The annual Burghley 7 mile took place on 2 March 2025 in Lincolnshire. As the standard cold March morning gave way to clearer skies and a little bit of sun, 1,277 runners lined up at the Burghley House estate and at 9am began their descent into the surrounding village of Stamford, with its 17th century, timber-framed buildings providing one of the most pleasant backdrops to the racing calendar.
Soon giving way to the Lincolnshire countryside, through the village of Pilsgate with its famous dry-stone walls, before turning back into the picturesque Burghley estate 4 miles later, the course meanders past a host of local landmarks, including parts of the estate not usually open to the public. 7 miles – and one particularly troublesome hill at around 4 miles – later, the course levels back though the estate to finish in front of the stunning Burghley House.
The men’s winner came home in an impressive 36 minutes, with the first lady in an equally impressive time, just short of 44 minutes.
On this occasion, Strava told me that somewhere in the 11.26 kilometers was a personal best 10km, but Strava always comes up short. So while there was no PB anywhere, with the undulation and an on-going ankle injury, I was pleased with the course time of 53:44, 252/1277 place and 18/82 category position.
This was the first race of the season, and a chance to compete as part of training for my first marathon in the spring.
– Stacey Raven
Massey Results:
252 00:53:44 Stacey Raven
1254 01:28:49 Rachel Marrington