Summer Wolf Run
12–13 June 2027
Stanford Hall, Lutterworth, Leicestershire
10k / 5k Obstacle Course Race
The Summer Wolf Run takes obstacle course racing back towards its wild-running roots, combining trails, woodland, lakes, streams and a generous quantity of mud with a mixture of natural and man-made obstacles.
Held in the grounds of Stanford Hall in Leicestershire, the course makes full use of the landscape rather than simply placing obstacles around a running route. Expect woodland trails, water crossings, steep and uneven terrain and plenty of opportunities to get properly filthy.
And, frankly, any event with an obstacle called Mud Sucker immediately has my attention. 🦔
The Challenge
The main Wolf Run course is approximately 10km with around 30 obstacles, while a shorter 5km course features approximately 15.
Wolf Run describes itself as wild running rather than a race. There are no winners and the emphasis is on taking on the challenge, helping the people around you and getting through whatever the course throws at you.
That philosophy feels very familiar.
After spending so much time at Tough Mudder events, I’m particularly interested in seeing how another established OCR event approaches things differently. Wolf Run puts a much greater emphasis on the natural environment, using woodland, open countryside and water as obstacles in their own right.
Stanford Hall also has something particularly appealing for somebody who apparently no longer knows how to spend a weekend without voluntarily getting wet and muddy: the Bridge Jump, launching runners straight into a swim.
The Obstacles
There are plenty of constructed obstacles, but the terrain appears to be just as important.
The 10k course includes deeper water sections, extended trail running and the full selection of Wolf Run obstacles. Among the highlights associated with the Leicestershire course are:
- Mud Sucker, an appropriately unpleasant-looking journey through some serious mud
- Bridge Jump, followed immediately by a swim
- the 100-metre water slide
- woodland obstacles, nets and climbs
- natural water crossings, lakes and streams
- plenty of the sort of terrain where clean trainers don’t remain clean for very long
It should make for an interesting comparison with Tough Mudder. Different obstacles, a different style of course and another interpretation of what obstacle course racing can be.
Why Summer Wolf?
My 2027 calendar is largely being built around Tough Mudder and the journey towards World’s Toughest Mudder, but I don’t want every challenge to look exactly the same.
Events such as Wolf Run provide an opportunity to experience different terrain, different obstacles and a different style of OCR while still developing the same combination of endurance, strength, confidence and ability to keep moving when conditions become thoroughly ridiculous.
And with Stanford Hall promising woodland, water and mud on another level, Summer Wolf appears to tick most of the important boxes.
Especially the mud.
Endure. Overcome. Make It Count. 🦔💛
A Very Muddy June
Summer Wolf also falls in what is rapidly becoming an extremely busy month.
The previous weekend I’ll be in Scotland for Tough Mudder and Spartan. A week after Wolf Run I may be back at a Spartan event volunteering, before everything culminates on 26 June with World’s Toughest Mudder.
So June 2027 currently looks like four consecutive weekends involving obstacles, mud, volunteering or some combination of all three.
Probably not the conventional approach to tapering for a 24-hour endurance event.
But apparently I’ve made my choices. 😅
Keep getting muddy. 🦔💛