The 2017 Race was held on 19th August.

Each year an individual charity is chosen as the Charity for that year's Race.

New 'Race The Train, Tywyn' Facebook page

Stamina versus Steam engine, as the runners leave the town as the train pulls out of the station on its journey up the Fathew Valley of the Snowdonia National Park. The race takes place alongside the route taken by the Talyllyn Railway on its journey from Tywyn to Abergynolwyn and back, with an array of terrains challenging the runners on their 14 mile course through farm land, narrow lanes, steep hillside tracks and public roads.

Race the Train has developed not only into a must do event for any multi-terrain runner, but has become an event for the family with four races being held on the day:

• Quarry Challenge,10k

• Dolgoch Challenge, 5 mile race

• Tynllwyn Hen Challenge, 3 mile race

• The Rotary Challenge, 14 mile race

The first race back in 1983 attracted some 46 entries. It's expected that the 2015 race will attract an estimated 1,800 to 2,000 entries. Junior races were introduced in 1987, with the 10K races being introduced back in 1995. Such has been the success of the event that the Essentials Runners Guide in 1992 voted the Rotary Challenge 14 mile race in the top ten toughest challenges in the UK. The event has also been voted as one of the must do 100 events before you die and the 2009 race was ranked in the top 50 events in UK (5th) as voted for by the readers of Runners World.

Race the Train is the Rotary Club of Tywyn's biggest fund raising event and has raised many thousands of pounds for Rotary good causes and charities, and it is estimated that the event generates around £1,000,000 for the local community.

If you visit our Facebook page, make sure it is the official 'Race the Train, Tywn' page: there seems to be a number of pages with similar titles, this is the only one that is run by us.