Haverhill Running Festival 2025

This year we are aiming to be bigger and better than ever with a wide range of family activities and live music!

All races will be held on Sunday16 March 2025 at Haverhill Leisure Centre. A festival atmosphere will build upon this great event from previous years and provide a fun day out for all. The festival will be raising funds for Happy Faces Preschool on Colne Valley Road via entry fees and we would also like to encourage entrants to raise as much as they can via sponsorship. You can see more about the good work the preschool does here.

We have with a vareity of running events to suit all ages and abilities. There are four events - HaverSports Fun Run, Haver10, HaverHalf - the JMP Furniture Solutions Half Marathon, and the HaverMara.

All our races are chip timed with live internet results available immediately. Our races will be ARC registered and the courses are officially measured. You will be e-mailed a full race briefing ahead of the race including all the details you will need to take part. You can see the 2020 race briefing by clicking here.

The leisure centre has toilets, changing facilities, showers, a café, and lockers in which to leave your bags. There are also facilities for refreshments outside the leisure centre and plenty to pass the time inside, including climbing walls and a soft play zone, should you wish (these may need to be pre-booked).

Medals and goodies for all finishers, with trophies and prizes for category winners.

Festival Activities

Throughout the day we will have a wide range of community activities including:

• Live music from local artists
• Climbing wall on Jubilee Square
• BBQ food and refreshments
• Sports activities on the astro turf
• Fun run for all ages
• Community groups
• Free soft play on the day (up to capacity) for families of run entrants.

Event Schedule

The draft schedule for the event is as follows:

• 7:30 am Registration
• 8:30 am HaverMara
• 9:00 am Haver10
• 10:00 am HaverHalf - the JMP Furniture Solutions Half Marathon
• 10:15am FunRun
• Fun = Throughout!

Routes

For all races you will assemble in Jubilee Square for pre race briefing and the start. For HaverMara and HaverHalf, you will be walked to the start location nearby.

HaverMara - 8:30 am start

• Starting beside Meadow Car Park, you will head back towards Haverhill Leisure Centre, heading up a short mound and then taking the old railway line and then the road out to Withersfield and your first water station. Climbing through the village, you will then drop into Thurlow and your second water station, where you will carry straight on to climb out of the village. After a short climb into Great Bradley you will drop out of the village, before turning left, reaching your third water station and climbing into Carlton. After a right turn, a short drop and gentle climb afterwards will take you towards Brinkley, though you will turn left beforehand into Weston Colville. Heading left in the village you will turn right after exiting it to pass RAF Wratting war memorial, your fourth water station. You will turn left on Silver Street to head back into Withersfield. After a left turn at The White Horse pub you'll pass the church, entering the village and coming to your fifth (the first) water station. You'll return to Thurlow and your sixth (second) water station, but this time turn left, heading directly to RAF Wratting with a couple of left turns to take you to your seventh (fourth) water station. Once back in Withersfield at your eighth (first) water station, you'll turn right, heading back into Haverhill and following the railway line back to the leisure centre to finish.
• Click here for a full map of the route.
• You will pass eight water stations, at (approximately) miles 2, 5, 8, 12, 15, 18, 21 and 24

Haver10 - 9:00 am start

• The route begins along the railway walk beside Tesco, following the footpath to the Withersfield roundabout as the other routes do. Runners will then head across the fields and take private estate footpaths, which we have kindly been given permission to use by the Thurlow Estate, to climb up into Withersfield, pass behind the cricket club and join Withersfield Road. They will follow this road before tuning left to head down Turnpike Hill through the village, pass the water station and taking Queen Street to return to Haverhill, returning to the railway line to head back to Jubilee Plaza for the finish.
• Click here for a full map of the route.
• You will pass one water station at (approximately) 7km

HaverHalf - the JMP Furniture Solutions Half Marathon - 10:00 am start

• Starting on Jubilee Square, you will head up a short mound and then taking the old railway line and then the road out to Withersfield and your first water station. Climbing through the village, you will then drop into Thurlow and your second water station, where you will turn left, heading directly to RAF Wratting war memorial, with a couple of left turns to take you to your third water station. You will turn left on Silver Street to head back into Withersfield. After a left turn at The White Horse pub you'll pass the church, entering the village and coming to your fourth water station. Here you'll turn right, heading back into Haverhill and following the railway line back to the leisure centre to finish
• Click here for a full map of the route.
• You will pass eight water stations, at (approximately) miles 2, 5, 8 and 11

HaverSports Fun Run - 10:15am start

• Starting on Jubilee Square, you will head up a short mound and then taking the old railway line. You will cross over the A143 on a bridge and at the second bridge do a U turn. Here you'll return, heading back to the leisure centre to finish
• Click here for a full map of the route.
• There will be water at the finish.

Finish

• You will finish back at Haverhill Leisure Centre, where you will collect your medal, grab some food and water, and have your chip removed.
• Chips are disposable.
• Your time will be available immediately.
• Medical provision will also be available at the finish line.

Getting there and parking

• Ample parking is available at Haverhill Leisure Centre, at the neighbouring Meadow Car Park, and across Ehringshausen Way at the Haverhill bus stop and Haverhill Arts Centre.
• Noe there are parking restrictions in place at private car parks including KFC and Tesco.

Registration

• You will collect your number and chip in person.
• This will be from 7am to race start on Sunday 16 March.
• You must wear your number front facing and have it visible at all times during the race.

Host or Publisher HaverSports