Hardmoors Wainstones Trail Races
Chop Gate, the Wainstones and the roughest ground in the series.
| Distance | Ascent | Per km |
|---|---|---|
| 45.1 km Trail Marathon | 1,707 m | 39 m |
| 26.6 km Trail Half | 1,018 m | 38 m |
| Trail 10K | 488 m | 34 m |
Nobody has reviewed this one yet
No reviews of the Wainstones Trail Races, and nothing on what people wore. Both are things no organiser publishes and every runner wants before they enter — how it actually went, and what was on your feet.
Ran it? Write the first reviewRunning it soon? Connect Strava and we will ask you about it the day you finish, so you do not have to remember to come back.
Pick your distance
EXPERT
TRP grade · E5·T3
starts 09:00
This file is from a previous running and the course may have changed since. If you are navigating with it, get the current version from Hardmoors first.
What you’re in for
The June round of the Hardmoors 26.2 series and the roughest ground in it, from Chop Gate village hall in Bilsdale up onto the Cleveland Hills and the Wainstones — the gritstone crag on Hasty Bank that the Cleveland Way scrambles through — and along the escarpment. The Trail 10K is 14.4km with 488m of climb, the Trail Half 26.6km with 1,018m, the Trail Marathon 44.1km with 1,707m. Those are big numbers for the distances, and the Marathon's 1,707m makes it the hardest round of the series. Start at eight.
Terrain and trail
The Cleveland Hills escarpment: steep stone-pitched climbs, the rock of the Wainstones themselves, flagged moor top and heather, with the descents into Bilsdale steep and loose. The organiser calls it the roughest in the series and it is. June is the kindest month for it. A trail shoe with real grip, and the map in a bag. Hardmoors 26.2 races are not taped or signed. You navigate yourself from the route description and map they publish — printed, in a freezer bag, because the kit check at registration looks for them — and a GPX on a watch is a back-up, not a substitute. Cup-free at the checkpoints and the finish. Full mandatory kit carried for the whole race, and the organiser's line on the moors is worth repeating: do not underestimate them.
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Train for it: routes near the start
Routes starting within 20 km of Chop Gate, North Yorkshire, nearest first. Each one has a free GPX file and a TRP grade, so you can rehearse the ground before race day.
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How to enter
Sun, 20 Jun 2027 · Not open yet
No entry link yet. Check Hardmoors’s site ↗
Add to your calendar · with the start time
Common questions
- The Wainstones Trail Races offers 3 distances: Trail Marathon (45.1 km / 28.0 miles), Trail Half (26.6 km / 16.5 miles), Trail 10K (6.2 miles).