1 Mile 2 Go Events
The 26.2 mile course consists of 3 laps of Richmond Park. The first lap is 12 miles and follows a route around the perimeter of the park in addition to cutting through the centre of the park. The second and third laps follow the Tamsin trail, each lap being 7.1 miles long. The start / finish area is located close to Sheen Gate (aka East Sheen Gate) on the north side of the park. This area is a great vantage point for your friends and family.
It is important that all runners check the route map on the Richmond Park Marathon website to familiarise themselves with the changes from the first year, as the first lap may differ. Also, see section 12 below.
To help you around, there will be a lead cyclist for the runners to follow, plus signs and arrows and we wish to avoid any runners taking any unplanned diversions ! It will be difficult to provide an official time if any of the runners take any detours from the marathon route.
The race starts at 9.30am prompt. This year sees a mass start with all runners starting at 9.30am and running south from Sheen Gate to Sheen Cross before turning right to run towards Richmond Gate. Refer to the Richmond Park Marathon website for a diagram of the race route:
1m2go.co.uk There will be some pre-race briefings at 9.15am so please ensure you are in the start area by then.
On entering Sheen Gate, there is a car park on the right hand side, however, space is rather limited, so please arrive in good time if driving. Additional parking is available outside the park on Sheen Lane & Fife road. Please note that Sheen Gate is generally busy at weekends with traffic, runners & cyclists. Other car parks are available in Richmond Park, such as Roehampton Gate which is approx. 1 mile from the race start / finish area. Any problems , please have a look at the map showing where the car parks are located in/around Sheen Gate.
If you are using public transport, Mortlake Station is the nearest overland train station, about 15 minutes walk from Sheen Gate.
RACE PACKS with Race number, including chip timing will be available to COLLECT from REGISTRATION HQ on RACE DAY. This will include....
Timing chip + instructions for user
Race number
Safety pins
Bag tag (that can be attached to any baggage you wish to store at the start / finish area on race day)
Copy of race instructions
In addition to chip timing, there will be a timing clock located in the start / finish area, but we would encourage runners to have their own running watches in case of any discrepancies. Race numbers must be worn on the front of your running shirt. Race officials will be located in the start / finish area to answer any last minute questions on race day. Please arrive in good time from 8.0am onwards, as we need to ensure there are no delays in getting the race started at 9.30am sharp.
This year sees a cut-off time of 6 hours 30 minutes by which time all runners are expected to have completed the course.
Although there is no Registration this year, all runners need to congregate at the Sheen Gate assemble start area – as we have warm ups and some race briefings to relay.
KLP Medical Team will be on site, with an ambulance response vehicle located near the start / finish area. KLP Medical will also provide bicycle support, to enable them to get to any parts of the trails running through Richmond Park. There will also be over 20 keen race marshals along the route (easily identifiable with florescent bibs). Thanks to whatsapp, all marshals will have communication with Race HQ and KLP Medical for any runners requiring medical assistance.
Water and High Five energy gels will be available at drink stations located in 3 areas, one at the start / finish area Sheen Gate one near the top of Broomfield Hill (manned by the fantastic Allan and Stephanie) on the south side of the park and one near Ham gate (manned by our volunteers). Due to the 1 large lap + 2 shorter lap course, this means that you will have drinks available at approximately the following distances:
3 miles
5.5 miles
8 miles
12 miles
14.5 miles
17 miles
19.5 miles
22 miles
Finish area
We strongly recommend that you are well hydrated with water & sports drinks before the race begins. At Sheen Gate , we will pop up a Special Drinks Table – so that you can pick up any special home made drinks you are familiar with – please mark your drinks bottle clearly so you and others can identify the correct drinks per runner.
Public toilets are located in the park, just inside the Sheen Gate entrance , plus we will have some portaloos in the Sheen Gate Car Park to use. There are also toilet facilities located at Roehampton Gate, Robin Hood Gate, Ham Gate, Richmond Gate & Pembroke Lodge. Insofar as it’s possible, try to use one of the above mentioned toilets en route to the start area to avoid congestion at the Sheen Gate toilet area (which is very small). The Parks Management wish to remind runners that they should only use designated Parks toilets and should avoid urinating in the Park, or surrounding residential area.
A designated baggage area will be available near to the start / finish area. If you are dropping off a bag, please attach a numbered tag which you will have received in the post (per section 5 above), such that we can identify your bag after the race. Do not leave valuables in your bag. Your bag is left in the baggage area at your own risk.
Prize giving will be at approximately 1pm – 1.30pm. Prizes will be awarded for the first 3 male finishers and the first 3 female finishers. All finishers will receive a RPM finishers medal and a goody bag. We expect to have the Mayor or Mayoress of Richmond on hand to personally award you as you all finish.
We are very privileged to be allowed to stage this event with permission being initially granted in late 2010 by the Royal Park Authorities. It is absolutely essential that the park is kept tidy if we are to make this an annual event each May. Therefore, please only drop plastic cups and any other litter in the designated bins near the marshals or at the drink stations.
