Race organiser folds after wet weather hit events

A number of races have been cancelled due to the ground being saturated

The organiser of some of Dorset's most popular running races has said it will no longer be organising events.

Keep Running Rural, formerly known as White Star Running, was responsible for races such as the Giant's Head Marathon and Mapperton Muddle.

But the group said it had not been able to recover after losing "so many races to unpredictable bad weather".

It said its Cider and Piggy Plod weekend at Cranbourne Chase would go ahead as planned from 19 to 21 July.

An update on the group's website said: "With an incredibly heavy heart, we're sad to say that Keep Running Rural will not be organising any events for the foreseeable future beyond the Cider Races/Piggy Plod weekend.

"For the last 12 years, we've been organising races, as White Star Running for most of that time and for the last year under the Keep Running Rural banner.

"It's been an amazing time and has become our way of life, carried along by the most amazing community we could ever have dreamed of."

The statement said that races had not bounced back since Covid, with fewer people entering races and an increase in the number of races on the market.

"The complications, difficulties and cost of being a race organiser in today’s climate is exhausting, and has an impact on our mental health and wellbeing," it said.

Organisers said they were "actively working with the village at Sydling to try and secure a future for the amazing Giant's Head races" with a different team.

White Star Running was founded in 2012 by Andy Palmer who retired in 2023, handing the reins to Gemma Wilton.

Entrants to the Mapperton Muddle and Larmer events have the option to earn their medals by completing the race virtually or receive a refund.