Off Road Marathon Recommendations Please.....

[TheMoreItSnows]

I've reached that age where I need to run a marathon!

I've done a couple of halves and it's time to push myself again. I have some strict criteria though

I only run off-road and it needs to be in the 2nd half of the year (so that I can train in the lighter evenings) preferably in the U.K., and whilst I train on the South Downs I don't want too hilly.

Recommendations please

The Glencoe marathon is amazing (disclaimer: I have only done the half, the full is on my list) but I don't think it meets the not too hilly requirement! Stunning scenery though.

Take a look on fellrunner.org
You will want to look at Longs for a marathon length, but fell running is a lot more brutal on you core and legs.
In terms of extra effort add a mile for every 1000ft of ascent to give a flat equivalent.
Make sure you know how to use a map and compass because most courses are unmarked for long stretches even where they say they are "marked".

Check out the coastal trail series -
excellent events with a variety of levels of hilliness. I've also run Bewl Water marathon which is mostly off-road, and is a lovely small, well-run event.

Ooooh thanks, hmmm not sure I'm after maps & compasses whilst running - too old for that. I find that all the blood goes to the limbs so I struggle to recall simple facts on a long run! Coastal trails sound better. Keep them coming though - thanks

I did this as my one and only midlife crisis marathon.

www.lakelandtrails.org/marathon/

It was amazing! Brutally hard but very beautiful.

I like the look of the Suffolk one and the Coniston one , great suggestions to mull over.

Dh enjoyed the new forest one

One of the 1/2s I did was the New Forest - there was a surprising amount of road running I thought, so keen to avoid the roads as much as possible - but thanks for the suggestion!

There’s one on the Jurassic coast but can’t renember what time of year.

Second the Glencoe Marathon! I did it in 2016, absolutely stunning but hard, very very hard! Also second Coniston Lakeland Trails marathon, totally brutal but again the scenery was outstanding!