The Dartmoor Discovery is an

ultramarathon An ultramarathon, also called ultra distance or ultra running, is any footrace longer than the traditional marathon length of . Various distances are raced competitively, from the shortest common ultramarathon of to over . 50k and 100k are bot ...

run around

Dartmoor Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers . The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...

in early June (recently the first Saturday in June). The race is entirely on roads. It starts and finishes in

Princetown Princetown is a villageDespite its name, Princetown is not classed as a town today – it is not included in the County Council's list of the 29 towns in Devon: located within Dartmoor national park in the English county of Devon. It is the p ...

, famous as the home of

Dartmoor Prison HM Prison Dartmoor is a Category C men's prison, located in Princetown, high on Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. Its high granite walls dominate this area of the moor. The prison is owned by the Duchy of Cornwall, and is operated by ...

. The current distance is 52.115 km (32 miles 674 yards). Entrants are required to have completed a

Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of , usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair div ...

on an 'average' course in less than 5 hours (or something equivalent). The 2018 race was the 20th running of the race. There is a limit of 260 entries for the race. The main features of the race are the delightful countryside of

and the associated hills. The total rise of the hills is about 1200 metres (nearly 4000 ft). Because of the hills, times are typically about 50% longer than those of a flat

, even though the course is only 10 km longer than a

. There are 10 refreshment stations at which water is provided. Facilities are made available for the runners to take their own food and/or drinks from the start to these stations.

History

The race was first run in 1998 on a slightly longer course (54.918 km, 34 miles 219 yards) which involved the final section from Two Bridges to

going past

instead of on the direct route. The same course was used in 1999 and 2000. It was also used in 2018 to celebrate the twentieth running of the event. The race was cancelled in 2001 because of the

Foot and Mouth Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

outbreak and 2020 because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. Since 2002, the race has been run on the current, slightly shorter route (the only exception being in 2018 as noted above).

Course

The race begins in the centre of

(

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mapping six-figure grid reference at an altitude of 420 metres) and goes along the B3212 to Two Bridges ( 340m). The race then turns east along the B3357. This section is relatively flat until the road drops down into

Dartmeet Dartmeet is a popular tourist spot in the centre of Dartmoor, Devon, England at . It lies at the end of the B3357 road, about east of Two Bridges. From here, the road continues eastwards as a minor road with restrictions on the size of vehic ...

( 225m) at about 9.5km. The road now rises steeply onto YarTor Down (355m) before falling again, passing

Poundsgate Poundsgate is a small village in Dartmoor, Devon, England, located on the road between Ashburton and Princetown. The postal area of "Poundsgate" is a wide geographical area. There are a few cottages clustered around a popular stopping point fo ...

, until it reaches New Bridge ( 100m). The road then rises again (155m) before falling to Holne Bridge ( 60m). The road is now relatively flat and passing Peartree Cross reaches Ashburton ( 70m) at about 21km. This is the lowest part of the course after a drop of 350 m from the start despite some steep climbs. In the centre of Ashburton the course takes the road to

Buckland in the Moor Buckland in the Moor is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 94. The village is in Dartmoor. According to Elias Tozer (1825–1873) a ritual until recent ...

and rises to Ausewell Cross ( 290m) before dropping to 205 m just before

Buckland in the moor Buckland in the Moor is a village and civil parish in the Teignbridge district of Devon, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 94. The village is in Dartmoor. According to Elias Tozer (1825–1873) a ritual until recent ...

( 230m). At Stone Cross ( 280m) the route turns right onto Pudsham Down ( 360m) when the runners take a sharp left turn down into

Widecombe-in-the-Moor Widecombe in the Moor () is a village and large civil parish in Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. Its church is known as the Cathedral of the Moors on account of its tall tower and its size, relative to the small population it serves. It ...

( 240m) at about the 32km point. Turning left take the road towards Ponsworthy but after about 2km ( 295m) turn right and onto the moor again. The road travels north passed Rowden Cross and Longworthy before the runners turn left ( 315m). This road is followed until the B3212 is reached ( 375m) soon after the Marathon distance. Turning left the B3212 soon passes

Postbridge Postbridge is a hamlet in the heart of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon. It lies on the B3212, roughly midway between Princetown and Moretonhampstead. Postbridge is next to the East Dart river, one of two main tributaries of the River ...

( 315m) and eventually reaches the B3357 at Two Bridges ( 340m). The runners then return to

( 420m) by the B3212.

Past Results

The winners of the races are given below. The first three races were run on a longer course, as was the 2018 Anniversary race. The current best times are given below (3:45 for men, 4:20 for women) {, class="wikitable" , - ! Year ! Name ! Time , - , 2008 , Adela Salt , 4:02:36 , - , 2016 , Holly Rush , 4:03:15 , - , 2006 , Heather Foundling-Hawker , 4:05:38 , - , 2012 , Isobel Wykes , 4:07:32 , - , 2007 , Heather Foundling-Hawker , 4:07:50 , - , 2017 , Lynette Porter , 4:15:28 , - , 2014 , Lucy Richens , 4:16:04 , - , 2016 , Naomi Flanagan , 4:16:04 , - , 2005 , Heather Foundling-Hawker , 4:17:16 , - , 2015 , Helen Anthony , 4:18:29 , - , 2010 , Helen Taranowski , 4:18:46 , - , 2016 , Isobel Wykes , 4:19:38

External links

Web site with entry formPrevious Results
Ultramarathons in the United Kingdom Sport in Devon Dartmoor