How far is the Marsden Rock Up n' Run?

The Marsden Rock Up n' Run offers 2 distances: 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles).

Is the Marsden Rock Up n' Run course marked?

Yes, the course is marked. Navigation skills are not required.

When is the next Marsden Rock Up n' Run?

Thu, 29 Jul 2027, 18:45. Entries open.

It's Grim Up North Running Marsden Rock Up n' Run

Railway Pub, Station Road, MarsdenThu, 29 Jul 2027

A midweek summer evening 5k or two laps for a 10k from the Railway at Marsden. Register from six, cash on the night, jumble medal and a drink after.

Distance	Ascent	Per km
10K	—	—
5K	—	—

canalMarked course

Nobody has reviewed this one yet

No reviews of the Marsden Rock Up n' Run, 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.

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Pick your distance

starts 19:00

What you’re in for

The Rock Up n' Run format: register from six, pay on the night if online entries have closed, run, then collect a jumble medal and a drink. It is a club night with a bib rather than a race weekend, and it is pitched that way. A summer evening 5k, or two laps for a 10k, from the Railway at Marsden. The course is a 5k out-and-back on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal from the Railway pub by Marsden station, near the Standedge Tunnel end, run once or twice. The highest canal venue on the Grim calendar, at the top of the Colne valley.

Terrain and trail

Towpath that is part surfaced and part stone and grass, with a lock or two for gradient. Easy ground for a midweek evening, and a train home from the door — Marsden station is right at the start. Feed stations roughly every three miles with drinks, sweets and cake, and the events are cup-less, so bring your own cup or bottle. A GPX is supplied and not every junction has a marshal, so know where the turn is. Over-ear headphones are not allowed, and some road crossings are unmarshalled.

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Train for it: routes near the start

Routes starting within 20 km of Railway Pub, Station Road, Marsden, nearest first. Each one has a free GPX file and a TRP grade, so you can rehearse the ground before race day.

HARD

Marsden 10 Mile Challenge

16.4km · 357m climb · Loop · 0.2km away

It is the whole of Marsden Moor in one loop - Wessenden, Standedge and the reservoir chain - on ground that carries centuries of packhorse and canal history, and you can run it door to door from the train.

HARD

Easter Gate, March Haigh and Black Moss Reservoirs

16.8km · 349m climb · Loop · 1.0km away

You string together three reservoirs and a stretch of the Pennine Way on quiet moor tracks, with the whole of Marsden Moor opening out around you and almost nobody else about.

HARD

Stairway to Heaven from Wessenden

13.8km · 342m climb · Loop · 9.0km away

The stepped pull out of Wessenden that gives the route its name delivers you straight onto the roof of the moor, with the whole reservoir valley dropping away behind you in one go.

VERY HARD

Holme Moss to Snailsden and Britland Edge Hill

10.4km · 155m climb · Loop · 9.4km away

It packs a genuine sense of wilderness into ten kilometres - trackless peat, two rarely-visited tops and the huge radio mast of Holme Moss as your landmark all the way round.

HARD

Black Hill and Crowden Little Brook Loop

14.4km · 426m climb · Loop · 13km away

Black Hill's peat-black plateau feels as remote as anywhere in the Peak, and the return along the edge above Laddow Rocks is some of the best moor-edge running in the north.

MODERATE

Torside to Woodhead Tunnels via the Longdendale Trail

10.2km · 51m climb · Out & back · 14km away

It is a rare flat, fast run in the Dark Peak - a traffic-free old railway line running dead level past four reservoirs to the great stone mouths of the Woodhead tunnels.

All West Yorkshire routes →

How to enter

Thu, 29 Jul 2027 · Entries open · £17–£29

Enter on their website ↗

Entries are handled by It's Grim Up North Running, not by us. We take nothing for sending you there.

Add to your calendar · with the start time

Common questions

: The Marsden Rock Up n' Run offers 2 distances: 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles).
: No course file for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run yet, so there's no measured climb here. When It's Grim Up North Running publish one, this fills in.
: Not graded yet. A TRP grade is worked out from distance and climb measured off the course file, and there isn't one for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run yet.
: Yes, the course is marked. Navigation skills are not required.
: We don't hold a compulsory kit list for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run. It's Grim Up North Running confirm mandatory kit in their race information, usually in the final instructions.
: We don't hold published time limits for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run. If It's Grim Up North Running set cut-offs, they'll be in the race information.
: We don't hold a checkpoint list for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run. What's on the table varies a lot between races, so check the It's Grim Up North Running race information rather than turning up expecting food.
: Not yet — we don't hold a course file for the Marsden Rock Up n' Run. Some organisers only send the GPX to entrants. If we get one, it goes up free, with no sign-up.
: Thu, 29 Jul 2027, 18:45. Entries open.