Why finishers get a pasty and beer at the Eden Project Marathon

There aren’t many marathons in the country where crossing the finish line earns you a pint and a Cornish pasty rather than a foil blanket and a banana. But that’s exactly what’s waiting for anyone who takes on the Eden Project Marathon and Half-Marathon this October, and entries for it are running out fast.

When it’s happening

Billed as Cornwall’s biggest running event, the marathon and half-marathon return on Sunday 18 October, run in partnership with St Austell Running Club. The marathon sets off at 9.30am, with the half-marathon following at 10am, and both send runners out on a multi-terrain course through the clay country landscape around Eden.

The marathon route is roughly 70 per cent trail, path and private road with the rest on public roads, while the half-marathon flips that balance, running 60 per cent on public roads and 40 per cent on trails and paths. Water stations come round every three miles, with isotonic drinks every seven, and every runner gets chip timing plus a free breakdown of their race afterwards.

What you actually get for taking part

Every finisher, whichever distance they choose, gets a medal for completing the course. Then comes the part that sets this one apart from most running events: a pasty and a beer waiting at the finish line. Runners and their accompanying family and supporters also get free entry into Eden itself on the day, so nobody standing at the finish line has to pay to be there.

There’s prize money too. The marathon pays £300 each to the first man and first woman home, with £250 on offer for the half-marathon winners, plus category prizes across the veteran age groups and for the fastest club teams.

What the entry fee supports

Rather than handing out a standard cotton race t-shirt, which the organisers point out often ends up unworn or straight in a drawer, entries instead go towards creating wildflower habitats at Eden to support wildlife and pollinators.

For anyone who does want a souvenir, an official 2026 tech t-shirt can still be bought separately through Eden’s Teemill shop. Orders need to go in by midnight on Sunday 20 September to arrive before race day.

Getting a place before time runs out

Entries for both distances close on Wednesday 30 September, or sooner if places sell out first, which is already the case for the half-marathon early bird tickets. Full-price entry currently stands at £48 for the marathon and £43 for the half-marathon, bookable through the event’s entry page.

To take part in the marathon runners need to be 18 or over on race day, with the half-marathon open from 17. There’s no upper age limit either way, and no need to belong to a running club, though affiliated runners do get a discount on the entry fee.

“Fantastic scenery, great organisation, where else do you get a pint and a pasty,” one previous finisher put it.