The ultra-running cognoscente will already know, but for the less enlightened we can reveal that entries for the 2026 Threshold Trail Series are open. Will you choose to follow in the footsteps of royalty along the spectacular Monarch’s Way and South Downs Way in Race to the King (20 June) or maybe you'll conquer the ancient Ridgeway Path as you travel through history to the 5,000-year-old Avebury Standing Stones in Race to the Stones (11-12 July).

Threshold Trail Series events are the UK's biggest trail ultramarathons, with thousands of competitors, and race distances from 30K to a full blown 100K. The Race to the King Ultra is held on a unique and inclusive figure-of-eight route, using part of The Monarch's Way long distance path that was the escape route of King Charles II after the 1651 Battle of Worcester.

The event is based at West Dean Gardens, at the foot of the South Downs, near Chichester. The four options for 2026 are to race 30K, 50K, 80K, or 100K. There is a 24-hour cut-off time for the non-stop 100K (actually 103.2K) that features a King-size 1,510m elevation gain!

The Race to the Stones Ultra was established around 3,000 B.C., or rather the course from Lewknor in Oxfordshire to Avebury in Wiltshire was first used more than 5,000 years ago. The Ridgeway is the UK's oldest footpath and this ancient trading route ends at the iconic and mysterious Avebury Standing Stones, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This is a full weekend event, with two different 50K point-to-point courses; a two-day 100K with overnight camping and a non-stop 100K with 1,350m of ascent. The course records for the 100K are 7:41:56 by Hugh Tibbs (2025) and 9:14:17 by Sarah Morwood (2015) and there is a generous 25-hour limit.

Why should you choose a Threshold Trail Series event for your next, or perhaps your first, trail ultra? We'll let Threshold Sports answer that question: "Our intention is to create ultras which anyone with a dose of grit and determination can finish. We believe you won’t find a better-supported ultra anywhere in the UK – or perhaps the world!"

For full details and link to enter the Race to the King Ultra, click here.       

For full details and link to enter the Race to the Stones Ultra, click here.

For results and event reports in runABC South's race listing, click here for Race to the King and click here for Race to the Stones.

Photo courtesy of Threshold Trail Series on Facebook