Ballycastle to Waterfoot Trail Marathon 2026

A point-to-point trail marathon through the Glens of Antrim is about as pure as running gets. This event, organised by We Run Wild NI, takes you 42km from Ballycastle on the north coast, up through Ballycastle Forest and over the high ground of Slieveanorra and Trostan, then down through Glenariff Forest to finish at Waterfoot village on the coast road. Around 90% of the course is trail, the views across the North Antrim coast are genuinely spectacular, and the 8-hour cut-off gives most trail-capable runners enough room to move at a steady, careful pace. If you want open mountain, quiet forest, and a route that feels genuinely remote from start to finish, this one delivers.

What to expect

Registration opens at Waterfoot at 6:45am. Buses leave for the start at approximately 8:00am and the race begins in Ballycastle at 9:00am - that bus transfer is included in the entry fee, which makes the logistics of a point-to-point much simpler than it sounds.

The route climbs from Ballycastle Forest onto Slieveanorra, then crosses to Trostan (the highest point in Co. Antrim at 550m), before dropping into Glenariff Forest and finishing at Waterfoot below. There is one water refill stop on the route; you must carry your own refillable bottles or a bladder.

This is a self-sufficient event - no marshals, no route signage. All entrants receive a full GPX file to load onto their own GPS device before the day. Mandatory kit includes a waterproof jacket and trousers, gloves, a foil blanket, a hat, fully charged phone, food for at least 13 miles, and the race tracker supplied on the day. Walking poles are permitted; pacers and buddy runners are not. Minimum age is 18.

Getting there

Ballycastle sits on the north Antrim coast roughly 85km north of Belfast. From Belfast, take the A26 to Ballymena then the A44 north to Ballycastle - allow around 1 hour 15 minutes. From Dublin, the M1 to Newry and then north through Ballymena adds roughly 2.5 hours in normal traffic. Ulsterbus runs services to Ballycastle from Belfast (Europa Bus Centre), though for an early morning 6:45am registration at Waterfoot, most runners will find their own transport more practical. Parking is available in Ballycastle town; on event day, logistics flow from Waterfoot at the finish end, so check the organiser’s guidance for where to leave your car before boarding the bus.

While you’re in Ballycastle

Ballycastle is the gateway to the Glens of Antrim and has the seafront, the Marconi memorial (Rathlin Island is just offshore, where Marconi made his first commercial wireless transmission), and a good spread of cafes and pubs for a post-race recovery. There is more to see in Ballycastle and across Co. Antrim.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday 22 August 2026
• Registration: 6:45am at Waterfoot; bus to start departs approximately 8:00am; race starts 9:00am
• Price: £35 (entry via werunwildni.com)
• Cut-off: 8 hours from start
• Navigation: GPX file provided - you must have your own GPS device
• Mandatory kit: waterproof jacket and trousers, gloves, foil blanket, hat, charged phone, food and water for 13+ miles, backpack
• Minimum age: 18