In January I entered the legendary Strathpuffer 24 hour winter mountain bike race. Chatting to the organisers I found that they organise several other races as well. They are fun and challenging and will appeal to specific groups of people. However, unlike the ‘Puffer, these events do not sell out. The organisers explained to me that this is simply due to them not being successful (yet) at spreading the word about them.

This got me thinking.

There are so many fantastic, beautiful, fun, challenging races out there. Part of their appeal is that they are often low-key and not particularly high-profile.

So I thought it would be a good idea to draw up a list of some really good events for anyone who is looking for a challenge.

This entry is an addendum to one I wrote last year which included these:

– London Marathon
– Ballbuster duathlon
– Devizes to Westminster canoe marathon
– Thames Ring 250
– Man vs Horse marathon
– Kindrocht Quadrathlon
– The UK Ironman
– The Yorkshire 3 Peaks fell race
– The Great Swim
– The Original Mountain Marathon

And, for a bit of light relief:
– Tough Guy
– Cheese Rolling
– Bog Snorkelling

To these I will add:

– Strathpuffer – 24 hr winter MTB race in Scotland. January.
– this great selection of road bike races, mountain marathons and mountain bike races in the Highlands: Hands On Events
– a host of ultramarathons, marathon wild swims and adventure races in the South West of England: Endurancelife
– The Norseman. For people who think an Ironman is for wimps.
– Mountain Mayhem – another 24 hr MTB race.
– Open Adventure – a multi-discipline 24 hour race.

I am no expert in this field. If this list is to become of useful proportions it will be through readers adding your own suggestions in the comments. So if you know of a great race please do add it below along with a website and a brief explanation.