Mine Run 7 Hour Challenge / Betteshanger Marathon | Betteshanger Marathon

Betteshanger Colliery opened in the late 1920s and was the largest of the Kent collieries. Miners from other coalfields travelled to Deal in the hope of finding work at the new pit, and many lodging houses, cafes and pubs in Deal put up signs saying "no miners" owing to fear of the arrival of the often dirty men who spoke very different dialects. It had two shafts of almost 2,300 feet, plaques can still be seen where the shafts were once sunk. The colliery was served by a railway branch which left the main line between Deal & Sandwich. Saturday is dedicated to the history of Betteshanger, and we will be running two events concurrently, the Mine Run Challenge event and the Betteshanger Marathon for those of you still wanting to get your hands on one of these medals. Don't miss your chance to earn a bespoke wooden medal made by our friends over at the Busy Barnacle or the classic SVN Betteshanger Marathon medal. The course runs alongside the tarmac cycle track but at no point crosses it so there are no traffic concerns to worry about. The surface is a high quality gravel surface in the main with the odd patch of potentially muddy bits if they're wet but overall it's an excellent running surface and should produce some fast times. There are slopes rather than hills, so its not totally flat, each loop has maybe 100 feet of elevation rise, but there are some lovely woods to run by, ponds, grasslands, wet lands and some wild life to spot too! If its wet there might be a chance of some mud but the trails are high quality and drain well. The route is suitable for either road or trail shoes.