OxBelt is a new trail relay run around the 54 mile circular Oxford Green Belt Way, taking in the picturesque countryside and historic villages surrounding Oxford. Created in 2007 to celebrate 50 years of Oxford’s green belt and 75 years of Oxfordshire’s branch of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, the route celebrates the protected countryside surrounding the city of Oxford.

The first OxBelt Relay took place in 2022 with three teams from Headington and Abingdon getting batons round. In 2023, eight teams from six clubs took part (Headington RR, Abingdon AC, Oxford City AC, Eynsham RR, Thame RC and Abbey Runners). The event continues to evolve, and this year we are expecting up to 18 teams from 10 clubs to take on the challenge!

The Event

The 2024 OxBelt relay will be held on Sunday July 21st. Starting and finishing in Risinghurst, near Thornhill Park and Ride, the course consists of 8 legs between 4.6 and 8.7 miles. Descriptions of the legs are available here and the rules and guidelines of the event are available here. Please note that there will be no marshals on the course: runners must self-navigate and are responsible for their own safety at all times. The route is waymarked but not always easy to follow – runners are strongly advised to recce their leg(s) beforehand!

Starting times are 8.30 am for teams expecting to take longer than 8 hours, and 9.00 am for teams expecting to take less than 8 hours. Please arrive at least 15 minutes before your start time and report to one of the organisers. Teams can have up to 8 runners. Yes, it is possible to do it ‘solo!’ Whilst there is no cut-off time, the organisers do not guarantee that anyone will be at the finish after 6 pm, so teams taking longer than 9.5 hours may not have an official time recorded.

There is a ‘mass start’ at the beginning of leg 6 at Wolvercote for any team not having reached that checkpoint by 2:30 pm. The Leg 6 runners of those teams will begin leg 6 at 2:30 pm. If the same runner is due to run legs 5 and 6 they must ensure to reach Wolvercote by 2:30 pm.

The 2024 race is organised by a committee comprising:  Jason Smith (Headington RR, chair), Alan Darbyshire (Headington RR), Paul Fernandez (Abingdon AC), Ros Hall (Eynsham RR), Lucy Shelton (Abbey Runners) and Neil Pinnell (Oxford City AC).

For more information, contact jasonsmith24451@gmail.com

2023 Results:

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Further information:

• Long Distance Walkers Association, Oxford Green Belt Way
• CPRE Oxfordshire, Oxford Green Belt Way
• GPS Routes, Oxford Green Belt Way, including photos and gpx file.
• Oxford Mail, Creating the Green Belt Way