Three Forts Challenge

Next Race: 04/05/2025

Lancing Manor Leisure Centre, Manor Road, Lancing, West Sussex, BN15 0PH

Overall Rating

4.7/ 5

279 reviews
Would you recommend it to others? Yes
How did you rate the scenery? 5/5
How did you rate the atmosphere? 5/5
How did you rate the organisation? 5/5
Do you think this was friendly to beginners? Yes

Jeff Hill

Excellent location - challenging but highly recommended

1

Reviewed using Eventrac, Jun 2024
Clare Browning

My favourite race. Friendly and well organised in a relaxed, fun atmosphere.

The town crier, man on the mic and the cheerful volunteers really make it a unique special event.

Reviewed using Eventrac, Jun 2024
James Luto

My first Marathon and a bit, it was tough but lots of encouragement along the way and everybody having fun!,

The sliced oranges at the Chanctonbury Ring stop were just the hit I needed. Hope to see you next year!

Reviewed using Eventrac, Jun 2024
Sarah James

Loved the whole event! Booked for next year!

There was no water for the dogs after the run until I raised it.

Reviewed using Eventrac, Jun 2024
Paul Hutchings

wonderful friendly challenge event

Reviewed using Eventrac, Jun 2024
Mat Sunderlnad

Great Half Marathon with friendly organisers and great cakes.

I’ll be honest the cakes get my vote. Everything else is just running. Love this event have competed for years. Getting ready to take on the marathon one day!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Dave Ricards

FABULOUS THREE FORTS HALF MARATHON

Fabulous event !
Unfortunately I had such a good time that I am now trying to get fast enough to take part in the Marathon next year............
Loved the atmosphere that the DJ and Town Crier help to create!

Only two very minor observations:
* On driving up from the A27 I followed a number of cars to see where to park, some parked in the Allotments car park. I didn't realise how close the college (parking) was and didn't see any signage on the way up that road. It might reduce the number of cars parked outside the residences - no guarantee though, you know what runners are like, we don't like walking too far to start a race !
* The info on Facebook was very useful - and timely - I now remember seeing the lovely cakes which were baked for us, but I didn't know where to look to find them. Admittedly, I was so high from having finished, they weren't top of my mind.

So many Thank You's spring to mind, not least of all, Portaloos - Thank You for providing enough so that the pre-race queue was very short.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Cat Gulliver

Thanks to everyone who volunteered

Really appreciated the clear direction signs, the regular food and drink stops, and all the support from the marshalls. Thanks so much for a great run. My first trail marathon!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Natasha Miller

First marathon! Very fun & challenging

Great day, great views and all the farm animals! Some lovely refreshment stands with lots of cake and biccies - big shout out to the folk handing out beer at the top of devil’s dyke! :)
As a long -term runner but first time marathoner it’s probably not a beginner’s route but all the same I really enjoyed it and it’s given me the marathon bug 6 hours is a tight turn around for all those hills but overall and amazing event - see you next year!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
dee hare

#3F remember there are 3 big downhills as well :-)

horse riders we met were annoyed because they said they had not been informed of the event. their horses were definately spooked and rearing when runners passing.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Anonymous

Superb

What a great event some wicked touched like the sweets cakes bananas at the water stations and all the free cakes drinks massages at the end of you make it back

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Gill Cammack

Well supported, environmentally friendly and beautifully scenic Race.

Adding a 5mile trail race was genius, I do hope it becomes popular. I have suggested a relay option but it would have to be a 15/12 split this may suit some people? As a Tail Runner this year I got opportunity to meet and support the tail people, it was a pleasure and I do hope they enjoyed the experience. I was also asked about a walking option? I think for that to work they would have to set out early. Lots of interest from members of the public out on a run/walk.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Duncan Toms

A fantastic trail half

Wonderful views await you on the well organised half marathon, some hills but equally some nice downhill drops. Highly rated.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Agnes Ching

A tough one but a great experience for sure!

The course was not easy, but luckily I live in Brighton so I got to practice the route across several training runs. The climb at the beginning was kind of intimidating because all the runners had to line up on the narrow footpath. The marshals and photographers across the course were super friendly, yet some markings weren't obvious.

All in all, I'd recommend it if you fancy some trail challenge!

Slightly irrelevant but it'd be good if the organiser could change their Instagram settings and let people tag them in posts/stories.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Nick Grindle

A few steps above a normal marathon

Very challenging marathon but a wonderful atmosphere, good organisation and clear directions and marshalling and well-supplied drinks stations. Just make sure you practice some hilly trails beforehand!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Oliver Day

Great event - except the medal!

Such a good event spoilt by a poor medal. If you want to give a medal then at least make it worthwhile. The 'environmentally friendly' ones aren't worth having. There is a balance to being environmentally friendly and I would suggest that it would be better to make a decent medal an optional choice.

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Simon Clark

My first marathon and I loved it! Obviously it was very hard work at the end but that's not a surprise.

I signed up for this, my first marathon, partly on a whim but also as a part of personal project to be healthier and become a 'proper' runner. At the start of the year I was still a heavy smoker but having signed up for this and started an intense 16 week training plan I finally quit smoking. In my training I covered the whole course in two of the long training runs which really helped.

On the day the organisation was good. Despite being a relatively small event there were a lot of marshals/aid stations along the route and it was mostly very well marked. There was one spot where some signs would have been helpful - a little while after crossing the Titch Hill road the route bears left through a gate onto a grassy slope but the track/path continues to the right, we nearly went the wrong way (even though I'd been there before) as a non-racing runner was going up that track, but did tell us he was just going home!

The marshals were lovely and encouraging, as were members of the public along the route and other runners I passed after the turn-back at Devil's Dyke.

Aside from that it was a great race & day. In the end my training and planning paid off and I completed the course in just under 4.5 hours, really surprising myself!

As I turned into the car park and back onto the playing field to the finish, I was suddenly overwhelmed after all the training, covering the whole course (and a lot of it pretty much alone), to be greeted by people cheering and clapping and my name being announced over the PA. I crossed the finish line crying my eyes out and took a while to compose myself - all the emotions all at once!

I would definitely recommend this, and wouldn't say it was unfriendly to beginners, but definitely a tough race if you haven't done much or any long distance trail running. Thanks to everyone involved!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
nick crane

great south downs course

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
David Smyth

Fantastic event, well organised and a beautiful route. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024
Will Cheesman

Brilliantly organised, but not for beginners

The mile markers are spot on which I love. The volunteers very helpful and friendly at all aid stations and help with re-filling bottles so I didn’t have to! The marathon is hard, I have done around 20 now including ultras and this is up there with the hardest course - train well for it!

Reviewed using Eventrac, May 2024