HR Alan Corke 10km Trail

Race Description

The Alan Corke 10km is a Hastings Runners club race held on the trails of Hastings Country Park above Fairlight, taking in the Firehills, a stretch of clifftop heathland named for the amber blaze of its gorse and heather in bloom, with the English Channel in view for much of the route. Unlike the club's flatter fixtures at Horntye Park, this is a genuine off-road test, run on packed dirt paths across a stretch of coastal countryside within the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, with a serious amount of climbing packed into a relatively short distance as the route rises and falls along the clifftop and through wooded combes. It's a race with real pedigree within the club, having been run for many years as one of the standard fixtures in the Hastings Runners championship calendar, and times here are hard-won: recent editions have seen the course record pushed below 40 minutes for the first time, a reflection of both strong competition and a course that punishes anyone who goes out too hard on the early climbs.

Being a club-only event keeps the field relatively small and close-knit, with strong marshal support drawn from members not racing that day, and the setting, dramatic sea views, ancient woodland and open heath, makes it feel more like a proper trail race than a typical club handicap. For Hastings Runners members it's one of the toughest and most respected outings on the calendar, prized as much for the scenery as for the physical test it sets.