, you will have to park at the Hanwell Park Academy, which is next door. Parking on Nature Park Drive is NOT allowed.
TRANSFER OPTION (only if race sells out)
You can transfer your bib to anyone - $2.50 Race Roster fee (To be paid by the new participant). Find a willing participant and get their email address. Click 'Transfer' (on left or right side of the page). Add the new participant's email address. Once the transfer is initiated, the new participant will receive an email with a link to complete the transfer. The original participant is refunded their registration, and the new participant purchases the bib (plus the $2.50 Race Roster transfer fee). NOTE: The new participant must transfer into the same distance category as the original participant. Once the transfer is complete and the new participant would like to change distance, please send a pm to Dutch Viking Events on Facebook or send an email to [email protected] and it will be changed for you. Important! The event fee now includes the Race Roster fee so what you see is what you pay!