Brentwood Half-Marathon (plus Marathon, 10K and 2K) (Essex, October 30)Fall in love wih the trails with this atmospheric running festival set in the glorious Weald Country Park. Whether you're a trail newbie or a seasoned pro, there's a race

-to-point nature of the event, while the water stations and marshal points had been cheerfully manned along the well-marked route. Hard to imagine a more perfect (or perfectly flat) introduction to trail running, I'm already looking forward to next year's Up Flow

Distance: 1.5K/ 42K/ 10KWhen: June 12Where: Knockburn Loch, AberdeenshireFirst man: Andrew Brierley 2:11:07First woman: Rachel Boyd 2:23:45Last finisher: 3:42:14No of finishers: 107As triathlon increases in popularity, event organisers need to find

to second over the 21K run, a mix of trail, road and fell.  Wendy McBride had a comfortable win in the women's race thanks to incredibly quick transitions and a very strong performance on the bike. A tough race but one that many have already added to next

for wondering if they'd turned up at the same venue; in 2010 the rain came down in torrents, but this year's event was blessed with sunshine.The perfect conditions made for a trouble-free swim in the lake. The 43K undulating bike leg didn't present too many

sweat. Once you've warmed up along quiet residential streets, you'll have to slog it out on a single trail climbing the tough Leckhampton hill. At 5K the slope finally plateaus so you can enjoy the stunning Malvern Hill views and look out for the Devils

When: April 2Where: NottinghamshireFirst man: Andrew Lorimer 56:21First woman: Catherine Swinson 1:11:43Last finisher: 2:15:05No. of finishers: 376Road type: TrailRW rating 2011: 90% How do you like to spend your Saturday nights: vegetating

along the way making sure you'll never have a dull moment. Some fast times will be notched up in this event, chosen as the County 10 Mile Championship and the final race in the 2011 Leicestershire Road Running League. However, even if you're not a speed