It started with a dream of simply moving again
There is a moment, when you are lying in bed recovering from something that has stolen your body from you, when the simplest things become the most precious.
For me it was this, birdsong. The feeling of grass underfoot. The smell of fresh air after rain. The quiet that only exists when you are deep in the countryside and the hum of everyday life finally falls away.
I was recovering from skin cancer and lymphoedema. Movement felt like a distant memory. The trails I had run, the hills I had climbed, the landscapes I had lost myself in, all of it felt impossibly far away and lying there, in the stillness of recovery, I made myself a quiet promise.
When I get back out there I am going to create something. Something that gives other people what the trails give me. That feeling of freedom, of belonging, of coming back from a run as a slightly different and slightly better version of yourself.
Tees Trailtastic was born from that promise.
What we set out to create
Trail running has an image problem. It is perceived as extreme, as serious, as the territory of people with expensive kit and iron legs who think nothing of running up vertical hillsides before breakfast.
We wanted to blow that perception apart completely.
When we launched the first Tees Trailtastic with a 9 mile course through the breathtaking countryside of Teesdale, the vision was simple, create an event where absolutely anyone could step onto a trail for the first time and feel not just welcome but genuinely celebrated. Where the person at the back of the field received the same roar at the finish line as the person at the front. Where the trails themselves did what they have always done for us, heal, inspire and transform.
An event where people come as strangers and leave as part of something.
Growing something special
In 2025 we listened to our community and added a 3.5 mile course, a distance that would open the door to parkrunners, beginners and anyone who had been watching from the sidelines thinking maybe one day but not quite yet.
Because we believe firmly that the first step onto a trail is the most important one and we wanted to make that step as small and as inviting as possible.
And now in 2026 we have extended the event further still with the introduction of a 15 mile course, for those who have caught the trail running bug and are ready to push further into the landscape, further into themselves.
Three distances. One community. Every single person on the same beautiful course, sharing the same fresh air, the same views and the same extraordinary feeling at the finish line.
What the trails do
Every single time I step out onto the Trailtastic course I come back different.
There is something about moving through that landscape, the open skies, the birdsong, the feeling of the ground beneath your feet rather than tarmac, that resets something deep inside. The mental chatter quietens. The to-do list dissolves and for a few hours you are simply a person moving through something beautiful.
This is not just poetry. The science is clear, time in nature reduces cortisol, improves mood, increases creativity and builds resilience. But anyone who has ever run a trail already knows this in their bones without needing a study to confirm it.
The trails of Teesdale are something genuinely special. Hidden, peaceful and breathtaking in a way that stops even experienced runners in their tracks. When people tell me after the event that they had no idea this place existed I feel the same quiet joy every single time.
What our community says
The most important thing we ever built at Tees Trailtastic was not the course or the marshals or the aid stations. It was the feeling as three previous participants have shared….
“Tees Trailtastic felt supportive from start to finish. It was empowering to see so many women of all shapes, sizes and abilities supporting each other and having a great time.”
“One of the best events I have ever been to.”
“I booked Tees Trailtastic completely out of my comfort zone. I nearly talked myself out of it but I didn’t. I felt part of something special.”
That last one stops me every time I read it because that feeling, the one that comes from doing the brave thing, from choosing yourself, from stepping onto a trail when every anxious voice told you not to, that is exactly what we set out to create.
And it is exactly what is waiting for you on Sunday 21st June.
This Year – Sunday 21st June 2026
This is the year everything comes together.
Three distances designed to meet you exactly where you are:
🌿 3.5 miles — your first trail adventure. Perfect for parkrunners, beginners and anyone who has been quietly curious about trail running but not quite ready to commit to more. You are ready. This is your moment.
🏔️ 9 miles — the original Trailtastic experience. A proper trail adventure through some of the most stunning countryside in the North of England. Challenging, beautiful and completely life affirming.
⛰️ 15 miles — for those who want to go further. More miles, more elevation, more of everything that makes Teesdale extraordinary. This is trail running at its most immersive.
Every distance is fully marshalled. Every distance has aid stations. Every distance finishes in the same place, with the same community, with the same extraordinary sense of having done something that matters.
Post event yoga to stretch out. Food and refreshments waiting at the finish line. Spot prizes on the course because adventure should always have a little magic in it.
And the trails themselves – hidden, peaceful and more beautiful than you are imagining right now.
Come and find out what the trails can do for you
I started this event from bed dreaming of birdsong. I built it for every person who has ever felt that the outdoors was not for them, that they were not fit enough, experienced enough or brave enough to step onto a trail.
You are.
Tees Trailtastic on Sunday 21st June is your sign. The trails are waiting. The community is waiting. Â You will cross that finish line a slightly different and slightly better version of yourself.
Enter now HERE and use code TRAIL for your exclusive discount Â
Tees Trailtastic is organised by Georgie Rutherford, founder of Long Run Collective. A trail running event built on the belief that the outdoors belongs to everyone.