Isle of Wight Festival of Running Freshwater 5K

The Isle of Wight Festival of Running is based around Freshwater on the west side of the island, with off-road races for different distances and ages. Its headline race, the Needles Half, is a notoriously difficult trail half marathon, while the programme also includes the Tapnell 10k, the Freshwater 5K, and a Junior Fun Run for younger runners. The Needles Half runs along the coast from Colwell Bay to Totland Bay, climbs over Headon Warren toward The Needles, then crosses Tennyson Down to the Tennyson Monument before dropping to Freshwater Bay and crossing Afton Marsh to the finish. The shorter races use the same local landscape in smaller pieces: the 10k leaves Freshwater for Tapnell Farm and Gift to Nature land, and the 5K passes Farringford, Alfred Lord Tennyson's former home, before skirting Tennyson Down and Afton Marshes.