Woolacombe Beach is the UK's toughest marathon route
With Woolacombe Beach being the longest sandy beach in the UK surrounded by beautiful cliffs and sand dunes, this makes it perfect terrain to push your training for a half or full marathon. This is thanks to the tougher terrain sand brings as well as the incline from surrounding cliffs. With Woolacombe Beach coming in at 3 miles long, this makes it the perfect running ground to push your fitness boundaries.
It’s also important to note however that Woolacombe Beach isn’t the longest beach in the UK. The longest goes to pebble favourite Chesil Beach near Weymouth, which is 18 miles long. However, it would be difficult to run on such terrain. With marathon season underway, and Woolacombe enjoying a long enough beach perfect for serious training, we were interested in seeing how many times you would need to run the length of Woolacombe Beach for both a half and full marathon.
It turns out that if you wish to run a half marathon (which comes in at 13.1 miles), you need to run the length of Woolacombe beach 6.5 times. Meanwhile, to train for a full marathon which is 26.21 miles, you need to run the length of the beach 13.1 times.
As well as receiving the fitness training needed for such a challenge, you are benefitting from the stunning location of Woolacombe Beach, with its miles of golden sand, rolling waves and soft sand dunes. If you fancy a slight detour, you can take the public path that runs up through the dunes to Baggy Point, showcasing the beautiful coastal, sea and farmland views. Sounds better than training in a busy city, right?
Woolacombe Beach
- Half Marathon (13.1 miles) - 6.5 times
- Full Marathon (26.21 miles) - 13.1 times
The wellbeing benefits running Woolacombe Beach
As well as building up the resilience needed to withstand the physical distance of a full and half marathon, there are a variety of ways training on the beach will benefit your physical and mental wellbeing. Some of these include:
A softer surface: Running on sand leads to softer contact between your foot and the sandy surface, reducing the likelihood of training injury. If you trip over, the sand helps soften your landing, reducing the chance of injury.
Strengthens lesser used muscles: The uneven sandy surface helps strengthen your lower body limbs, because they will be working harder to keep you balanced as you run on the sand.
The view: Woolacombe beach is breathtaking with no end of activities and facilities. There are rockpools, burrows, a fun theme park, ice-cream kiosks and eateries should you build an appetite following your training. Or you could bring your own lunch to enjoy on the beach before taking a dip in the sea to cool off.
Sea Air: Running on the beach unlocks a natural advantage. The clean sea air invigorates your lungs, allowing you to push harder and maximise your run's effectiveness. If you can breathe better, this is going to help reduce your heart rate and lower blood pressure.
Time for other activities: If you are using Woolacombe Beach for your running activities, this doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the beach for other reasons too. You could enjoy a picnic with your family or take part in some watersports, and with the warmer weather approaching this makes total sense. This will help increase your stamina over time whilst enjoying precious time with loved ones.
Running with your dog meaning your little four legged friend can also join in with your training. Woolacombe Beach is also open to dogs all year round.
The North Devon AONB Marathon:
Every June, North Devon AONB Marathon & Half Marathon takes place, and it has an atmosphere like no other. It’s set to return for its 15th year in 2024, happening on the 30th June 2024.
You’ll never guess who the main sponsor is for the event? Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks are pleased to be the long-term headline sponsor, and are helping raise money for North Devon Hospice.
The route for the half marathon boasts a variety of exciting views starting at Woolacombe Beach, before reaching Croyde Bay at the mile 6 mark before concluding near Putsborough at mile 11 before the final Woolacombe Beach stretch.
If you were to decide on running the full marathon stretch, the first half of the route will be the same as the half marathon before continuing up the coast north from Woolacombe. Participants will follow the coast up north towards Rockham Bay and Bull Point (coming in to mile 16). From here, the route will loop round at Higher Slade (mile 21) and Ossaborough (mile 24), before ending at Woolacombe.
ENDS
About Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks
Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks is one of the leading operators of holiday parks within Devon and the UK. A family-run business, they are passionate about reinvesting back into their Parks so that the customer gets the best possible holiday at a reasonable price. They offer caravans, lodges and camping/touring pitches so you can find the right accommodation for your stay.
Contact:
For more information on the story please contact Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parks’ PR representative Thomas Dummer.
