2:09 Events

Organising the finest travel packages to the Worlds best marathons, from New York to the Great Wall,

Guaranteed race entry to the New York Marathon and other major events with back-up coaching advice from a group of high achieveing athletes such as Mike Gratton and Chicago Marathon and Olympic 10,000m finalist Paul Evans.

23/09/2024

The dictionary offers two definitions of the word GRIM: serious and gloomy or unattractive and forbidding. When we set up the course for the GRIM Challenge - our muddy off-road 4 or 8-mile race on December 1 - forbidding was what we had in mind, although not too forbidding As most of our runners will tell you, it's not a race to take too seriously and charging up and down muddy tracks and wading through waist high pools of water, even on a cold December's day is more fun than you might imagine. Honestly, it is.
The race takes place on army land in Aldershot that is usually used to test military vehicles, so it will test you. Wrap up warm, bring your best trail shoes and don't forget some clean, dry pants for after the finish. Driving home in wet pants is GRIM. If you are interested in being part of GRIM this year, a gentle reminder that the early bird entry price runs out at the end of this month.

16/09/2024

The summer is definitely over because today is officially 100 days away from Christmas. Our annual Santa Run held at Denbies Vineyard on Sunday December 8 is even closer and always kicks off our own personal Christmas build up.
Entries are now open for this event, which is a great 5K Fun Run for all the family.
We provide the Santa suits, the festive music, a fine finisher's medal and photographers: Denbies, our event partner, provides the post-race mulled wine and minced pies, or soft drinks if you prefer. You just have to run two laps of our slightly undulating course to earn it all.

15/09/2024

Sun setting over Sydney harbour, the end of a long but successful marathon day. Next year surely this will be the home of the 7th Abbott World Marathon Major.

15/09/2024

With a new start and a cleaner course reminiscent of the 2000 Olympic Marathon route, Sydney put on its best face this morning for its final dress rehearsal before it is expected to join the Marathon Majors Club in 2025. With 25,000 runners, the majority of them local, Sydney is now easily the biggest marathon in the Southern hemisphere. It's a long way to travel to run 26.2 miles but it is a journey worth making: a 6am start, easy access to the start and finish by public transport and an iconic finish in front of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge, which the race runs over n the early stages of the course. To complete a record breaking day, Kenya's Brimin Misoi (2:06:17) and Ethiopia's Workenesh Gurmesa (2:21:40) ran the fastest ever men's and women's marathons seen in Australia.

14/09/2024

Expo day in Sydney to collect numbers ahead of tomorrow's marathon as well as some last minute shopping for Bondi Beach. It's still a small Expo bv the standards of say London or New York but like so much of the event, it's starting to show the scale of its ambition as it develops the full trappings of a Marathon Major, which most expect the TCS Sydney Marathon to be in 2025.

13/09/2024

Viewing some of the sights of Sydney on a relaxing morning ahead of Sunday's Marathon.

11/09/2024

While we were worried about the rain in Dorking at Bacchus on Sunday, we had another group of runners in Jordan running the Petra Marathon, who would have welcomed some rain. September is a good time to run through the Jordan desert, but it's still a testing place to run a marathon particularly with the hills. Starting close to the Treasury building in Petra, it is one of the world's most iconic races.

11/09/2024

A few more images from this weekend's Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K. Individual race images are now available for free download, see www.run-bacchus.com for the link.

09/09/2024

Great day at Denbies yesterday for the annual Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K. After the deluge on Saturday night the weather gods were very kind throughout the day. The hills were still tough but the wine was chilled, the fancy dress was very fancy and the music played long into the evening. Our reputation for putting on the UK's best running party lives on. Here are a few photos memories from the day.

02/09/2024

After a lazy summer we are back in full race preparation mode this week ready for this Sunday's Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K, one of our favourite events of the year. The wine is chilled, our cheese order is on the way and the musicians are metaphorically warming up ready for your arrival and we hope you have selected your fancy dress.
Race numbers were sent out two weeks ago for those who entered before August 16. If you have not received your number sent us a message at [email protected] and we'll have a replacement ready for you on Sunday morning. If you entered after August 16, or you entered with an international mailing address your number is for collection on race morning.
There are still a few entries left for the half marathon but they will close at midday on Wednesday September 4. There will be no entries after that date and there are absolutely no entries on the day.

