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26th edition: 18th -19th May 2024
The 26th Green Belt Relay was held on the weekend of 18th/19th May 2024. Race report is here
Team awards were as follows:
Green Belt and first mixed team: Clapham Chasers
Second overall and first men: Ranelagh Harriers
First women: Stragglers
Second women: Thames Hare & Hounds
Second men: Thames Hare & Hounds
Second mixed: Windmilers
Veterans: Ranelagh Harriers
Second vets: Serpentine
Toilet seat: Ealing Eagles
Introducing the Green Belt Relay
The Green Belt Relay is a not-for-profit annual running relay
organised by The Stragglers running club, and all surplus funds from the race
are donated to charity (most recently the Marie Curie charity).
The race is a 22-stage running relay around 220 miles of the Green Belt around
the outside of London over a single weekend. The course mainly follow
footpaths, towpaths or minor roads.
The race takes place in May each year, starting at Hampton
Court, Saturday 8.30am and ending in the nearby Bushy Park Sports Centre on
Sunday at about 6pm. It is organised by The Stragglers running club, has been
going since 1995, and involves around 50 teams. Runners form teams of 11
people, and each runner runs one stage each day. Although the race is a relay,
each stage starts at a fixed time. This allows each stage to be a competitive
race in its own right, and also allows teams of all different standards to stay
roughly together as they advance along the route.
When is it?
The
race is each year around the third weekend of May. It starts at 8:30 on
Saturday morning, going on to stop at around 7:30pm at the end of stage 11 in
Blackmore, Essex. It resumes at 8am Sunday, and finishes at around 6:30pm
Sunday. Exact start times for each stage are listed on the course details page.
Where does it go?
The course weaves its way around the villages, rivers and paths of London's green belt, starting at Hampton Court Palace and ending with a barbecue and prizegiving nearby at our club headquarters in Kingston. The course details page gives you everything you need to know about the course and stages - timings, maps, changeover details. Each stage averages about 10 miles, but difficulty levels and distances vary.
The
route largely follows the Green
Belt Way, a related long distance walking route. You'll find a wealth of
background detail here -
the race founder Sean Davis has walked every inch of the 220 miles and visited
every church, castle, windmill, lockkeeper's cottage and perhaps even pub along
the way, and you can enjoy his unique take on each stage as you go.
Why?
Various prizes are on offer, and there is quite intense competition for the honour of winning stages, setting stage records, and competing for the team events, ranging from the "Green Belt" (fastest team) to the much-coveted "Toilet Seat" awarded to the slowest team to compete the full course.
The race also raises money for various charities, both from
individual teams and from surplus funds.
Who Competes?
The race is open to anyone who can get 11 runners together to form a team, and is open to all standards of runners, although it’s a demanding race so please read the course details carefully.
The
race is organised by The Stragglers Running Club - mail us at greenbeltrelay@outlook.com with questions or comments. We rely on the kind help of hundreds
of others, some of whom are listed here
