We love racing, and encourage everyone to get stuck in, regardless of pace. Our ethos is it’s been a good race if HBT have the first runner, the last runner, and the most runners. If you see us at races (always identifiable by our stylish plain brown vests) please stop and say hi!
Some of our favourite races:
East District XC league (Saturdays throughout winter): Our bread and butter – short, sharp races of around 4 miles; muddy, tough and a cracking way to spend a Saturday. No need to enter in advance – just turn up on the day. More info.
- Sat 31 Oct 2026 – Kirkcaldy – Beveridge Park
- Sat 21 Nov 2026 – Camperdown Park – Dundee
- Sat 09 Jan 2027 – TBC (Check SAL’s website above)
Borders XC league (Sundays throughout winter): Explore the hills, fields and beaches of the Borders through all weathers. The more picturesque side of XC racing. https://www.bordersxc.co.uk/
2026/2027 dates expected early October 2026.
Feel the Burns (mid-January): At 22km this is quite a long hill-race for the time of the year. An excellent course (sometimes with snow) and yummy pies at the end. More info
National XC Champs in Falkirk (Saturday 20 February 2027): An absolute mud fest, and the XC social event of the year. Not to be missed! Invariably followed by the club’s annual dinner and ceilidh.
Braids Hills XC (March): Organised by our friends, Edinburgh Uni Haries. It’s local, great atmosphere, big party and ceilidh afterwards and there’s a choice of a 5k, 10k or both if you’re feeling brave!
The Bog Trot (mid-April): This one’s our race! 4ish miles round Holyrood Park with as much climb as we can pack in. The best race of the year! More info
Dumyat Hill Race (early May): Under 10km, up and down hill race with top tier views and a lovely mixture of terrain. A great introduction to hill racing.
Black Rock 5 (mid-May): 5 miles through Kinghorn and onto the beach, then round Black Rock as the tide comes in. Organised by HBT member John McKay, and thousands of pounds are raised for local charities.
Red Moss Kips (early June): An HBT-organised race, this is another good one for beginner hill-runners; it’s essentially a trail 10k with a couple of steep climbs half way round. More info
Seven Hills of Edinburgh (early July): A self-explanatory race around Edinburgh with no set route – part of the fun is figuring out the quickest way to run between all 7 checkpoints.
Lairig Ghru (late June): A fun 43km race along the historic cattle-droving route through the Cairngorms. One for the marathon runners, and those who fancy a tough challenge in spectacular surroundings.
Sri Chinmoy Meadows races (Weds evenings throughout the summer): Mile races and relays around the Meadows. Join us afterwards for pints on the Meadows or in Cloisters.
Caerketton Downhill (September): Start at the top and then throw yourself down the hill as fast as you can. Quite mad but lots of fun. Enter on the day.
Applecross Duathlon (September): 9 mile trail/hill run, followed by 15 mile road cycle. Beautiful scenery, wonderful welcoming atmosphere.
Two Breweries (Saturday 26 September 2026): 18 miles, 4900ft climb. Great route over beautiful countryside with an incredible spread and lots of beer at the end. Our kind of race!
Comrie Relays (September): Relays are always top-tier fun, Comrie is beautiful, and there’s a fantastic spread afterwards.
Hodgson Brothers Mountain Relays (Saturday 3 October 2026): 4 leg pairs-relay around Patterdale in the Lake District.
Pentland Skyline/Skyloop (Sunday 11 October 2026): 16 miles, 6200 ft climb. Excellent race, easy to recce, but don’t underestimate the bog slog of the second half. Entries open around August. More info
UK/FRA Hill Relay Championships (Saturday 17th October 2026): The biggest fell race event of the calendar. Hundreds of runners from across the UK, 4 legs, 6 runners per team, a boggy, hilly, heathery, usually rainy location.
National XC Relays (Saturday 24th October 2026): Blast round a 4km circuit and cheer on your fellow trotters, OFY!
