Written by Lisa Jenkins
I was encouraged to enter this race by a friend and literally nabbed the last of 200 places at this new event – 26.5 miles from Redcar to Whitby, along the coast. Having ran or walked the Cleveland Way in shorter sections, I knew it would be a tough, but beautiful route and I hoped we’d have nice weather on the day.
The race was advertised by Charm Bracelet Marathons…
“Heading south from Redcar following the King Charles III England Coast Path, you’ll finish in the beautiful fishing town of Whitby. You’ll pass through coastal villages, run on the sand, watch the world from high up on the cliffs, and immerse yourself in everything the Cleveland Way has to offer”.
Fellow Quaker, Rebecca, was also taking part and we arrived in Redcar at the Beach Base on the sea-front, where registration and collection of numbers was taking place. After a kit check, toilet stop and some photos, we were ready for our briefing by one of the Race Directors, Tim. I left Rebecca at the front of the pack and took my starting place, right at the back with my friend.
The generous 10 hour cut-off meant there was a good mix of runners and walkers and those completing the Half Marathon from Redcar to Staithes would be arriving to register, after we had set off.
Though it was a bit chilly, the sun was trying to come out and the first few miles along the front at Redcar were nice and flat and on tarmac. This gave us a great start and allowed us to get into a good rhythm but soon the tarmac became trail, and ‘little hills’ began. Soon we were heading into Marske-by-the-Sea and before we knew it, we had crossed fields and associated stiles, along the cliff top, towards Saltburn and the first checkpoint (5.8 Miles).
In front of the Ship Inn, was the first checkpoint and marshalls with top-up water. We said a quick ‘Hello and thank you’ and carried on round the corner. At the foot of the steps, leading up to the cliff edge, Mountain Rescue had a collection bucket for donations and we dropped some pound coins in before heading very slowly up the steps. Those who know me well, know of my calf muscles issues and awful cramps, so I’m always very wary and just take steps and hills steady and I was soon at the top with no issues.
We ran along the cliff tops and by now the weather was beautiful and the views absolutely stunning. I took photos and the blue skies could easily have been mistaken for somewhere abroad. As we ran alongside the train track, the Charm Bracelet sculpture came into view. We took the obligatory photos and were soon on our way again, along the cliff path.
Check point 2 was ahead at Skinningrove (9 miles). There was a beautiful beach ahead, but first we had to descend down some steep steps and I almost took a tumble as I slipped on the shale. Not sure how, but my gym work paid off as I managed to stay upright and get safely to the checkpoint. The next and last checkpoint would be at Runswick Bay 10 miles away, so I made the most of the snacks (great selection – flapjacks, chocolate brownie, watermelon, oranges as well as haribo type sweets and plenty of savoury stuff) and topped up with water.
Off we went again, up the steps towards Boulby. Again, I took my time and chatted to others on the way – everyone was lovely, taking time to say, ‘Hello’ and exchange a moan about the steps. The route continued to the halfway point in Staithes. This is where the half-marathoners were able to stop, at the bridge over the estuary. I had been concerned about the 10 miles between checkpoints and obviously didn’t want to carry loads of liquid. The race rules allowed us to call wherever we wanted, for whatever we needed, but my husband met me and filled my water up (whilst others called in the pub for a pint!)
Finally at around 18–19 miles, we approached the final checkpoint at Runswick Bay and it was about half a mile from here that, despite competing as tough run herself the day before, fellow Quaker, Karen popped up to see us! We were over the moon and she took photos of us at Checkpoint 3 and waved us off.
At first glance it’s not clear where to run from here. As the tourists enjoyed playing on the beach, cafes and ice creams, we ran across the beach, jumping over little streams until we reached a waterfall cutting through the rocks in the far corner of the beach. More steps! We formed a single file queue with others in front and behind us, up the steps that twisted and turned up to the cliff top. No one was bothered about overtaking and those heading towards us in the other direction, were happy to give way so we could keep pushing on.