Additionally, we expect runners to demonstrate respect to other park users (pedestrians, dog walkers, cyclists, horse riders & motorists) at all times. There are always a lot of people using the Tamsin trail, especially at weekends and we do need our runners to be sensible & considerate. Again we remind runners if possible to stick to the left hand side of the Tamsin Trail as they meander around the course.
The first large lap is 12 miles in total & involves runners making their way from the start area near Sheen Gate, running a short distance to Sheen Cross before turning right to follow the pathway alongside Sawyer’s Hill towards Richmond Gate. Here, runners take a right turn, following the Tamsin trail to arrive back at the start / finish area for the first time, having covered 3 miles of the race. Next, runners make their way south again, crossing the road for the first time (care needed) at Sheen Cross and continuing through the centre of the park towards Robin Hood gate. From here, runners join the Tamsin trail running in a clockwise direction towards Petersham Gate. Next, runners do a “U-turn” and make their way back towards Ham Gate before running east through the centre of the park, following the cycle path, passing the Royal Ballet school and back towards the start / finish area.
The next 2 laps are nice and simple (!) (approximately 7.1 miles each) and follow the Tamsin trail in a clockwise direction around the perimeter of the park.
The 2024 route has changed from last year at the request of the Parks Management.
Please be aware that this is a demanding & challenging course, given that you will encounter tough hills on each of the 3 large laps of the park. If this is your first marathon you may want to consider walking up these hills to conserve energy.
The route will be well sign-posted and there will be approximately 16 race marshals along the route, primarily at each of the 6 roads that lead into the park and at various junctions of the large first lap. Please pay attention to the marshals who will direct you across these roads, but we would also ask you to use care and discretion at busy junctions. Do please be respectful of other park users including walkers, cyclists, horse riders & motorists.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to all the following supporters and sponsors of the second staging of the Richmond Park Marathon. This event cannot take place without the huge help and support from all of the below, and we look forward to another successful day.
Richmond Park Marathon is a non-profit event and all monies generated in excess of costs to stage the race are given to our chosen charity.
We look forward to meeting you all at race HQ on Sunday 19th May 2024 from 8am onwards & we wish you the very best of luck in running a safe & enjoyable race !
We will also arrange a unique Richmond Park children’s event (depending upon numbers of children who come along) this will start after the marathon runners have completed the first 3 mile circuit from Sheen Gate , up to Richmond Gate and back . This will be a 3 mile challenge , and all finishers will receive prizes from us. The event will be free for children to enter – and we will have plenty of people around Sheen Gate to keep all the children together.
The 2013 route will start and finish at Sheen Gate. It will have 3 laps/circuits , the first being
12 miles ,followed by two Tamsin trail (7 miles each) which should get us up to 26.2 miles. We are very excited to hold this event in Richmond Park again, and it’s fantastic to know Richmond Park hosted the cycling events at the London 2012 Olympics !
We will publish some maps if you would like to have an idea of the actual routes , these will be well signposted and marked in miles.
All race numbers , race information sheets, pins and race timing chips will be sent out to your postal address’s given to us.
These will be sent out about 3 weeks before the event, as soon as you get this, please keep it safe for race day, so when you arrive , you need to only change, use the loos, take some water,food on and do some warm ups ready for the mass start at 9.30am.
We will try to get some special runners to complete as 4 and 5 hour barrier , for those trying to achieve a certain time. As this is a trail marathon , it is considerably harder than a road marathon, but much more enjoyable in our opinion ! We wish you all well with the training and hope you build up your mileage and stamina to help you complete the second Richmond Park Marathon. As a bonus , we have put your first name on the race number so people know who you are to sayhello and cheer along, and you can do the same to all your fellow runners, you now have 200 new friends !
Please make sure you all smile and wave to our photographers R&R who will be taking a lot of pictures of the whole event from start to finish, and we will have a link of the pictures taken available , and importantly these really good photos will be available to buy , very cheaply from R&R from their site link making this whole event very runner-friendly.There will also be a free race finishers certificate for runners to print off which gives them their timings from the 2013 event – you will be able to do this once we have all the results uploaded and linked in.
We are also delighted to pass on information for those runners who require accommodation in Richmond , please click on the link below link
Http://www.visitrichmond.co.uk/accommodation/
Also, if you would like to know a little more of what is going on in Richmond , please click the link below
Car Parking
On entering Sheen Gate, there is a car park on the right hand side, however, space is rather limited, so please arrive in good time if driving. Additional parking is available outside the park on Sheen Lane & Fife road. Please note that Sheen Gate is generally busy at weekends with traffic, runners & cyclists. Other car parks are available in Richmond Park, such as Roehampton Gate which is approx. 1 mile from the race start / finish area. Any problems , please have a look at the map showing where the car parks are located in/around Sheen Gate.
Public transport
If you are using public transport, Mortlake Station is the nearest overland train station, about 15 minutes walk from Sheen Gate.