UK Races This Weekend: Great South Run, Yorkshire Marathon and Amsterdam Marathon (17 to 18 October)

The Great South Run, the Yorkshire Marathon and the Amsterdam Marathon all take place on Sunday 18 October 2026, and the Great South 5k opens the weekend on Saturday 17 October. If you are racing, this roundup gives you every start time in UK time, the early weather picture and the last-minute checks that make race morning calmer.

We checked each date and time against the organisers' own pages on 14 October. Late changes do happen, so read your final event email and the race app before you travel. Whether this is your first 10 miles or your tenth marathon, the aim this week is the same: arrive fresh, organised and ready to enjoy it.

Is the Great South Run on Saturday or Sunday?

Sunday. If you have seen Saturday 17 October quoted, the organiser confirms the 10-mile Great South Run is on Sunday 18 October 2026. It starts and finishes at the north end of Avenue De Caen in Southsea, and the first mass wave sets off at 10:35. Any mix-up may come from the Great South 5k, which is on Saturday 17 October with a 9am start from The Pyramids Centre.

The 10-mile race is sold out for 2026. The 5k was still taking entries at the time of writing, so it is an option if a friend or family member wants to join in on the Saturday.

What time does each race start in UK time?

UK clocks do not go back until Sunday 25 October, so both countries are still on summer time this weekend and Amsterdam is exactly one hour ahead. Here is the weekend at a glance.

Times are taken from each organiser's published timetable on 14 October 2026. Check your event guide for any late changes.

What do Great South Run runners need to know?

The course is flat and fast, and the start runs in waves based on the finish time you gave when you entered. Your wave colour decides when you go.

• Race number: numbers are posted from about four weeks before. If you entered on or after 7 October, or from overseas, collect yours from the information point, which is staffed the day before and on race day.
• Bags: the baggage buses are in a marquee on Castle Field. Fill in the label on your race number and fix it to your bag before you leave home.
• Getting there: road closures start at 9.30am. The organiser recommends public transport, and the Park and Ride to Southsea Common runs every 10 minutes from 6.20am on Sunday.
• Waves: you can drop back to a slower wave, but you cannot move to a faster one.
• Camera off: no filming, streaming or photos inside the naval base section of the course.

For pacing the 10 miles and a look at the route, see our Great South Run training and race guide.

What do Yorkshire Marathon runners need to know?

The marathon starts at 09:30 on Sunday 18 October from the University of York, heads past the city walls and out into the countryside, then loops back for a campus finish. The Yorkshire 10 Mile, which is sold out, starts at 10:15 from the same place.

• Race number: if yours has not arrived by post, collect it from the Race Office in the Event Village (University of York Campus West) on Saturday 17 October from 12:00 to 16:00, or from 07:00 on Sunday. Saturday means a shorter queue.
• Bags: the baggage store is on Campus South. Tear off the label on your race number and attach it before you hand your bag over.
• Parking: there is no event parking at the university. Use the Park and Ride from Elvington Airfield, Askham Bar or Grimston Bar, or the shuttle from York railway station, which runs from 7am with priority for runners before 8.30am.
• On course: pacers carry flags with finish times, water stations hand out small bottles, and energy stations offer sports drinks and gels. Only take a gel or drink you have tried in training.
• Old layers: clothing left at the start is collected and will not come back to you, so only throw away something you are happy to lose.

Our Yorkshire Marathon training and race guide covers pacing and fuelling for the full 26.2 miles.

What do UK runners heading to Amsterdam need to know?

The Amsterdam Marathon starts and finishes in the Olympic Stadium. Waves go from 09:00 to 09:50 local time, which is 08:00 to 08:50 UK time, and there is a six-hour time limit. Your phone should switch time zones on its own, but check your watch alarm and any travel bookings are set to local time.

• Collect your bib by Saturday: bibs are only handed out at the expo at RAI Amsterdam, on Thursday from 13:00 to 20:00, Friday from 10:00 to 20:00 and Saturday from 09:00 to 19:00 (local time). There is no bib collection on Sunday.
• Bring your QR code: collection uses a personal QR code in the organiser's app. A friend can collect for you if they have your code.
• Two start areas: Area A is on the field inside the stadium and Area B is on Stadionweg just outside. The colour on your bib shows your wave. If you are in Wave 1 or 2, be on the field by 08:50 local time.
• Getting there: large parts of the city close to traffic on Sunday, so take the metro to Station Zuid and follow the signs.
• Bags: free clothing drop-off tents open from 07:30 (Area A) and 07:45 (Area B) local time.

Travel, pacing and fuelling for the trip are all in our Amsterdam Marathon guide for UK runners.

What will the weather be like this weekend?

Early signs are promising, but treat this as a guide only. The Met Office UK outlook issued early on Wednesday 14 October said rain should clear the south-east on Friday morning, then it should be mostly dry as high pressure builds, with a few showers possible mainly in the far north and south. It also flagged that it will feel much cooler than of late. Its longer outlook from Sunday 18 October points to largely fine, dry weather for many, mostly light winds and possible early mist or fog.

We have not seen a reliable forecast for Amsterdam yet, so check a local Dutch forecast on Saturday. Forecasts four days out can shift, so look again on Saturday evening and pack for both options. What that means for your kit:

• Cool, calm mornings are good racing weather, but standing in a start pen can leave you chilly. Wear an old top or a bin bag you can drop at the start.
• Dress for how you will feel after ten minutes of running, not for the start line. Most people overdress.
• Light gloves and a cap are easy to tuck away if the sun comes out.
• Cool weather still means you sweat, so keep drinking to thirst at the water stations.

What should you do in the last few days?

The hard work is done. Nothing you do this week will make you much fitter, but a few smart choices will help you arrive rested.

• Keep runs short and easy. A 15 to 20 minute jog on Friday or Saturday with a few relaxed strides is plenty.
• Eat familiar food. Marathon runners can lean meals towards carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread and potatoes over the last day or two. For a 10-mile race, normal balanced meals are fine.
• Nothing new. No new shoes, socks, gels or breakfast. Race day is not the time to test anything.
• Lay out your kit on Saturday. Pin your number on, attach your bag label, charge your watch and phone, and plan your route to the start.
• Do not panic about sleep. Nerves the night before are normal, and one restless night rarely spoils a race.

What should you do on race morning?

• Eat the breakfast you have practised, roughly two to three hours before your start.
• Arrive early. Toilet queues are always longer than you expect, and road closures slow everything down.
• Start slower than feels natural. The first few miles should feel almost too easy, especially in a marathon.
• Break the race into chunks: to the next mile marker, the next water station, the next landmark.
• Soak it up. Big crowds, sea views and city streets are the reward for months of training.

How should you recover next week?

After the finish, keep walking for a few minutes, put on warm layers and eat and drink something soon. Soreness often peaks a day or two later, which is normal. After 10 miles, a few easy days usually does the job. After a marathon, give yourself at least a week of rest, walking or very gentle running before you think about training hard again.

Then the fun question: what next? Edge syncs with Strava, Garmin, Apple Health and Coros, so your race lands in one place, and manual entries count too. Edge Pro builds a fully personalised plan across running, strength, HIIT and mobility, ready within 24 hours, and you can message a real coach anytime about your next goal. Edge has 20,000+ members.

This article is general guidance, not medical advice. If you are new to exercise, returning from injury, or managing a health condition, speak to your GP before starting, and see a physio for any niggle that does not settle.