The popular 'Killer' race event set for biggest year

A "killer" annual running event up a hill with a 25% incline is on track to have its biggest ever year after registration opened two months early.

Organisers behind the Killer Mile in Mow Cop, on the Cheshire-Staffordshire border, began accepting entries on Friday.

The event, scheduled to take place in May, usually opens for registration in February but organiser Alastair Machin said there had been "absolutely amazing" feedback since 2025's race.

He told BBC Radio Stoke the response had been overwhelming and he was expecting to top the almost 1,100 participants who took part in this year's event.

"We think it's been the busiest opening weekend ever," he said. "Some of the races are already over a third full."

Next year's event, the 38th since it began, will include junior races, two fun runs and a prize race, with all participants struggling up the village's famous steep incline.

Despite the difficulty of the mile-long challenge, Mr Machin said it was "accessible to everyone".

"People come up to us and say 'I thought it was only a mile'. It is only a mile but what a mile," he added.

"The beauty of it is, anybody can enter. They can have a go whether they run it, walk it or crawl it - it doesn't matter.

"It's about getting involved, getting people out there and getting active, as well as raising money for the local community."

Registration for the event will be open until 6 May with the races taking place on 7 May.

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