Beacons Marathon
Talybont-on-Usk, Powys
7 Nov 2026
⚠ Start times change frequently. Always check with race organiser or their website for this year's confirmed start time before travelling.
Course map
Map adapted from official race's website
Elevation profile
About this race
The Beacons Marathon is a 26 mile mixed-terrain race starting and finishing at Henderson Hall in Talybont-on-Usk, in the Brecon Beacons, covering a single lap of the classic Beacons Ultra course. From the start, runners follow the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal towpath towards Llangynidr, the flattest section of the route, before leaving the canal to tackle an out-and-back climb up to the summit of Pen y Fan. The course then continues over Tor y Foel before descending into Talybont Forest and back towards the finish. The terrain is a genuine mix of canal towpath, mountain trail, forest track and road, with around 1,319 metres of total ascent, making it a properly hilly marathon rather than a flat one. The course is fully marked, though a map and GPX file are recommended for self-navigation. It's a demanding but well-supported introduction to trail marathon running in the heart of Wales.
Course profile & record eligibility
World Athletics record-eligibility rules cap net elevation loss at 1m per km of race distance, and require the start and finish to be no more than 50% of the race distance apart — both meant to stop a course gaining an unfair edge from downhill grade or a point-to-point tailwind. This is based on this course's recorded elevation and GPS data, not an official measurement or certification.