Minster Challenge
29th March 2026
After its successful relaunch in 2025, Ruby Red Running in association with Axe Valley Academy are proud to bring you the Minster Challenge 2026! With 2 main distances to choose from, plus a shorter route suitable for all ages, there is something suitable for the whole family.
Entries close 26th March 2026
Event Details
Returning to Axminster on 29th March 2026, Ruby Red Running is proud to partner with Axe Valley Academy to bring you the Minster Challenge. Like all of our events, we can promise hills, mud and fun!
3 courses to choose from
* 12km
* 5km
* 3km
Medals for all finishers and refreshments will be available for runners and spectators.
Axe Valley Academy
Chard Street, Axminster EX13 5EA
There will be limited parking available at the school, but there are plenty of parking options in the town. Please car share where possible.
Sunday 29th March 2026
Start times from 10am
The Minster Challenge 12k is a physical course open to anyone 17 or over. It is hilly, muddy and the weather on the day can have a huge impact. It really is a course to get your teeth in to!
The Minster Challenge 5km will promise hills and probably a lot of mud - a full bodied mini version of the 12km route. Minimum age 12 on the day.
The Minster Challenge 3km will have a short section of marshaled road before using near by fields and is suitable for any age.
To ensure the well being of all participants we follow the age/distance guidance of England Athletics and the Trail Running Association.
Minster 12k - 17 or over on the day
Minster 5k - 12 or over on the day
Minster 3k - any age
Minster 12k: affiliated entry £12, non affiliated £14
Minster 5k: affiliated entry £5, non affiliated £7
Minster 3k: - affiliated £1, non affiliated £3
The event will be licenced by the Trail Running Association Licence number 7835.
The event will be held under UK Athletics rules.
Final Details
8.45: Parking opens (please do not arrive before this) Please see the notes on parking below
8.45: Registration opens
9.30: Entry on the day closes
9.45: Pre-entry bib collection closes
09.55: Race briefing
10.00: Races start
Approx 11am onwards – prize giving for each course
13.00: Courses close
Event HQ: Axe Valley Academy, Chard Street, Axminster, EX13 5EA
SatNav Postcode: EX13 5AZ
By Car - The Event HQ is located just off the A35 in the centre of Axminster
By Train - Axminster is on the Exeter to London mainline.
Directions & Parking:
Please enter the Event HQ from the Lyme Road (satnav postcode above) There will be no access to the site from Chard Road.
Please note that there is limited parking at the Event HQ on a first come, first served basis. There is a new ANPR camera system in place at a cost of 50p for 2 hours or £2 for 3 hours payable by scanning the QR code. Please follow marshal’s instructions as we are sharing the car park with LED Leisure Centre and Flamingo Pool users. There are many public car parks available within a 5 minute walk of Event HQ (charges may apply):
1. South Street Short Stay EX13 5AD
2. Axminster Lyme Street EX13 5AT
3. Poplar Mount EX13 5QE
4. West Street EX13 5NX
5. Coombe Lane EX13 5LR
To minimise the disruption to local residents, and reduce walk times to registration, we ask that you car share where ever possible.
• Toilets
• Bag drop (bags left at your own risk)
• First Aid
• A water station will also be available.
Showers are available in the LED leisure centre for a small donation.
There is no mandatory kit for any of the courses however:
* Trail shoes are highly recommended - the course will be muddy and slippery in places.
* Please consider the weather when deciding on clothing - it could be wet, cold, windy or all three!
* There will be a water station on the 12km course, but not on the 5km or 3km courses.
There will be a water station on the 12km course but not on the 5km or 3km courses.
We aim to be a cupless event - please bring your own collapsible cup if you have one.
Water will be available at the finish.
There are no maximum time limits for any of the courses.
Spectators are more than welcome to come and cheer you on. Friends and family can cheer you on anywhere along the course.
Minster 12K route (links to GPX can be found in the event details section)
Minster 5K route
Minster 3K route
By its nature, trail running comes with some degree of risk, but that's part of the fun. During this event we will do our best to give you plenty of...
Mud (slippery and doesn't taste great if face plant in it).
River crossings (good for getting mud off, not good for breathing)
Trip hazards such as roots & stones (especially dangerous when combined with gravity and forward motion)
Hills (better than rivers, but still not good for breathing!)
Road crossings (mainly used by horses and tractors in these parts)
In all seriousness, the course is marked for navigation purposes, there will be marshals at road crossings but it is still your responsibility to ensure it is safe to cross.
What if I get injured and/or can't finish the course?
If you are unable to complete the course then please notify a marshal and ensure that you return to race HQ and let the finish team know you are back before leaving the event.
Please support other runners on the course, if there is an injury that needs medical attention then please provide help and notify the nearest marshals who will be able to contact the medical team.
Coming soon
Helpers and Marshals Zone
Like most running events we couldn't put on quality events without the help of volunteers, so are always grateful for people who offer to volunteer.
If you are interested in volunteering, then please contact us at hello@rubyredrunning.com. There are many different types of volunteer roles so please let us know if there is a particular role you would like to help on and we will do our best to match this.
Marshal headquarters will be at:
Axe Valley Academy
Chard Street, Axminster EX13 5EA
There will be limited parking available at the school, but there are plenty of parking options in the town. Please car share where possible.
We will provide timings to each marshal nearer to the event
Many runners will have experienced a race where a marshal has accidentally directed runners in the wrong direction or given incorrect advice. At Ruby Red Running, we know that the responsibility sits with us to ensure that marshals are correctly briefed and have the support they need to do a great job.
We do this in 3 ways:
- All marshals will attend a short briefing explaining the route and any specific instructions, during this briefing they will be provided with an information pack specific to their marshal point
- All marshal points are signed and numbered, so as a marshal you can be confident that you are at the correct location
- We provide a short video guide for each marshal point showing what you should expect to see and which direction the runners will be coming from/going to
The marshal video guide for the Minster Challenge can be found here: Marshal point guide Minster Challenge