We ran along the cliff edge path towards Kettleness, passing through several fields with associated gates towards Deepgrove Wyke. Before long, we were at the point where I’d done a ‘there and back recce’ whilst other QRC members were running the cross country at Whitby in February. The weather couldn’t have been more different. Then, it had been bleak – cold, raining and misty, whilst today was gorgeous with a little breeze now and again. I knew that once I’d got down some steep steps and the awful descent down the cobbles, that I’d be on flat cinder track that was the former railway approach to Sandsend. I took full advantage of the wooden hand rail, even though the cobbles were as dry a bone this time.
At this point we had completed about 22 miles and still felt strong. Up until l now, I had been slightly aware of the buzz of my watch as we ticked off each mile, but it was only here that I was curious about our pace. On this flat section we were running at just under 12 minute miles, it was short lived as we soon came to more steps, just little ones though, and down into Sandsend.
Sandsend was full of tourists enjoying the sunshine and we dodged them and their dogs. I was tempted to get an ice lolly from the ice cream van, but we realised that if we kept going, we had a good chance of finishing within 7 hours. Before long, we could see Whitby Abbey in the distance which perked us up and spurred us on.
A little further along the main road from Sandsend, down the back of the golf course and up onto the West Cliff of Whitby and the last section of the event. Through the Whale Bones and down onto the Khyber Pass. On the busiest day of the year so far, the last mile of our marathon took us down the busiest street in Whitby, past the amusements, the Magpie Café, back towards the swing bridge and a sharp turn right up a very steep hill, all the way back to the top of the West Cliff. Yellow arrows signposted the way. We could see people who had already finished and I regretted my decision to decline a t-shirt when I entered, opting for the ‘Trees, not Tees’ instead.
We passed through the Leisure Centre car park where lovely marshals pointed us in the right direction and supporters and families cheered, shouted and clapped us in. Our codes were scanned by the other Race Director, Cath and we were given our wooden medal. I decided that I would email when I got home to ask if there was a spare T-shirt I could buy. Unbeknown to me, my friend had already sorted it and I was able to take it straight away.
A bonus of finishing in the Leisure Centre was that we were allowed to use the facilities, including the showers. Having left a drop bag at the start, I was able to take advantage of this and proudly wore my t-shirt to walk into Whitby to celebrate with a pint of cider!
There are so many things that I liked about this event – it was probably the most organised and inclusive event I’ve completed. The Race Organisers, Tim and Cath thought of everything – Marathon and Half Marathon distances, with a cut off of 10 hours to allow slower runners/faster walkers to complete. Communications via emails and Facebook page, both before and after the event, were friendly and clear; the camaraderie and encouragement from organisers, marshals and other participants was great. Kit list, GPX, route descriptions and a list of toilets along the route were provided 4 weeks prior and, although it would be almost impossible to get lost on the Cleveland Way, some of the route was marked. (the arrows on last section through the streets of Whitby were very well received). Afterwards, we were surprised to see that a volunteer had taken some photos of us heading for the Charm Bracelet sculpture, so that was a nice touch too.
The route has around 3500ft of elevation and some truly tricky terrain, but I think this event would be enjoyed by lots of people – walkers who can manage lots of steps and hills, right up to experienced trail runners, and everyone else in between.
Supporters were allowed (not at check points) and we could take anything we needed from them. My husband did pop up in Saltburn and Staithes, but a cycling event in Saltburn on the day and associated road closures made it tricky, so we agreed he would then just meet me at the end, though he did pop up at the Whale Bones too.
For me, this was the first time I have followed a Garmin training plan. I chose and managed to stick to a 16 week marathon plan that was based on time, not pace, with a mix of running and cross training/gym work. I finished the event feeling strong and my recovery has been really good. I had lots of support and encouragement from Quakers and lots of people ran and trained with me so a big ‘thank you’ for that. Fuelling wise, I followed my friend’s suggestion to eat something small every 45 minutes, usually cheese sandwiches with top-ups from the checkpoints, which worked really well for us both.
Entries are already open for next year with 200 places for the marathon and 100 places for the half marathon. It did sell out this year, though transfers were allowed up to 4 weeks beforehand. At the time of writing this report, over a quarter of the marathon places have been taken.
12th April 2026 entries: