Every Run2 that is longer than 5k will have at least one control. A control is a point on each Run2 route that MUST be passed through/stopped at during the period that the control is open in order for your run to be legitimately completed.

Controls will always be approximately 5k from the start of a Run2, or from the previous control, plus or minus 1k. This ensures that at all points on a Run2, you will never be more than 2.5k(ish) from a stopping point and a chance to recompose yourself before taking on the next leg.

Without wishing to state the obvious, this means that a 10k Run2 will have one control, a 15k will have two controls, a 20k Run2 will have three controls… and so on.

You are actively encouraged to stop at controls and the maximum time has been set to allow most people the opportunity to pause for at least a few minutes before setting off again. As the distances extend and the challenge becomes a little stiffer, the amount of potential resting time will naturally decrease. Different distances may favour different strategies, but we’ll leave that for a blog post at some later date. You can find a full list of opening and closing times for controls at each Run2 distance here (run2-control-times).

A control can be anywhere or anything but will always be clearly identifiable. Controls on Run2 routes created by James, Matt or me will always be pubs because… well, because we love pubs… and they also have the convenient byproduct of being places where you can get water, sustenance and, of course, beer, as well as offering a legitimate venue for a bathroom break. But if you have a passion for coffee shops, beautiful views, train stations, art galleries or more or less anything else then please do send us a suggested route for approval.