20/08/2024

When it was first formed back in 2006, the Marathon Majors series was an attempt by the world's biggest marathon races -London, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York - to recognise and reward the world's best male and female marathon runners. After Tokyo joined the club in 2012 that elite focus remained at the heart of the series.
The profile of the series started to change in 2016 when the six-star finishers medal was introduced to recognise 'ordinary' runners who had completed all six races. If demand for these races was high leading up to COVID it exploded as the travel market reopened fully in 2022 and thousands of regular runners scrambled to add their name to the Marathon Majors roll of honour.
We have been one of the beneficiaries of that demand. This year all of our Abbott World Marathon Majors travel packages, which come with guaranteed race entries, sold out within days.
Inevitably as the races start to approach, life, injuries and poor training have derailed a number of plans. We have had a few late cancellations mean for the Berlin Marathon on September 29 and the New York City Marathon on November 3. If you are still interested in running either this year, send us a note to [email protected]. Be quick, the registration deadline for both races is fast approaching.

19/08/2024

You do not have to come as a banana- other fruits are available - but you might feel under dressed if you are not in fancy dress. Just under three weeks now before this year’s Bacchus Wine Half marathon and 10k. The 10k is sold out but places are still available in the half. Do not miss out.

15/08/2024

There were some wonderful stories from the Paris Olympic games but one that was particularly close to our heart, and touched so many others, was that of Kinzang Lhamo. Kinzang was representing the tiny Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan in the women's marathon in which she was the final finisher in a time of 3:52:59. On a brutally hard course she had to walk large stretches of the final two kilometres but she persevered and finally crossed the finish line to raucous applause.
It was an uplifting story, a symbol of the true Olympic spirit, but few of those watching and applauding seemed to know anything about Bhutan or Kinzang Lhamo, who as well as being Bhutan's first female Olympic Marathon runner, was the only woman on its three-person team and carried the flag at the opening ceremony.
We are familiar with both the country and Kinzang. For more than a decade we have been travelling to this magical little Himalayan country every May to organise the Thunder Dragon Marathon and Half Marathon. Over that time the development of our races has mirrored that of running in the country.
We started with no local runners and certainly no women and we now sell out the local field in a matter of days. We say 'sell out' but our races are free for local runners with a generous prize list all funded by the international race fee. But times and standards, particularly for the women, are improving fast. Last year Kinzang Lhamo was one of the beneficiaries of that prize money taking home a nice boost to her army salary for finishing second in the 2023 Thunder Dragon Half Marathon (183 below). One year on she is an Olympic Marathon finisher.
We love Bhutan and we would promote and market the country and the Thunder Dragon races because they are such a wonderful experience but these stories do make all the effort so much more worthwhile.

14/08/2024

Welcome to Wine Wednesday, our little celebration of fine English wine, music, fancy dress and a spot of running all in homage to the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and & 10K at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking, which is now just over three weeks away.
The 10K race is now sold out but there are still places available for the half marathon, although start wave options are limited. For those of you who have already entered, your race packs and numbers will start to go out this week and you should receive them by the end of next week at the latest. Anyone who entered in August will be in the second batch of numbers, but you will still receive them well before the race date of Sunday September 8.

12/08/2024

There are few events as iconic as the Great Wall Marathon and Half Marathon in China. It promises you 5,164 steps on the wall itself as well as countless thousands on the local villages and towns which surround it. It's a tough race but a memorable one. The 2024 race will take place on Saturday May 17 and we are now open for entries. See our website for further details.

08/08/2024

You now have one month to sort out your costume for this year’s Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K in September 8.

Love those Barbie outfits from 2023, is it time for Deadpool & Wolverine this year? Don’t forget there are bottles of Denbies sparkling wine for the best costumes we see on the day.

08/08/2024

Bob Ash, our favourite Bagpiper will be back at this year's Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K on September 8. This year he'll have a second piper with him offering musical entertainment as runners leave Denbies Vineyard and emerge onto the North Downs for the longest running stretch between wine stops on the Half Marathon course. The pipers will be one of a number of musical acts keeping you entertained on your way round this stunning, if challenging, trail route.

