Course updates for 2025
Hi there GBR fans,
There have been a few updates to the course this year. If you follow us on facebook you will have seen these already.
Please check the maps and videos for each stage which have all been updated unless stated.
We went over to Chipperfield and St Albans this morning to film some clarifications to the Stage 6 route. Glad to say Chipperfield was looking lovely as ever. Lots of bluebells out, and a really nice late breakfast in the Two Brewers.
Last year the timekeepers sent the field off on a different route which made the course fractionally longer. We checked it and we prefer the path along the road that we’ve used before (mainly because the bigger path is much more heavily used).
Last year we also had to amend the finish in St Albans to avoid flooding, and we prefer this change because in any case runners tend to do whatever they like across Verulamium Park, so we’ll just adopt the most direct route.
We will also finish stage 5 a few yards shorter to avoid any clashes with weddings etc. at the church. Again, not a significant change to anything.
We’ve updated the pdf map and the video to correct for a stile which is no longer there at 7.3 miles. No change to the route.
Video has a few seconds of the run through the woods between there and 7.5 miles too.
We went to have a look at the start (Merstham). There are some works going on which restrict the space, and there will also be a cricket match.
So we will register you at the little verge in Quality Street (pictured)and then walk you through to the start, and will let you go when the cricketers are changing overs. You will then need to be careful getting through the gap (pictured).
We have a marshall who can talk cricket and we went to chat to them today, and it should all work fine.
We ask you not to park in the cricket club, and to generally be considerate.
We have a change to the end of stage 19 this year. This will avoid disturbing Hollister Farm and avoid any risk of blocking their driveway.
We will finish at the same point that Stage 20 starts, so right by the West Hanger car park (which is where it used to finish pre-2014). Stage 20 should have already departed by the time the first finishers arrive, but otherwise you’ll all just have to dodge each other. BCG will be marshalling that one, so will need their wits about them there.
This adds a new road crossing near the end of stage 19, so take care no matter how keen you are to get to the finish.
We will, after all, be running around the outside of Bushy Park on stage 22. This adds just over a mile to the route.
Our permissions guru Alan has been chasing them for this since November and they only proposed the rate with 11 days to go. The easy thing to do at this stage would be to lump it, but low-key amateur competitive running can’t survive being charged £5 per runner per mile just to cross a park on a quiet Sunday night, and we can’t operate this race with that sort of dismissive slowness.
As we discussed at the captain’s meeting, there are some advantages to this new route: it’s been really hard for timekeepers and supporters to get to the finish before the first runners, whereas this time we’ll be able to follow them down Hampton Court Road and Sandy Lane and get there.
Apologies to stage 22 runners but we feel it’s the right thing to do. Will update maps. Can’t promise a video but it’s not complex.