11Ron Hill got this challenging but enormously fun multi-terrain six-miler underway. Racers loved the face painters, the pianist hidden in the woods on the course playing Chariots Of Fire and the brass band at the finish. And the "stunning" goody bag

Closing Soon...Luton Marathon, (Beds, Dec 5) Get ready for the last UK marathon of the year!Victory 5, (Hants, Dec 5) A scenic route on the South coast and with no hills in sight, a PB is not out of the questionThanet Coastal 10, (Hants, Dec 5

@ Legoland. The majority of the off-road course has been retained last year, and the distance verified. Starting within the grounds of Legoland, the race heads straight into High Standing Hill Woods (Crown Estate property), which is not normally accessible

energising about a mix of bright sunshine and military oompah bands.Sunshine, shuffles and hillsThe band, bless it, destroyed my best-laid plans to sing my way around the course. (I sing my way around my east London gulag every morning. It's all that keeps me

) Get the estuary breeze behind you for this fast, flat figure-of-eight course and you’re sure to enjoy its PB potential.Henley Half-Marathon (Oxfordshire, October 14) Beautiful countryside, riverside stretches and just one hill of note make this a

at the top with stunning views of Lake Windermere and the surrounding peaks of the Langdales and Coniston Hills. But it’s not all sightseeing – runners are kept busy with some seriously tough climbs. The Hawkshead Trail is also admirably inclusive, with a

and I was swept into an almost immediate baptism of sludge. The first of the seven big hills that define the Plod was upon us by the two-mile mark. The peak of the ascent, where a stile bottle-necked the pack for several minutes, proved my only grumbling

to 200 metres. Your 200-metre time should be about 10 seconds more than your 100-metre time. Estimated Burn 340 calories BRAD HUDSON’S MILES AND HILLSBrad Hudson, a former 2:13 marathon runner and coach, likes to incorporate lots of short hill sprints

short 1.5-mile time trial. I had a cobbled climb, a tricky descent and some flat sections in it as well, so it was pretty hectic. Then I had four stages all between 100-120 miles in length. There were a few hills, all sorts of weather conditions

per cent humidity reduced my pace to a sweat-sodden slouch. The road wound up from the coast, through canyons hewn from ancient corals and draped with curtains of vines. Ten minutes on this modest little hill and I was gasping. My legs were cast from