« All Events

Sep 30

Kingfisher Challenge

September 30

34.20 – 40.00

Where is it?

Coombe Abbey Park, Coventry, CV3 2AB, is run and managed by Coventry City Council. The What 3 Words location is here.

Parking costs up to £5 depending on how long you stay. There is a cafe and toilet block next to the HQ on site.

Coombe Abbey Park is on the ouskirts of Coventry and 6 minutes from Junction 2 of the M6. The closest train station is Coventry.

What’s a 6 hour event?

I’ve made a short video here to try to explain a little.

It is an event that enables all abilities of runner to run together (or hike/walk!). Ultimately you can run as many 5k laps as you wish in the time limit. You can run one lap in 20 minutes, pick up your medal and Big Bear drink and go home! Alternatively you can head out on your 15th lap at 14:55 and finish in 6:30 having covered over 50 miles! It’s completely up to you.

There is no pressure from us, but we’ll also see if you want one more lap! The format is great for people looking to run further than they’ve ever done before, do a long training run for future events or to enjoy a sociable event with your friends.

Course description

Coombe Abbey Park is a beautiful venue to run at! The majority of the route is on stone pathways. There is a meadow section on open grassland, depending on the weather leading up to the the event this could be muddy, but is unlikely to be.

Given the time of year expect hard surfaces, lots of tree cover and some spectacular running!

What does it cost?

We operate a tiered pricing approach. The earlier you enter, the cheaper the event but never ever will you pay a booking fee!

  • Before 30/08/2025 £38
  • After 30/08/2025 £43

Unaffiliated entrants pay £2 extra. Why not join your local running club or sign up for the Big Bear Brigade and save 10% off entries forever!

Can I run with my dog?

No, our canicross season runs from mid-October to March.

How far is the race?

You decide! The 3.3-mile lap at Coombe Abbey Park means your race can be just over 5k or, given the relatively flat nature of the course, potentially 50+ miles! You decide how many laps you are going to do on the day within the 6-hour time limit. If you’re looking to cover a marathon distance you’ll need to complete 8 laps and a half marathon will be 4 laps.

Do I have to raise money or run for charity?

No… BUT!

We have a great partnership with Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity. They provide specialist nurses and support for seriously ill children. There are currently over 200 Roald Dahl Nurses caring for more than 40,000 seriously ill children.

During the sign-up process, you can opt to set up a Just Giving page to raise money for Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity or to make a small donation alongside your entry fee – 100% of that goes straight to the charity to help with their amazing work.

We want to help them ensure every seriously ill child has a Roald Dahl Nurse.

If you want to find out a little more about our partnership, click here.

Has the event been run before?

We’ve visited Coombe Abbey many times before! In 2025, the Kingfisher Challenge won a Gold Award from Racecheck, look here! You can find the previous results here.

I’m unsure what to expect at a 6-hour event.

We’ve made some videos to try and help newcomers understand Big Bear Events and 6-hour events a little more here. We’ve got lots of videos on our You Tube channel that might help you see what we’re all about!.

I’ve heard you do nice medals. What will it look like?

We like to think so! Once it’s in our hands we’ll share the design with you!

I’m not that fussed by a medal…

In that case our partnership with Earth Runs will be perfect! Rather than give you a medal you don’t really want (and to help reduce waste) we’ll give you a Big Bear Tree Token. Not only will a tree be planted for each token given out but the token is also full of wildflower seeds for you to grow at home!

Is this event suitable for Rucking?

Definitely! Read all about how we do rucking here (or if you’ve no idea what rucking is find out here too!)

Is there a gpx of the route?

 

The route may be subject to last-minute changes, and there will be plenty of markings up on race day, so you do not need to have this – but I know some of you like to anyway!

 

 

Details

Venue

Other

Type of Event
Running
Distance 1
3.3 Mile

Related Events