Canterbury City Race European Tour 2026
22-24 May 2026
Entries close 23:59 on Sunday 17th May
| Entered Prologue: | 208 |
| Entered Canterbury City Race: | 424 |
| Entered University & SE Sprints: | 331 |
Car Sharing available
City Race European Tour comes to Canterbury.
Saxons Orienteering Club and Dartford Orienteering are delighted to welcome everyone to a weekend of exciting urban racing in the historic city of Canterbury.
Bulletin 2 now published. Entries initial close 17 May at midnight. Entries will re-open Mon 18 May but will be subject to map availability.
The action continues on Saturday, May 23rd, with the Canterbury City Race, a unique opportunity to explore the city's medieval charm, including its magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Cathedral, picturesque cobbled streets, historic architecture, and ancient city walls.
On Sunday, May 24th we move up the hill to the University of Kent Campus for a double-header sprint, navigating the intricate academic buildings and student accommodation.
The City Race is part of the City Race European Tour, UK Urban League and Southern England Orienteering Urban League. The Sprints will also be the SE Sprints for 2026.
Enter according to your urban age class. Seniors may ‘run up’ if they wish to compete in that category. Juniors must run their appropriate age class (until their 16th birthday after which they may choose to ‘run up’ on Senior classes).
We are also offering 2 courses on Saturday targeted at newcomers and runners - a 5k and a 5 mile distance. The courses are designed to suit those without navigation experience and course maps will be made available before you start your run along with a race briefing. There will also be a practice area on both Friday and Saturday which will have an orienteering coach on hand between 9.30-10.30.
Prologue Canterbury East
Course 1 5.2km 50m climb
Entered: 47
W18, W20-35, M18, M20-35, M40+
Course 2 4.6km 45m climb
Entered: 49
W40+, M55+
Course 3 3.8km 20m climb
Entered: 64
W55+, M65+
Course 4 3.1km 20m climb
Entered: 44
M16-, W16-, W65+, M75+, W75+
Course 5 1.6km 10m climb
Entered: 4
M12-, W12-
All course lengths are optimal running distances.
Canterbury City Race
Course 1 12.4km 75m climb
Entered: 44
M18-20, M21-35
Course 2 10.1km 60m climb
Entered: 53
W18-W20, W21-35, M40+
Course 3 8.9km 60m climb
Entered: 96
W40+, M55+
Course 4 7.0km 40m climb
Entered: 106
W55+, M65+
Course 5 6.2km 25m climb
Entered: 60
W65+, M75+
Course 6 4.7km 20m climb
Entered: 17
W75+
Course 7 5.9km 40m climb
Entered: 19
M16-, W16-
Course 8 1.7km 10m climb
Entered: 9
M12-. W12-
Course 9 5.0km 20m climb
Entered: 7
5 km runners course
Course 10 8.0km 35m climb
Entered: 13
5 mile runners course
All course lengths are optimal running distances.
University of Kent Sprints incl. SE Sprints
Course 1 3.8km 20m climb
Entered: 31
M18-20, M21-35
Course 2 3.3km 15m climb
Entered: 44
W18-20, W21-35, M40+
Course 3a 2.7km 15m climb
Entered: 37
W16-, W40+
Course 3b 2.9km 15m climb
Entered: 62
M16-, M55+
Course 4a 2.4km 20m climb
Entered: 43
W55+
Course 4b 2.5km 20m climb
Entered: 44
M65+
Course 5 2.0km 25m climb
Entered: 63
W65+, W75+, M75+
Course 6 1.3km 15m climb
Entered: 7
W12-, M12-
All course lengths are optimal running distances. Course lengths for Sprint 2 are slightly shorter than for Sprint 1.
Prologue (Senior/Junior): £6/£4
City Race (Senior/Junior): £14/£8
Sprints (Senior/Junior): £10/£6
Standard (from 2 Feb 2026)
Prologue (Senior/Junior): £8/£5
City Race (Senior/Junior): £16/£9
Sprints (Senior/Junior): £12/£7
Late (from 11 May 2026)
Prologue (Senior/Junior): £10/£6
City Race (Senior/Junior): £18/£10
Sprints (Senior/Junior): £14/£8
£2 discount automatically applied to those who enter both the Saturday and Sunday races, (£1 discount for junior entries).
Juniors are under 21 on 31st December. Students aged 21 and over in full time education will also be charged the junior rate.
SIAC dibbers available to hire for £2.50.
For full event details, see the Bulletin on Event Website. If you need to make any changes to your entry details or withdraw from the event, please contact the event Organiser.
If you are new to Orienteering and would like some additional help before attending the event, there are some helpful youtube introductory videos to watch. One by a nearby London club Newcomer Guide and another from a Manchester based club Getting Started
You must adhere to the British Orienteering Participant Code of Conduct.
Live results will be available online and final results will be posted on the Event website.
Weekend Co-ordinators: Brian Henry & Alison Howe
Prologue and City Race Planner: Alison Howe
City Race Controller: Andrew Evans, DFOK
Sprints Organiser: Keith Bennett
Sprints Planner: Luke Bennett
