Where: Brean Down, Somerset
When: January 2026
Distance: 10k (single loop 5k also available)
Terrain: Mixed, hilly, head/chest torch mandatory
Organiser: Channel Events
Cost: £20 for entry, extra to include a medal
Website: https://www.channelevents.co.uk/storm-the-fort/
Unique is the best way to describe this race. Where else would you get the chance to run around a 19th century fort in the dark?
Brean Down is a kind of peninsular that sticks out between Weston Super Mare and Brean on the west Somerset coast.
The route
This night race involves running up the road onto the top of Brean Down, along a gravel path to the fort at the very end, around the fort (this will likely take you 1-2 mins max), and then onto grass and mud, before heading down the road you started on. And if you choose the 10k, you get to turn around a do it all again.
I can’t lie to you, there are proper hills in this.
The first one comes about 200m in, where you run up the road to the top of Brean Down. This is steep and for most people you’ll be walking. When you reach the top, the gravel path is undulating all the way to the fort. Perfectly runable, but it is a bit up and down.
Get round the fort, which is all concrete, and then things get serious. The next part of the race is on grass and mud and the hill will almost make you crawl.
Get to the top and you’re on undulating grass again, before rejoining the gravel path and then back down the big hill from the start. That’s a 5k loop, so if you’re doing 10k, you’re back off again.
The organisers, Channel Events, are all about inclusivity and community, so no one is getting left behind. But the course is no joke so be prepared to be tested.
For those of you who like a comparison, I’m coming back from a long injury at the moment, but I would say my 10k time on a flat road would probably be around the 50 minute mark. My time in this race was 1hr, 01min. The winner did it in 40mins, which just blows my mind.
Logisitics
Brean Down is a little tricky to get to so leave plenty of time to make your way there. I didn’t, and finding a parking space was a bit of a squeeze, but it all worked out. It can get pretty cold by the coast so take a big coat to wear before and after the race.
Overall
I would 100% recommend this race. Night runs are always fun and this is a genuinely unique setting. Channel Events are fantastic organisers and really go all out to give everyone a great time.