Wendover Woods Half Marathon 2026 - Race Review

This morning I headed down to Wendover Woods for the Wendover Woods Half Marathon, not sure what to expect but hoping for a cracker. With Race to the King 50k (Castle route this year) just two weeks away, I wasn't chasing a time or trying to set any personal records. This was more about getting another long run in the legs, seeing a new course and enjoying a morning in the woods.

The event offers two race distances on the same course: a 10k and a Half Marathon. The 10k runners complete a single lap, while the Half Marathon consists of two laps plus a slightly cheeky extra 250-metre out-and-back section around a purple backpack masquerading as a traffic cone! And a friendly marshal encouraging everyone to turn around and go back where they'd come from.

My first impression on arrival in the Woods was positive. The event village was welcoming and well organised, with an admin tent, bib collection point, medical support and plenty of friendly faces around. It wasn't a huge event by any means. I'd say there would have been somewhere around 200 runners across both distances, but that actually felt about right. There are so many races available these days that a field of a couple of hundred runners seems perfectly respectable for a local trail event.

The organisers also run an Autumn version of the race and, apparently, a marathon on the same course. That marathon involves four laps. Four laps! I'm not sure I've quite convinced myself about that one yet, but I may have to investigate further.

Conditions could hardly have been better. Yesterday had been wet and miserable. A couple of weeks ago it had been very, very, hot (30 degrees plus). Today sat nicely between the two. Cloudy skies, a gentle breeze and comfortable running temperatures for most of the race. The sun did start to make itself known during the final few miles, but overall it was close to perfect running weather.

The course itself is almost entirely within the woodland. There are a few brief clearings, but for the most part you're running under tree cover throughout. One thing that immediately stood out was the quality of the trail surface. For a woodland race there were surprisingly few technical sections. No significant rocks, roots or deep ruts to negotiate. The route was kind underfoot and very runnable.

In fact, the biggest surprise was that much of the first half of the lap follows crushed concrete paths. Running in trail shoes, I found these sections felt a little harder than expected. By the end of the race I'd concluded that road shoes might actually have been the better choice. I later overheard another runner saying exactly the same thing, so it wasn't just me.

The course profile itself is fairly straightforward. There is one significant climb at around three miles into the lap and then a mixture of rolling woodland terrain. The opening mile and a half is predominantly downhill. Normally that sounds like a gift, a nice little warm up really. However, my immediate, and slightly unfair, reaction was:

"I don't like this."

Because whenever a trail race starts with a long downhill, you know exactly what's coming later.

Sure enough, every metre of descent would eventually need to be regained.

As for the main climb, I employed my usual ultra-running strategy and walked it. It works for me, and plenty of other runners were doing the same. Wise folk.

One thing the organisers absolutely nailed was course marking. The route was exceptionally well signed throughout. Even if you were trying to get lost, you'd struggle. Every junction and fork in the forest path was clearly marked, and marshals were positioned in all the right places.

The marshalling team deserve a special mention. Every marshal I encountered was friendly, encouraging and enthusiastic. Trail running events live and die on the quality of their volunteers, and the team at Wendover Woods were excellent.

Water stations appeared roughly every three miles, and everything was well stocked and efficiently run.

The finish line threw up a few final surprises, as a few runners noticed that their watches weren't showing the full 13.1mile distance and started taking little detours before crossing the line - to ensure they had completed the exact mileage.

Now, I fully understand why some runners care about this, but that's not me.

I'd followed the course. I'd completed every section the organisers had laid out. I'd enjoyed myself. And that's enough for me, I'm not going to fuss about a few hundred yards. Really, I'm not.

As I write this several hours later, I still haven't checked whether my watch recorded the full distance or not. Would it help me? Nah.

One of the more unexpected challenges on the course was the camber (if you can call it that as it was barely there) on some of the woodland paths. The trails had a constant, and very slight, left-to-right and right-to-left slope across the width of the path. Under normal circumstances I probably wouldn't have noticed, but I arrived carrying a slight Achilles niggle.

For the first lap this seemed to irritate my left foot and Achilles more than anything else on the course. Every footstrike landed at a slight angle, and after a while I could definitely feel it.

Curiously, by the second lap the issue seemed to settle down. Whether that was because my Achilles had properly warmed up or because I'd a few more chats with fellow runners in the second half, I don't know. But it felt better. Until I got out of the car at home - ouch!

As always, one of the highlights of the day was that chatting with fellow runners. Trail runners are generally a friendly bunch and today was no exception. I spent part of the race talking with a runner called Nick who, as it turns out, will also be taking part in Race to the King in two weeks' time.

Will I see him there?

Who knows.

Here's something random: at roughly halfway around my mind started contemplating an issue of genuine importance:

What would the medal be like?

More specifically, I found myself hoping it wouldn't be one of those wooden medals or recycled plastic efforts that seem increasingly popular.

Fortunately, my fears were unfounded.

The medal is excellent.

Featuring a Red Kite encircled by the race details, it's genuinely one of the nicest medals in my collection. A great-looking piece of race bling. I like it!

Good job, team.

So, would I recommend the Wendover Woods Half Marathon?

Absolutely.

The course is enjoyable, well maintained and suitable for a wide range of abilities. The organisation was excellent. The marshals were friendly. The route marking was faultless. The woodland setting is beautiful and, for me at least, it's only about 50 miles from home.

Will I be back?

Without question.

In fact, I'd quite like to rope in a couple of my running buddies along next time. Watch out Geoff, Sophy, Jon, Claire

And if I were scoring the event?

It's a rare thing for me to give full marks, but this one deserves it.

10 out of 10.

A cracking race, a lovely morning in the woods and another reminder that trail running doesn't always need dramatic mountains, brutal terrain or epic distances to be memorable.