About The Event

Get your Santa suits, reindeer antlers, and elf ears ready — Christmas is Coming, and so is the most magical 2.5k or 5.0k fun run of the year!

Join us at Durham Rowing Club for a festive family-friendly event where the tinsel trails and jingle bell joggers will fill the air with holiday cheer! Whether you’re dashing through the (hopefully not too much) snow in our 2.5 or 5k route, it’s all about festive fun, not fast times.

Perfect for kids and parents — everyone is welcome, whether you run, walk, prance, or dance your way to the finish line!

Every finisher gets:
* A sparkly, Christmas-themed medal
* A festive goody bag straight from Santa’s workshop

Expect Christmas music, fancy dress prizes, and plenty of mince pies and merry vibes!

Festive dress encouraged, but not compulsory! Come as a Santa, snowman, elf, reindeer — or surprise us with your most creative Christmas costume!

So grab your little elves, wrap up warm (or wacky!), and come sleigh the day with us! Let’s make some magical memories before the big man arrives on Christmas Eve.

Location: Durham Amateur Rowing Club, Green Ln, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3JU

Distance & Time

This is a 2.5k lap or 5.0k run only run allowing runners of every age to compete in line with UK Athletics disance limits.

Course

The course is along a beautiful stretch of the River Wear with views of the Cathedral and is classified as a trail run. It is fully signed so no navigational experience is required.

All abilities are welcome at our super-inclusive events and we also welcome walkers too.

Medals & Santa's Goody Bag

As long as you complete 1 lap of our 2.5km course, you will be an official finisher and you will get one of our incredible themed medals and a goody bag.

Aid Table

We have a fantastic aid table and drinks table at the start / finish of each lap. There is an incredible selection of drinks and savoury or sweet snacks such as crisps, cheese, fruit and cookies with vegan options also available.

Special Event

If our event is a special event for you, for instance your 50th, 99th, 100th, 150th, 200th, 250th etc. marathon or half marathon then please let us know. We will provide you with a great number with your name and the event date on it. 

Venue Facilities

Toilets and changing facilities are available at the race HQ. Bag drop is near the start and finish area. Runners should be aware the bag drop is not staffed and items are left at the sole responsibility of the participant. No liability for lost items will be accepted by the Organiser.

Car Parking

There is pay and display parking in the city centre and nearby streets. Runners must not park in the rowing club car park.

Race Day Instructions & Number Pick Up

Final race day instructions will be sent out via email in the week leading up to the event and will contain full race day information. Number pick up is on the day at race registration before the start of the event.

Other Information

There will be somewhere to leave a bag at the start / finish area. However, this is not a secure bag and the items cannot be watched at all times so please do not leave anything valuable.

Headphones are allowed.

Our running events are held on public footpaths so we would be grateful if all runners were considerate of other path users.