Railway Ultra 28mi

Race completed

45 km Distance

not publishedn/a Climbing

2.3 est Grit · Entry level

Calculated from 45 km alone — the organiser has not published an elevation profile. Read 2.3 as a floor, not a verdict.

52.6279° N, 2.4846° W © OpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles Data from OpenStreetMap

What the course asks

Time limit 7 hours 9:20 min/km average. Tight. Climbing is unpublished, so this pace is a ceiling on the effort, not a measure of it. Among the tightest Marathon cut-offs we track. Measured against 46 races of the same distance. Cut-off calculator →

Field size ~25 Small. Long stretches with nobody in sight.

DUV results for the 2023 edition (28mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Typical conditions, July

Daytime high 21°C

Night low 11°C

Rainfall Mostly dry

Daylight 15 h 59 m of light

Regional 2001-2020 average for July — NASA POWER, grid elevation 136 m. Not a forecast.

Results history

Year	Race	Finishers	Men's winner	Women's winner
2023	28mi	25	Paul Davies · 03:38:50	Nathalie Rees · 04:55:36
2022	28mi	29	Adrian Puchala · 03:26:47	Sharon Messam · 05:19:26
2021	28mi	20	Paul Davies · 03:38:30	Gemma Mallett · 03:48:38
2020	28mi	18	Damian McIntyre · 03:56:33	Deborah Pitt · 04:54:03
2020	28mi	17	Jonathan Godfrey · 03:52:48	Gemma Mallett · 04:05:25
2019	28.1mi	34	Paul Davies · 03:27:28	Gemma Mallett · 04:03:28
2018	28.1mi	26	Richard Collitt · 03:46:32	Julia Eastwood · 04:34:15
2017	28mi	26	David Walker · 03:59:14	Lilla Fenyvesi · 04:26:12

The field shrank 14% between 2022 (29) and 2023 (25). 20% of the 2023 field were women.

DUV results for the 2023 edition (28mi) — finishers only. Starters are not published, so the field was at least this big and no finish rate can be given.

Course notes

gear With trail terrain, choose a shoe with moderate cushioning for optimal performance.

Gear for this race

Chosen for 45 km of trail.

Trail Running Shoes 45 km of trail — cushioning that is still there in the last quarter.
Race Nutrition 45 km of self-supported fuelling between aid stations.
Hydration Vests Flask capacity for 45 km, without the bounce.
GPS Watches Battery life first — a 45 km day outlasts most full-GPS modes.

Adidas

Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra

RunRepeat found the Adidas Terrex Agravic Speed Ultra to be perfect for midfoot and forefoot strikers, while iRunFar noted that the shoe feels incredibly effici…

★★★★★ 4.5

La Sportiva

Prodigio Pro

RunRepeat found the La Sportiva Prodigio Pro to have a secure, locked-in fit due to its premium upper, and also praised the shoe's energetic ride, particularly…

$225 ★★★★★ 4.6

Maurten

Gel 100

Hydrogel technology for 25g carbs per gel with minimal GI distress.

$3.5 ★★★★★ 4.7

Salomon

ADV Skin 12

Industry-standard 12L race vest with front flask pockets and minimal bounce.

$180 ★★★★★ 4.8

Garmin

Enduro 3

Ultra-endurance GPS watch with solar charging and 300+ hour battery in GPS mode.

$900 ★★★★★ 4.8

All gear guides →

Overview

The Railway Ultra 28mi, a trail race held in Ironbridge, United Kingdom, offers a course along the River Severn. The event, organised by How Hard Can It Be Events, has taken place 8 times since 2017, with the most recent edition in 2023 seeing 25 finishers.

The 45-kilometer distance comes with a 7-hour time limit, which translates to a pace tighter than 92% of comparable marathon cut-offs. This allows for an average pace of 9.3 minutes per kilometer. The field size of this race is smaller than 65% of marathon fields but bigger than 33%.

Similar races

Other Marathon trail ultras, closest in distance first.