Salmon Run this year on Saturday 20 September is an ultra 50 mile and a team relay with opportunities for all running abilities on one day empathising with the challenges faced by the endangered Exe Atlantic river salmon as they run upstream to spawn! Run all 50 miles (ultra) or shorter sections ranging from 12 miles to 2 (relay). Runners leave from Exmouth (8am for ultras, 9am for relay) following a route up the river and finish at Dulverton (relay) or Tarr Steps (ultras).

Salmon Run is a Tidelines project (tidelines.uk) in collaboration with Wild Running.

The relay and ultra follow the same route, mostly the Exe Valley Way that runs from the sea to the salmon spawning grounds on Exmoor.
The relay is a non-competitive run in which teams of up to 8 run one section only carrying the Salmon baton called Samantha which they pass on to another different team thereby helping symbolically to get the salmon to the spawning grounds. Sections vary from 11 to 2 miles.
The Ultra also starts in Exmouth but continues to Tarr Steps making it 50 miles. There is a cut-off point at Dulverton (43 miles) because the final section from Dulverton to Tarr Steps is through wood and may be in the dark. Runners are advised to bring torches (collect at Dulverton) for the final session.

Everyone gets a medal!

Tidelines supports Westcountry Rivers Trust in its projects to improve the health of the river and in particular to modify or remove the redundant weirs that impede species mobility and of course make it harder for the salmon! Join in this celebration of the amazing salmon and Exe river as a runner, a steward or as part of the celebration and learn more about this remarkable species and the challenges they face. On the route as the runners pass through there is intermittent music (itinerant accordionist), a family orchestra at Exwick, games at Salmon pool/St James Weir (between 9 and 9.45am), invocations and costumes, a 'welcome ashore for the salmon' ceremony at Exmouth and a short ceremonial performance/dance at Dulverton at the finish. For more information on Exe Salmon see this blog or listen to the podcasts below

Why is Salmon Run important?
It is an epic species and a part of our culture: the subject of much folklore (e.g. Finn and the Salmon of Knowledge). Down by 75% since the 70s it is now on the critically endangered list (as of 2023) and therefore potentially set to disappear from the Exe as it has on quite a few European rivers already.
The salmon is a keystone species and a representative for all the diversity in the catchment. And it’s plight is, most importantly, a warning of ours. Salmon are us, we are salmon. Their story is our story. And their story helps us to talk about climate change and other challenges. The list of challenges for the salmon is long: rising sea temperature, rising river temperature,  huge fluctuations in river flow rates, invasive species (crayfish), pollution, run-off, human waste, over-fishing, fish farms (weakening through interbreeding) and weirs to mention a few.
To deal with the tragic depletion of numbers we bring people's attention to this species to marvel at its story. We celebrate the incredible life cycle of the salmon, we respect it's massive part of our history and culture partly by bringing it to light, taking it out of the water and travelling with it to understand its struggle upriver. When we run we empathise through journeying alongside, upriver.
We connect runners to Friends of the River Exe's teams of volunteers who care for the river, Riverfly Survey and the Westcountry Rivers Trust who are doing vital work to restore the river to health, removing weirs or freeing up movement for fish as well as highlighting individiual actions we can take to reduce harm.
Salmon Run is an intimate community ritual - focused on the lore of the salmon as part of our local cultural identity.

If the salmon are good and healthy, the whole catchment is good and healthy, including all the other wildlife and the population that live in the catchment.  The salmon is a proxy for everything. (Edwin Third, Dee River)

The Salmon Run celebrates the epic journey of the salmon, it’s
struggle to reach it’s destination and to survive in a changing climate.