Race the Train Quarry Challenge 10k
Tywyn, Gwynedd
15 Aug 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 Quarry Challenge is a 6.2 mile (10k) race that forms part of Race the Train, with runners transported by coach or train to a start point near Ty Gwyn on the Talyllyn Railway line, disembarking to walk a short distance to the start line. Set off by train whistle, the course runs across a field before joining a rough mountain road that climbs steeply, crossing the railway at Quarry Sidings as the train begins its own journey back towards Tywyn. From there the route continues on a genuine mix of tracks, lanes and open hillside before descending back towards the finish in the town. The terrain is properly multi-terrain and hilly rather than flat, reflecting the rugged mid-Wales countryside it passes through. Like the longer Rotary Challenge, runners aim to beat the steam train back to Tywyn, giving the race its distinctive competitive edge against the historic railway.
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.