05/08/2024

This is the last day to enter the 10K event in the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K on September 8. We are very close to our entry limit and the 10K will be closed at close of play today.
After that the only way to enter will be through one of our charity partners, QEF (Queen Elizabeth Fund for Disabled Children) or Combat Stress, the mental health support charity for military veterans.
Both offer low cost entry to either the half marathon or 10K together with a fund-raising target.
There is still good availability for the half marathon race, which visits six wine stations on the course, rather than the two visited by the 10K.

01/08/2024

It's a tough job but someone has to do it: we've been tasting the wines ready for this year's Bacchus Half Marathon and 10K. The good news is we have all bases covered. Whether your preference is White, Red, Rose of something sparkling, you'll have a chance to sample all of them if you are running the half marathon where we will be serving six different wines on September 8. If you are running the 10K, you'll sample two wines.
The tasting notes on the Bacchus Fizz say it is delicate, aromatic and floral with hints of elderflower and citrus while the Denbies Redlands, which is a medium bodied red, is light and fresh with hints of blackcurrant and rose petals. We could go not but don't take our word for it, you can still enter the race and try them for yourself.

30/07/2024

Here are a few of our volunteers from last month's South Downs Half Marathon.
We are currently recruiting for extra team members at our next event, the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking, on September 8. No experience necessary, we have a number of roles available particular course marshals and start/finish area staff. If you're interested or perhaps you are running and have a non-running friend or partner who would like to help out of the day, send a note to [email protected] and we will provide more details.
As well as our hearty appreciation we offer a packed lunch, a ticket to the post-race party, an event T-shirt and free entry into one our future events, including the 2025 Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K.

29/07/2024

Love wine, love running, then the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10k is your kind of race. The event is on Sunday September 8 and we are now down to the last few 10K entries although there is still plenty of availability for the Half Marathon. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this ‘fun run’.

17/07/2024

We wanted to remind those of you taking part in the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K on September 8 that we are working with two official charities this year: Combat Stress and QEF (Queen Elizabeth Foundation for Disabled Children). Both are local to the event, which is based at Denbies Vineyard in Dorking and both do tremendous work in their respective areas.
Teams of volunteers from each charity will be manning some of the drinks stations on the day of the race and each has a team of runners taking part in the event to raise valuable funds for the charities. If you want to be part of their teams on the day, you can contact find more details about Combat Stree here
https://events.combatstress.org.uk/event/bacchus-half-24/home
For QEF follow this link:
https://www.qef.org.uk/events/bacchus/

21/06/2024

Glad to see that many of you are quick off the mark in booking our spring running camp on the Algarve scheduled for March 2025. The 2024 camp sold out in record time and although we've returned to two weeks for 2025 - March 8-15 and 15-22 -we have nearly 100 people booked in already. The second week is selling slightly quicker than the first, but there is still plenty of space across both weeks. The popular Falesia 5K will take place on the Tuesday of week two, but don't worry if you've booked week one, our team will also arrange a timed and numbered 5K on the same route on the first Tuesday as well.

19/06/2024

We talk a lot about the wine, the food, the fancy dress and the magnificent surroundings at the Bacchus Wine Half Marathon and 10K, which this year will be run on Sunday September 8. Another key part of the event, however, is the musics which is always an eclectic mix. Last year we had a Latin drumming band, a rock choir, a Scottish piper, a Jazz group and a classical trio. But probably everyone's favourite act is a local group called Broken Switch that play at the final drinks station on the course. The group has been a fixture at the event longer than we have and we are delighted they will be back again in 2025 occupying the same spot. Not to be missed.

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Videos

Last few sub three hour runners crossing the line at today’s TCS Sydney Marathon. #209events #tcssydneymarathon #sydneymarathon #sydney #wmmcandidate #makinghistory #sub3 #finishline

Nothing like a Samba band to help you through the early miles of the Sydney Marathon. #209events #tcssydneymarathon #sydneymarathon #sydney #marathon #abbottworldmarathonmajors #samba #musicalmotivation #running

Why not join us on some of our fantastic trips that you can be a part of today! #fun #travel #runnerslife #runnersofinsta #runnersofinstagram #209events #10k #marathonrunner

Join us and start your running adventure today! #209events #fun #run #exercise #travel #fitnessaddict

