gorilla-suited souls around the straight-laced streets of London's financial district.Every entrant was asked to raise £800 for charity, and was given a free suit, complete with hands and feet. It was the only race you could go to where you could wear

Experian Robin Hood Marathon, Nottingham: Sunday, September 15WHY RUN IT?Speed, atmosphere, sights, lace panel mementoThe 22nd running of this reasonably quick two-lap route from the Victoria Embankment (with a different, flatter second lap

certainly never run a race like this one. It traverses one of the most beautiful bays at low tide, over sand of varying texture, with occasional waves lapping over your laces. The 13 or 14K as the seagull flies will seem more like a half-marathon effort

. This one could be just the ticket for a late summer holiday, as the race falls amid a week-long festival celebrating all that is Catalan – music, a night market and a lace festival – with bull fighting also scheduled for those inclined. The race itself

Yorks, Jul 24)Thorpe Edge Festival 10K (West Yorks, July 10)Run Preston 10K (Lancs, July 10) Following the success of last year's events, Preston's Festival of Running is back. The day kicks off with a two-lap 10K, a single-lap 5K running slightly later

year, the Shakespeare races are already looking forward to their biggest fields to date, with 3,000 runners scheduled to lace-up at this year's start. That shouldn't come as a surprise, with a course that boasts the Warwickshire countryside, as well

. With evening seminars, map reading tips and a panel of veteran race experts to lend their helping hands, this event is a must for Marathon Of Britain entrants and ultra-runners.Ultra Race Highlights:Caerphilly Summits Challenge 31 (Glamorgan, July 2)Boddington

marathon.Edinburgh Forthside Half-Marathon (Midlothian, March 26) With our events calendar jam-packed with over 100 Scottish races, selecting a preview from north of the border was a tall order. But try this inaugural half-marathon from Edinburgh Forthside

: two phrases I won't be using to describe my experience of the Meon Valley Plod.This 20.3(ish)-mile event was established by the Portsmouth Joggers Club in 1997 as a masochistic 21st birthday present to themselves and has been tweaked almost yearly

of the runners before they made way for dozens of burly, tattooed, close-shaven men dressed as Breton maids with delicate lace hats and pinnies. Bunch of Grapes: Fancy dress is a mustA group of runners in brown body stockings covered with purple balloons were