HALF MARATHON
Race information
Saturday, 23rd May, 2026

Schedule

Friday 22nd May 2026, Helen Gardens, Eastbourne, BN20 7XL. What3Words location

5pm Registration 1 opens

8pm Registration 1 closes

Saturday 23rd May 2026, Helen Gardens, Eastbourne, BN20 7XL

8.30am: Registration 2 opens.

9.45am: Registration 2 closes.

10am: Race start

3pm: Race finish

There will be two opportunities to collect Race Numbers (Bibs) Registration 1 will be on the Friday evening and Registration 2 on Saturday morning.

Race Start/Finish

Race HQ will be in Helen Garden, Eastbourne. The race will start and finish here.

Race numbers must be collected at registration and will not be posted out beforehand.

There will be plenty of parking at the start/finish line in the nearby residential streets of Eastbourne and on the seafront. Some of this parking is free and some is pay and display. The train station is a 1.5 mile walk from the finish line, however there will be free regular shuttles to take runners from the finish line after the race to nearby hotels and local public transport stations. This service is free of charge and does not have to be booked. it will leave roughly every 30 mins from next to the finish line. There will also be a large marquee, toilets, seating, food/drink, and music at the finish.

Runner Details

Please make sure that all the information you have given us is correct and updated if it has changed since signing up. This includes Next of Kin details, your mobile number, any medical issues and medication you are taking. This is all very important if a situation arises during the race. You can update this by going to your Eventrac account or if you don’t have one, then the confirmation email you received when entering will enable you to manage your entry. If you can’t find this email, then please get in touch and we can send you another.

SUSTAINABLE TRAVEL

Most of the emissions created by events are from road vehicle travel. Eastbourne Train Station is located about one and a half miles from Race HQ so please do your best to come by train and walk or cycle from there and reduce the emissions created. The environmental impact of travelling by road is massively reduced if the vehicle is full so please do your best to car share with others where possible.

Bus services

There will be a small shuttle service available after the race, which will transport all entrants that wish to use it, to the local train station and nearby hotels. This is free of charge and will depart every 30 mins.

accommodation and travel

There are various accommodation options nearby to Race HQ in Helen Gardens. Details can be seen HERE

Route GPX

Please be sure to download the GPX file as close to race day as possible. Route GPX

Awards

All finishers will receive a medal. Trophies will be awarded to the winners only, not second and third places.

Prizes will also be given to each age category winners only, not second and third place. The categories are male and female 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+. These will be sent out after the event.

Aid Stations

There will be 2 Aid Stations along the route serving water, coke, sweets (vegan), water melon, bananas, crisps, vegan/ gluten free polenta cake and Naked bars.

Please be aware that you must run to the first Aid Station in East Dean mile 8.27. There will be a Marshall to direct you here, at the village green. It is very easy to run past this Aid Station but even if you do not require anything from it, the timing mat must be crossed here and for the runners that do wish to make use, it is only fair that everyone covers the same distance. Please familiarise yourself with the position on the route of this Aid Station on the map as it is a short out and back section to get to it which can easily be missed.

Location
Amenities
East Dean, mile 8.27
Toilets available
Birling Gap, mile 10.30
No Toilets

Cut Offs

There are no cutoffs for this race along the route but runners must be finished by 3pm.

Crews, pacers and supporters

There are no crew or pacers allowed for this race. Supporters are welcome along the route but please not at Aid Station locations. This is very important due to Landowner requests. We will disqualify runners if their supporters turn up at these locations.

Finish Line Bags

Runners will have the choice of leaving their finish line bag at the start area in Helen Garden, Eastbourne where it will remain safe until collected.

Mandatory Kit

There is no mandatory kit for this race but we do suggest you bring a foldable cup as the race will be cup less.

Route Markers and Navigation

The course will be thoroughly marked with our UK Ultra arrows and ribbons. Even though the course will be thoroughly marked, it is the runner’s responsibility to navigate it successfully. We do however suggest you try and recce the route as much as possible, and STRONGLY suggest you download the GPX file onto your GPS, handheld or mobile device. Unfortunately, sometimes markers do get removed by members of the public or turned in the opposite direction.

Even though we will mark the route as thoroughly as possible, please don't rely on this. Having the GPX downloaded will save you a lot of hassle in this situation as it is very accurate, and you can easily navigate the route with this alone if markers are tampered with. This doesn't happen very often however, all it takes is for one marker to be tampered with to send you in the wrong direction.

Trail etiquette

Please be aware that the race route follows trails, paths and fields that will be shared by other members of the public and livestock. It is very important to be polite, courteous, and kind at all times. Just because you are in a race does not give you priority over them. Please be cautious when running through fields with livestock. Please approach and pass them slowly and cautiously.

 The route backs onto homes at many points during the race, but please be especially considerate in the early morning where the race passes through residential areas. There must be absolutely no littering along the course. Anyone seen doing so will be disqualified. There will also be times where the race passes through farmers’ fields with livestock in, and it is essential that all gates are please closed after using them. Failure to do this will obviously mean livestock can potentially escape. Anyone seen not closing gates will be disqualified. It is that important.

Rules

Please be sure to read through these before the event. Rules

Medical

There will be an experienced team of Race Medics available to runners before, during and after the event including First Aid Teams, Response Cars and Ambulances. There is the possibility due to some locations on the course that the medical team might take some time to reach you. In this situation you should call 999.

Photography

We have teamed up with The Graphic Corner Sussex to cover the event. These images will be FREE to all runners and will be available a few days after the event.

Please do not get in touch asking when they will be ready immediately after the event. This has nothing to do with us and the photos will be ready once the photographer has had time to process them all. As soon as they are ready they will be made available on the website and sent out via email.

UTMB, ITRA and DUV Statistics

Seven Sisters Half Marathon is a UTMB Index Race. Results will be sent to UTMB about a week after the event has finished so please be patient with this. If you would not like us to share your results with them then please let us know.