Stanza Stones Ultra
Marsden, United Kingdom • 6 Jun 2026
Stanza Stones 50 mile Ultra
The Stanza Stones Ultra is a newly established 50 mile linear route with over 6800 ft of ascent. It links the towns of Marsden and Ilkley in the South Pennines and includes visits to all six Stanza Stones and the village of Haworth.
The Stanza Stones are a set of six poems about water carved into rock and placed along the landscape. The stones were sited with professional input from a landscape designer and carved by a stone artist. The route was devised to connect the poet's home town with a local literature festival.
The course crosses high moorland and drops into the valleys that carve through it. Runners follow sections of the Pennine Way and pass landmarks such as Stoodley Pike and Ilkley Moor, as well as locally known stones and circles.
Event arrangements include a minimum age limit of 20 years. There are winter and summer editions, a start at Marsden Cricket Club and a finish at Ben Rhydding Primary School in Ilkley. Support features include optional coach transfer to the start, Friday night registration and free camping at the finish school, live tracking, food at three indoor checkpoints in Mytholmroyd, Haworth and Bingley, finishers memento and an optional cotton T shirt, a finishers meal and changing rooms. Course maps and GPX files are provided. Volunteer marshals receive race credit. Visit the organization's website for the most recent information.