The festive 5-mile race starts at 10.30am on Sunday 13 December from Shoebury Common, with a one-mile junior scurry. On-the-day entry £30, juniors £7.

The Southend Rudolph Run is on Sunday 13 December 2026, starting at 10.30am. It is a 5-mile race on the flat seafront promenade, with a one-mile junior scurry, and the race HQ sits on the promenade next to Ness Road at Shoebury Common, SS3 9HG (Nice Work).

Nice Work, the race organiser, describes it as a festive race for “experienced runners and beginners alike”, and says it is “well known for whole heartedly embracing a bit of seasonal frivolity. Santa hats at the ready”.

The quick answer

  • Sunday 13 December 2026, 10.30am start, race HQ on the promenade by Ness Road, Shoeburyness, SS3 9HG.
  • Two races: the 5 mile, and a one-mile Junior Scurry.
  • On-the-day entry, if places are left: £30 for the 5 mile, £7 for the Junior Scurry.
  • Yes, it is on this year. The organiser’s results page already lists the 2026 race at 10.30am on 13 December.

Is it on this year?

Yes. The organiser’s event page gives the next race as 13/12/2026, and its results page lists “Southend 2026: Rudolph 5 Mile” at 10.30am on 13 December 2026, with results “coming soon” (Nice Work results). Visit Southend, the council’s tourism site, carries the same date (Visit Southend).

The race has a steady place in the calendar. The same results page lists a Rudolph 5 Mile at 10.30am on a Sunday in December in every year from 2011 to 2025, apart from 2016 and 2020. The 2025 race was on 14 December and the 2024 race on 15 December.

The race and the timings

What Detail
Date Sunday 13 December 2026
Start 10.30am
Distances 5 miles; Junior Scurry, one mile
Course “Fast, Flat, Tarmac path & promenade”, accurately measured
Race HQ On the promenade, adjacent to Ness Road on the Esplanade, SS3 9HG

Visit Southend lists the event as running from 10am to 12.30pm, which takes in the time before the start and the finish. The organiser’s start time is 10.30am, and it says event information will be sent to all registered entrants before race day. The course map and GPX file are on the organiser’s route maps page.

Entry and prices

The organiser publishes its on-the-day entry fees, which apply only while places remain:

  • 5 Mile: £30
  • Junior Scurry (one mile): £7

Advance entry is through the “Enter Now” button on the Nice Work event page; its advance prices load inside the booking form and are not printed on the page, so we have not quoted them. There is also a Havens Hero entry, which includes a £16 donation to Havens Hospices.

Every finisher gets a bespoke medal and free photographs, and there are trophies and prizes for the leading runners. Fancy dress is encouraged.

The charities

The race supports Havens Hospices, which the organiser says cares for babies, children and young people and their whole family, and Shelter, the housing charity. Donations can be made from the organiser’s event page.

Parking and getting there

The organiser says there is parking next to the race HQ and along the promenade, and that local parking charges may apply. The council’s own lists give the detail (Southend-on-Sea City Council, car park zones and car park pricing):

  • Shoebury Common North and Shoebury Common South car parks are Zone 3A, open at 7.30am, and cost £2.50 for up to two hours or £3.80 for up to three hours. From October to March they close at 7pm, which does not affect a morning race.
  • Big Gunners Car Park in Shoeburyness is one of the council’s free car parks, also open from 7.30am.

Expect the car parks nearest the start to fill early on race morning. Our parking in Southend page has every tariff and the full list of free council car parks.

By train, the organiser names Thorpe Bay on the c2c line as the closest station, about a mile from the race HQ. Check our Southend roadworks and travel page in the week before for rail engineering work and road closures.

Road closures

The race runs on the promenade path, and no road closure order has been published for it. The council’s special events road closures page listed no orders at all when we checked on 6 October 2026 (Southend-on-Sea City Council). We will add one here if it appears.

More for December

The same weekend has Father Christmas at Adventure Island’s Wonderland and the Cliffs Pavilion pantomime. See our pages on where to see Santa in Southend and the Southend pantomime, and the month’s listings on what’s on in Southend.

What we will update, and when

  • Start-area details and any course changes, when the organiser sends race information to entrants.
  • Road closures, if the council publishes an order.
  • Sell-out, if entries close before race day.

Sources