Rathfinny Half Marathon Trail

Race Description

The half marathon option at Rathfinny simply doubles the estate's 10k loop, which means twice the climbing and twice the exposure to the vineyard's undulating chalk tracks - a serious trail half rather than a road PB course, with around 500 metres of ascent across the two laps. Runners cover the same vine-lined farm tracks above Alfriston and the Cuckmere Valley twice, so the climbs that felt novel on the first lap become the defining feature of the second, making pacing and hill strength as important as raw fitness.

It's run on the estate's own land, a South Downs vineyard established in 2010 and now one of England's best-known sparkling wine producers, so much of the appeal is simply being able to run through working vine rows inside a National Park rather than the usual half marathon mix of roads and cycle paths. As with the shorter distance, the event is organised as a carbon-neutral race without single-use plastics, and it supports the WOLO Foundation, a local cancer charity, with some free charity places offered to fundraisers.

The Tasting Room area doubles as start, finish and post-race gathering point, so there's a natural pull to stay on and explore the estate once you've finished. This is a half for runners who want a genuine off-road hill challenge and a memorable, single-location setting, rather than those hunting a fast, flat time - the two laps of climbing will test anyone.