Forest of Dean Spring Trails Half Marathon
The Forest of Dean Spring Trails Half Marathon is scheduled for Sunday 21 March 2027 and is held in the Forest of Dean with the start and finish at the Speech House Hotel. The officially measured half marathon (13 miles 192.5 yards) follows way marked forest trails laid out by the Forestry Commission. The route is a clockwise loop from Speech House that uses well maintained tracks and short road sections. The course is fully signed and marshalled, marked by yellow paint on the ground, and includes mile markers. Lead cyclists will guide the field and roads will be closed to allow runners to cross where required. There are three water stations at approximately 5 km intervals and drinks will be available at the finish.
The event is organised by the Rotary Club of the Royal Forest of Dean with support from the Forestry Commission and other local organisations. Proceeds are donated to charity. The race has been selected as the British Trail Running Association Short Distance championship and as an England Athletics Age Group Masters qualifying event; competitors must register their intention to qualify in advance where required.
Entrants must be 17 years or older on race day. Entry fees differ for UKA affiliated club members and non affiliated runners, with additional charges for manual or late entries. Race packs and personalised race bibs with integrated timing chips are issued after registration and bibs are issued on the day from a collection tent. Results will be gun timed for official placing and chip timed for individual performances. Medical cover and radio communications will be in place and an information point will be sited near the start and finish. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.
Race overview
This Spring Trails Half Marathon is run in the Forest of Dean at the end of March, using the same organization (but a different course) as the Autumn event. Starting on the road adjacent to the Speech House Hotel in the heart of the forest, the course then leaves the road to follow a loop of well maintained forest trails (with gentle inclines) before eventually leading back to the Speech House Hotel for the finish.
This annual event is organised by The Rotary Club of the Royal Forest of Dean and supported by the Forestry Commission. Proceeds are used to support charities, both locally and nationally.
We are very grateful for the involvement and support of a host of individual volunteers, together with a number of local organisations who make this event successful; including the Forestry Commission, the Speech House Hotel and the Forest of Dean Motor Club.
British Trail Running Championships - Short Distance event
We're delighted to announce that our Spring Trails Race has been chosen by the Trail Running Association to be the British Trail Running Championships - Short Distance event.
This means that, in addition to the regular event medals, the race winner will become the British Trail Running Champion - Short distance and the first three male and first three female finishers will also receive TRA issued medals to commemorate their achievement. Age Group prizes are also awarded in five year categories from V35 all the way up to V80+.
As the championship is an open one, it isn't necessary to be a member of the TRA to qualify for the British Trail Running Championship – Short Distance medal, so anyone who takes part in the event is potentially able to win!
To view the relevant page on the TRA website, please click here or on the TRA logo above.
England Athletics Age Group Masters
This event has also been selected by England Athletics to be a qualifier event for their Age Group Masters Trail Running qualifier race. This is a new initiative for England Athletics and those selected will go on to represent England in the representative race later in the year.
In order to be eligible for qualification you MUST register your intention to qualify in advance of the race using the Roster Athletics entry system. Retrospective registrations are not possible.
For further details on how you can qualify, please click here or on the Age Group Masters logo above.
Associated charities
This year, the Forest of Dean Spring Half Marathon is delighted to be associated with the following charity:
Run for good in the 2026 Spring Half Marathon with Read for Good, the national charity which empowers children and young people to experience the joy of reading. Register for a FREE place, and raise a suggested target of £250 to help fund brand new books and professional Storyteller sessions for children in Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Contact Ella at [email protected] for more information.
For further details on the valuable work that this charity does, please click on the logo above.
