Brett Lydd Half Marathon & 20 Mile: Course, Route Profile & Map

Course & Elevation

Start and finish are at the Banks Sports & Social Club on Dennes Lane, on the edge of the marsh town of Lydd. From there the course heads north-west into the open marsh and follows wide, quiet back roads in a big loop back to Lydd. A few stretches are run in both directions, and most of the loop is shared with the half marathon, whose route the 20 miles extend with a further loop.

Climbing plays no part: the whole course sits between one and three metres above sea level, and our profile counts around 30 metres of ascent in 32 kilometres. The organiser, Nice Work, promotes an accurately measured road course and a field that welcomes everyone from marathon first-timers to club runners.

Romney Marsh is flat, open grazing land cut by drainage ditches, with hardly a tree. That is its character: there is almost nowhere to hide from the wind, and in early April a stiff breeze off the Channel can blow straight across the fields.

Pacing Strategy

On a course with no terrain, only your plan sets the pace. The usual use as a marathon test is to run the 20 miles at goal marathon pace or just slower, not as an all-out race. Charging off chasing a PB here misses the point and wrecks the following training week.

The real opponent is the wind. Because the loop crosses open country in different directions, headwind and tailwind stretches alternate. Run by effort rather than strictly by the watch: give away a few seconds per kilometre into the wind, and don't get carried away with it behind you. If you can, find a group and tuck in on the exposed stretches.

The last miles back into Lydd are the honest part of the test. If you hold your pace there without fading, your marathon plan is right.

Training plan for Brett Lydd Half Marathon & 20 Mile: 12-week build

For most age-group runners the 20 miles take between 2:30 and 3:45 hours. The load is a long, steady aerobic effort on tarmac, with no climbs and no terrain-driven pace changes. That makes the race an almost perfect dress rehearsal for a flat city marathon.

If you are starting here you are usually deep in a marathon build. Before it, long runs of 28 to 30 kilometres should be in place, ideally with marathon-pace segments. Plan the race as the peak of a training block and take a few easy days afterwards before the last hard weeks.

Use the day to test fuelling exactly as you will need it in the marathon: gels on your planned schedule, your breakfast, your shoes, your kit. That is precisely what the organiser recommends the race for.

Because of the open marshland, training in wind pays off: runs on exposed routes teach you to run by feel rather than by pace. Early April in Kent can be cool and damp, so pack clothing for before and after the start.