Whether you are a seasoned regular or a newcomer to the event you'll appreciate this red alert that entries for the perennially sold-out Country to Capital Ultra by Go Beyond Challenge are well and truly open for the next edition on Saturday 7th January 2023. 

The Country to Capital is a 43-mile point-to-point ultramarathon, well established as the season opener to the Ultra calendar. The first half of the race sees runners heading out onto the Buckinghamshire trails before picking up the Grand Union Canal towpath and heading into London to finish on the tranquil Little Venice Canal basin in central London. 

It is very much a race of two halves! Trackers are now provided for all runners so friends and family are able to follow their progress from home. This year's race was held in heavy rain as 277 finishers gained qualifying points towards the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc. The male course record is held by Luke Delderfield (4:56:35) and the female record is 5:32:33 by Carla Molinaro.

The winners last month were Richard McDowell, of Hercules Wimbledon, in 4:57:27 and Samantha Amend (Belgrave Harriers, 6:04:22). There were 297 starters and the final runner reached the finish in 10:50:16. You can read about the race in runABC South's report here. 

The terrain is varied and the elevation gain is 419m, although the overall race is net downhill. This helps make it one of the most accessible ultramarathons for anyone keen to go beyond the marathon for the first time.

The entry fee of £65 includes the Geo Tracks GPS tracker technology, fully stocked checkpoints, and aid stations plus a bespoke event medal and T-shirt. Entry is restricted to competitors aged over-18 and there is a safety cut-off time of 11 hours, with progressive withdrawal times from Checkpoint #3.

Previous race results are at runABC South race listing here

Image courtesy Go Beyond Challenge