How It All Began: 2012 and the Runner’s World Moment
That recognition said something important about what had been created: a race that was not trying to be bigger, flashier, or more commercial than its competitors. It was simply trying to be better. Better in the way that a great local event can be better than a corporate one — more personal, more genuine, more rooted in its place.
The Purbeck Marathon launched in 2012 as a community-driven trail running event on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. The route — following the Jurassic Coast cliff paths, crossing the Purbeck Hills, and passing through the ruins of Corfe Castle and the abandoned village of Tyneham — was unlike anything else available in the South of England. The landscape was the race, and the race was an expression of the landscape.
From the very beginning, the event was run entirely by volunteers. No paid race director, no commercial sponsor calling the shots, no management fee siphoning off the entry fees. Just a group of people who loved the Purbeck and wanted to share it with the running community.
Our Journey Through the Years
Inaugural Year
2012
The Inaugural Purbeck Marathon
2013
Record Participation
2014–20
Seven Years on the Jurassic Coast
“ Specific highlights, participation figures, or charity totals from 2014–2020 can be added here.”
2021
A Final Edition Before the Pause
2022–25
The Years the Purbeck Marathon Was Missed
2026
The Purbeck Marathon Returns
The Purbeck Marathon returns on 20 September 2026. Same route. Same values. Same extraordinary Jurassic Coast. The team is back, charity partners confirmed, and registration is open.
If you ran it before: welcome home. If you’re new: you’re in for something special.
One Reason to Come Back
That recognition said something important about what had been created: a race that was not trying to be bigger, flashier, or more commercial than its competitors. It was simply trying to be better. Better in the way that a great local event can be better than a corporate one — more personal, more genuine, more rooted in its place.
The Purbeck Marathon launched in 2012 as a community-driven trail running event on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset. The route — following the Jurassic Coast cliff paths, crossing the Purbeck Hills, and passing through the ruins of Corfe Castle and the abandoned village of Tyneham — was unlike anything else available in the South of England. The landscape was the race, and the race was an expression of the landscape.
From the very beginning, the event was run entirely by volunteers. No paid race director, no commercial sponsor calling the shots, no management fee siphoning off the entry fees. Just a group of people who loved the Purbeck and wanted to share it with the running community.
5-year pause. The event ran 2012–2021 before an unplanned hiatus. The 2026 return is the event the community has been asking for.
An extraordinary route. This years race follows the Old Harry’s Route and is 26.69 miles of Jurassic Coast trail running, from Swanage through villages and up to the ridges, to Corfe Castle and back to Swanage.
Same values. Volunteer-run, charity-focused, and 100% of profits going to local Purbeck causes. Nothing about that has changed.
New charity partners. Planet Purbeck, Dementia Friendly Purbeck, and St Edward’s Corfe Castle will benefit from the 2026 race.
The People Who Make It Happen
Every person involved in organising the Purbeck Marathon is a volunteer. There is no race director on a salary, no management company drawing a fee, and no commercial infrastructure behind the scenes. There is a group of people who live in and around Purbeck, love trail running, and believe that a well-organised charity race can be one of the most genuinely worthwhile things a community can create.
They plan the route. They coordinate the marshals. They manage the kit checks, the checkpoint supply chains, the timing systems, the bib collection, and the finish line. They write the briefings, answer the emails, liaise with the charities, and spend their evenings working on an event that will give all of its profits away.
They do it because it is worth doing. That is the entire reason.
When you register for the Purbeck Marathon, you are not just entering a race. You are becoming part of a community that operates on a different set of values — one where the effort of many creates something that benefits everyone, including the local organisations that depend on events like this to do their work.
Want to get involved? The Purbeck Marathon is always looking for volunteers to help on race day — from marshalling to checkpoint support. If you would like to be part of the team, get in touch with us here.
Race Director
Route Marshals
Kit & Registration
Finish Line Crew
Our Values
01
Community First
02
A Genuine Challenge in a Genuine Place
This is not a flat road race with a medal at the end. The Purbeck Marathon is 26.67 miles of Jurassic Coast trail running with 1,059 metres of elevation gain. The challenge is real. So is the landscape. The event asks something genuine of the people who enter it — and gives something genuine in return.
03
Every Penny to Good Causes
04
Rooted in the Purbeck
Be Part of the 2026 Return
Marathon from £50 | Purbeck 16 from £40 | All profits to local charity