The Big Pilgrimage Marathon

The Big Pilgrimage Marathon starts at Mayflower Park in Southampton, the point from which the Pilgrim Fathers departed for America, and follows "The Old Way", a rediscovered medieval pilgrim trail from Southampton to Canterbury shown on Britain's oldest road map. The route follows the Solent Way along the shoreline, passing Netley Castle and Netley Abbey, before reaching the Hamble foreshore, where runners take a short boat ride across the Hamble River to Warsash. From there the course continues around the coast past Titchfield Haven and through the shorter race's finish area at Titchfield Abbey, before continuing further inland to finish in the grounds of Boundary Oak School, just outside Wickham. The terrain is a genuine mix of coastal path, parkland and countryside trail, undulating rather than flat. Runners collect a sticker at each pilgrimage landmark to build a unique race bib along the way.