SATURN - The Dashing Dog Charity Run - North

Come and join Saturn Running for our Dashing Dog Charity run along the picturesque River Wear, not only is the scenery beautiful and you will earn one of our awesome medals but you can also do your bit for charity as we are raising money for local dog rehoming centres!

There are so many underfunded local dog rehoming centres which help rescue and rehome thousands of dogs every year, here at Saturn we all love dogs with most of us owning at least one (or four in Charlotte and George's case!!) so what better charities to raise some much needed funds for!

A £2.00 surcharge will be added to the cost of every race and 100% of this additional charge will go to local rehoming charities. We also have an optional £3.00 add on which you can pay and you will receive a super cute pin for your generosity which can be pinned onto your ribbon medal, Saturn will then match every £3.00 donation, so for every race entered with the pin option ed, local rehoming centres will receive £6.00!

Even if you decide to go for the entry only option, 10% of all profits from the race will be donated to these charities by Saturn so you will still be doing your bit for charity!

All abilities are welcome at our super-inclusive events and we also welcome walkers too.

Date & time: Sunday 14th of April 2026
Official start time: 9.30am

Location: Durham Amateur Rowing Club, Green Ln, Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3JU

Distance & Time: This is a 7 hour Time Challenge event which allows you full control over the distance you want to run. The minimum distance is 3km, which is part of a lap. A full lap is 4.37 miles or 7km (this is subject to change to a 3.28 mile loop depending on course conditions) and you can run as many, or as few, of these laps as you like subject to UK athletics age restrictions (please see the restrictions below). We will have a 3k turn point and 5k turn point within the lap which is available to allow our younger runners to comply with the UK Athletics distance rules. It is 3 laps for a half marathon, 6 for a marathon and 7 or over for an ultra, we also have a 50km distance available.

The regular course is subject to some change near the time of the event depending on our health and safety review of the course.

Course: The course is along a beautiful stretch of the River Wear with views of the Cathedral and is classified as a trail run. It is fully signed so no navigational experience is required.

Medals: As long as you complete 3km you will be an official finisher and you will receive one of our fantastic dog themed medals!

As this is a run to raise money for local dog rescue/rehoming charities, for an additional £3.00 donation you can receive an incredible Doggie pin to add to your medal ribbon, not just that but Saturn will match this £3.00 donation!

Distance Pins: We have distance pins available for anyone who runs a half-marathon distance or more. Pins available to collect are our Half-Marathon, Mega-Half, Marathon, 50km and Ultra pins. You will receive one pin on the ribbon of your medal to reflect your achievement.

Goody Bag: Absolutely! You earned the calories after all, so all our finishers get a goody bag. As well as our standard goody bag, with a selection of various goodies to choose from, we also have a fabulous vegan goody bag for our vegan runners.

Aid Table: We have a fantastic aid table and drinks table at the start / finish of each lap. There is an incredible selection of drinks and savoury or sweet snacks such as crisps, cheese, fruit and cookies with vegan options also available.

Special Event: If our event is a special event for you, for instance your 50th, 99th, 100th, 200th, 250th etc., half or full marathon then please let us know. You will receive a special running number with your name on it and the date of the event.

Toilets & Changing Facilities: Toilets and changing facilities are available at the race HQ. Bag is near the start and finish area. Runners should be aware the bag is not staffed and items are left at the sole responsibility of the participant. No liability for lost items will be accepted by the Organiser.

Final Instructions / Number pick up: Final race day instructions will be sent out via email in the week leading up to the event and will include full race day information. Number pick up is on the day at race registration before the start of the event.

Parking: There is nearby free on-street parking or pay and display city centre parking.

Other Info: There will be somewhere to leave a bag at the start / finish area. However, this is not a secure bag and the items cannot be watched at all times so please do not leave anything valuable.

Headphones are allowed.

Our running events are held on public footpaths so we would be grateful if all runners were considerate of other path users.