Taking the bullet train out of Tokyo for a post marathon spa day in Hakone followed by an afternoon visit to Mt Fuji. #209events #tokyomarathon #tokyo #marathonrecovery #hakone #shinkansen #bullettrain #japan

Group warm up before today’s Tokyo International Friendship Run with accompanying ‘Jackanory’ instructional soundtrack. #209events #tokyomarathon #friendshiprun #warmup #japan #marathonprep

Bhutan Marathon blessing

One of the overwhelmingly nice and unique parts of the Thunder Dragon Marathon is the pre race blessing. They keep with Bhuddist culture by performing this wonderful ceremony beforehand by the local lama. Here is a little snippet to get an idea of what is to come! #bhutan #thunderdragonthursday #209events #travel #fun #ceremony #marathon #fitness #exercise

Hi everyone, unfortunately we missed Thunder Dragon Thursday as we were coming back from New York, so today we are doing Thunder Dragon Friday to make sure that you all don't miss out. We just wanted to show you this little clip of Bhutan and what it is like to run in this wonderful country. #bhutan #run #exercise #fun #travel #wonderful #thunderdragonthursday #runner #run #running

Great crowds and great weather for that final mile of the TCS New York City Marathon on the rolling hills of Central Park. #209events #tcsnycmarathon #centralpark #finalmile #tothefinishline #newyork #marathon #runningmotivation

Got to love a marching band when the miles start to take their toll at Mile 17 of the TCS New York City Marathon. #209events #tcsnycmarathon #newyorkmarathon #newyork #marathon #runningmotivation #marchingband #abbottworldmarathonmajors #abbottwmm

The stunning volcano of Sete Cidades the location for the final race of three at the Run Azores Challenge. #209events #runazores #azores #runningchallenge #trailrunning #volcanorun #setecidades

A unique place to run and a unique trip in so many ways. We are now taking bookings for Greenland's Midnight Marathon in June 2024.

Bacchus 2023

The ultimate multi-day stage race: the Cyprus four-day running challenge in late November.

Memories from our Algarve training camp earlier this year, the group run out along Falesia beach. If you want to join us in 2024, be quick, places are limited and we are down to our last two rooms in the hotel.

Top of the course at this year’s Thunder Dragon Marathon. #209events #thunderdragonmarathon #bhutan #marathon #trailrunning #paro #parodzong

The blessing before the start of this morning’s Thunder Dragon Marathon in Bhutan. #209events #thunderdragonmarathon #thunderdragon #bhutan #blessing #marathonstart #marathon #halfmarathon #runningtravel

Plane at 33,000 feet Everest at 29,030 feet. Stunning views of the Himalayas on the flight into Bhutan for the start of our Thunder Dragon Marathon trip.

Join us in the beautiful islands of the Azores! Such a wonderful country with rich culture and wonderful people! From the 6th to the 8th of October we are running the 3 day challenge again, which covers the marathon distance over a long weekend. All three races take place on the island of Sao Miguel, the main island in the Azores archipelago. Join us at: www.runazores.com

Cyprus is a beautiful place to test yourself. Why not join us this November for a chance to really challenge yourself with our 4-day challenge! All the information you need is in the link below! https://www.209events.com/overseas-running-events-holidays/cyprus-international-4-day-challenge

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Our Story

Many people ask what the 2:09 in 2:09 Events means and are surprised to find out that is the best marathon time of the company founder, Mike Gratton, when winning the London Marthon in 1983.

Now 2:09 Events are one of the leading running specialist travel companies in the World and have membership to TOURS, a group of travel agencies specialising in running travel from 32 different countries. This status has allowed the company to become the International Travel Partner for 5 of the 6 Abbott World Marathon Majors; Tokyo, Boston, Berlin, Chicago and New York.

Having organised events for his running club Invicta East Kent AC back in the day it was inevitable that putting on running events would feature and now 2;09 Events have organised events in Cuba and Uganda, and continue to organise in Bhutan, Cyprus and the Azores.

In the UK the portfolio now includes; South Downs Marathon and Half, Farnborough Winter Half, Longleat 10km and Bacchus Wine Marathon, 3 Santa Runs and a host of charity events throughout the year.