Where is it?
Coombe Abbey Park, Coventry is run and managed by Coventry City Council. The What 3 Words location is here.
Parking costs up £3 for 1-2 hours. There is a toilet block next to the HQ on site.
Coombe Abbey Park (CV3 2AB) is on the outskirts of Coventry and 6 minutes from Junction 2 of the M6. The closest train station is Coventry.
If you want to see what the venue is like watch the venue preview here.
Won’t it be dark?
We hope so! You need a head or chest to torch to run in this event. No torch no run. It may be that you start in the fading daylight but no-one will finish without needing a head torch!
Our friends from Petzl will be with us so you can test out the best head torches around on the night. If you’ve got a cheap headtorch from Amazon, you’ll be able to tell the difference immediately. We’ll have more to announce on this closer to the event.
Who are Petzl?
Petzl are the industry leader in high quality head torches. We’re very lucky to be hosting some of their “Night Trails” events. We’ve got 1 at Cannock Chase Forest and 2 at Salcey Forest this winter.
There is a reason the top ultra runners in the world use their head torches, when you need the trail lit up they are simply the best. When trail running at night you want to make sure youyr head torch wont let you down and your Petzl wont.
They’ll be at the event with their demo kit for you to try on before, during or after the event.
Can I run with my dog?
No, there is a tighter section on the course with an out and back that could be chaos with dogs on leads!
Course description
You’ll be running through woodland, meadow and over grass fields. Depending on the weather leading up to the event this could mean muddy, not so muddy or rock hard! There will be exposed trees roots, uneven surfaces and a few gates to navigate but the running will always have a view.
The route is undulating but not hilly. A truly great venue and route!
What does it cost?
We operate a tiered pricing approach. The earlier you enter, the cheaper the event but never ever will you pay a booking fee!
Before 30/08/2025 £16
After 30/08/2025 £21
Unaffiliated entrants pay £2 extra. Why not join your local running club or sign up the Big Bear Brigade and save 10% off entries for ever!
How far is the race?
10k! This might seem a bit pointless to mention given the name but this is different to a normal Big Bear Event. You'll get the same love, a medal and some goodies but you can't run all night!
I’ve heard you do cupless events?
Yes, but not for this event. Unlike our other events we will have some biodegradable cups with water/electrolyte available on the course. If you have a foldable/collapsible cup you can bring, even better but we don't insist on it for our short races.
Do I have to raise money or run for charity?
No… BUT!
We have a great partnership with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity. They provide specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children. There are currently over 150 Roald Dahl Nurses caring for more than 36,000 seriously ill children.
During the sign up process you can opt to set up a Just Giving page to raise money for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity or to make a small donation alongside your entry fee - 100% of that goes straight to the charity to help with their amazing work.
We want to help them towards making sure every seriously ill child has a Roald Dahl nurse.
If you want to find out a little more about our partnership click here.
Has the event been run before?
Yes! Well, a mid-summer one rather than a head torch one! We have won a Racecheck Gold Award for the Summer 10k in previous years. It has over 150 reviews scoring it at 4.8 out of 5! You’ll love it!
I’m not that fussed by a medal..
In that case our partnership with Earth Runs will be perfect! Rather than give you a medal you don’t really want (and to help reduce waste) we’ll give you a Big Bear Tree Token. Not only will a tree be planted for each token given out but the token is also full of wildflower seeds for you to grow at home!
Is there a cut-off?
Effectively 2 hours. This is how long the medics are booked for. The hope is that cut-off shouldn’t exclude anyone from entering. Please do contact us if that is the case. We do have to be conscious of the sunset too!
