Bódis Breaks the Spartathlon Record
Hungary’s Tamás Bódis won the 246km Spartathlon from Athens to Sparta in 19:40:51 on Sunday 27 September, taking 14 minutes 18 seconds off the course record.
The previous mark of 19:55:09 belonged to Fotis Zisimopoulos, who finished second in 20:32:41. Despoina Simantrákou won the women’s race in 24:45:43. Bódis, also the 2019 winner, set the record in cool, wet conditions on a route that crosses Mount Parthenio.
Litt Completes 1,000 Consecutive Ultra-Distance Days
New Zealand runner Shannon-Leigh Litt completed her 1,000th consecutive outdoor run of at least 50km in Whangārei on Saturday 26 September. She began on 1 January 2024 and usually ran 51km a day, leaving a buffer for GPS discrepancies.
Litt documented the runs with two watches and witnesses. RNZ reported on Saturday that Guinness had accepted evidence for about 800 days and issued her a certificate confirming she had passed the previous 200-day record. Verification of the full 1,000-day claim was still pending.
Darbyshire and Nash Win the 13 Valleys Ultra
The Altra 13 Valleys weekend ran from 25–27 September in the Lake District. Its flagship 185.7km course had more than 7,000m of ascent. The winners across four of the weekend’s distances were:
- 13 Valleys, 185.7km: Mark Darbyshire, 22:09:03; Karen Nash, 35:58:26.
- 7 Valleys, 110km: Barney Plummer, 11:13:15; Paulina Krawczak, 12:45:46.
- 5 Valleys, 58km: James Bradmill, 5:04:40; Naomi Tuckett, 6:48:54.
- 2 Valleys, 21km: Hugh Chatfield, 1:19:32; Holly Wootten, 1:32:07.
Entries are open for 2027, when a new 81km 6 Valleys race joins the programme.
TRA Names 2027 British Trail Championship Races
The Trail Running Association has listed the three races that will host the 2027 British Trail Running Championships. The short-distance title goes to the Forest of Dean Spring Half Marathon on 21 March, a race on rolling trails.
The middle-distance championship is the Scafell Sky Ultra on 5 June: a marked 63km Lake District route with 4,400m of climbing and a 15-hour cut-off. It will also serve as a GB&NI selection trial for the 2027 World Mountain and Trail Running Championships.
The South Downs Way 100 hosts the ultra-distance championship on 12–13 June. Its 161km (100-mile) point-to-point course starts near Winchester and has 3,500m of climbing.
