Alnwick Trail Half-marathon, 24th May 2026

Anna Round reports from sunny pastures:

“As a hardy contingent set off to pound the streets of Edinburgh, my Sunday destination was the gentler setting of Hulne Park. On a perfect May morning, a few hundred runners gathered for a junior 2k, a 5k, a 10k, and a half-marathon.

We set off along a grassy track towards the bridge where the main loop of the course began. This started with an idyllic three miles along a gravel path beside the Aln, surrounded by rolling fields, lush woodland, birds singing, and best of all a light breeze that kept the building heat at bay. At one point four deer cantered alongside the race for a few hundred metres, just to complete the effect.

All good runs will eventually come to a hill, however! Leaving the river behind, we rejoined the road for a mile of steady climb, rewarded at the summit with some stunning views across Northumberland. Then a sharp turn onto a trail through the trees took us downhill and back to the bridge. I was surprised and delighted to hear someone shouting my name at this point – a huge thanks to Lynne Cornell for her marshalling and her support! Getting cheered on by name definitely shaved a bit off my time. The 10k runners headed back over the bridge at this point, leaving the half-marathoners to their second loop.

By now it was seriously warm; I was glad that I’d asked Richard to wait for me with a fresh bottle of water. The hill seemed that little bit steeper on re-acquaintance, and Lynne’s encouragement was even more welcome this time around. The final couple of kilometres coincide with the children’s race, and the presence of twenty enthusiastic kids running like nobody’s watching was a great mood-lifter and a reminder of the sheer joy of the sport. That carried me back over the bridge and all the way to the finish.

My goal had been to finish within two hours, so I was pretty happy when I stopped my watch. This was a brilliant event; friendly, well-organised, and in beautiful surroundings. Even the coffee was great! I definitely hope to be back next year and I recommend it very highly.”

Anna recorded a time of 1:53:59, well under two hours, great running Anna!