The Big Pilgrimage
The Big Pilgrimage is a fabulous 15 Mile and Marathon point to point mixed terrain running event, which follows the start of a newly discovered Pilgrim Trail called 'The Old Way'. This ancient trail from Southampton to Canterbury was recently found on Britain's oldest road map, the Gough Map c.1360 and follows beautiful coastal and countryside trails, from Mayflower Park in Southampton ; with the 15 mile course finishing at the medieval ruins of Titchfield Abbey and the Marathon finish line in the beautiful grounds of Boundary Oak School, just outside the village of Wickham.
This event is famous for its unique river crossing! When runners reach Hamble foreshore, they are invited to grab a bag of our yummy BigFeat Pick 'N' Mix sweets, before boarding one of our fleet of vessels for the short boat ride across the Hamble River to Warsash, where they disembark and carry on their run around the coast to Titchfield Haven. On your way you will pass fabulous pilgrimage landmarks such as Netley Castle, Netley Abbey, The Chapel at Royal Victoria Country Park and Titchfield Abbey. Participants will collect a sticker at each one to make a collectable race bib with a difference!
Coach Transport to the Start
On the morning of the event, pre booked coach transport will be available to take runners to the the start location at Mayflower Park in Southampton from the finish locations at Titchfield Abbey and Boundary Oak School.
Transport Price: Coach to start - £10. Add this to your booking at time of entry. Deadline to add transport to booking is 16/08/26.
Car Parks & Coach Pick Up Locations
15 Mile Course: The Great Barn, Mill Lane, Titchfield, PO15 5RB. Gates to car park will open at 6:15am.
Marathon Course: Boundary Oak School, Roche Court, Wickham Rd, Fareham, PO175BL. Gates to car park will open at 6:00am.
Start Times
For runners safety and enjoyment, we will start the event in waves.
- Marathon Start Times: WAVE 1 - 7:20AM, WAVE 2 - 7:30AM
- 15 Mile Start Times: WAVE 1 - 7:50AM, WAVE 2 - 8:00AM, WAVE 3 - 8:10AM
Coach Departure Time
- Marathon: ALL WAVES - 6:15AM
- 15 Mile: WAVE 1 - 6:45AM, WAVE 2 - 6:55AM, WAVE 3 - 7:05AM
Start Location
Mayflower Park, Town Quay, Southampton, SO14 2AQ
Finish Location
- 15 Mile: Titchfield Abbey, PO15 5RA (No car parking available, use Great Barn car park).
- Marathon: Boundary Oak School, Roche Court, Wickham Rd, Fareham, PO175BL
Distance & Price
- 15 Mile - £42
- Marathon - £54
We are unable to accept Canicross entries at this event.
Registration
Registration will be open from 6:50am. Runners will collect race bibs from the BigFeat HQ Tents at Mayflower Park on the day of the event.
Mandatory Kit
- All runners will be required to carry at least 500ml of fluid with them.
- As weather is changeable, runners are advised to also wear (and carry) appropriate clothing for the conditions.
- Runners are strongly advised to download the GPX file of the route onto a wearable watch or mobile device.