This is the Ultimate Trails Run, a "Beauty and Beast" - mostly beautiful, runnable and scenic with short horrible, tough sections. This years race took place on a glorious and sunny spring morning on the 21st March 2009
It starting point is Cartmel in the south of the Lake District, home of the world famous sticky toffee pudding and Cartmel Racecourse.
The course is along waymarked footpaths and bridleways, giving panoramic views of the stunning Morecambe Bay and the surrounding peaks. Much of the course passes through ancient woodland.
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START OF THE RACE |
Underfoot conditions are variable with a bit of everything. Good fast sections, but it can be very sticky in places, especially if wet.
I had the privilege to ensure a place in this year¿s race and thoroughly enjoyed it. The Sticky Toffee challenge is basically a fixture that pits man against nature and if you don¿t love hills, I am afraid you are in for a bit of a shock and will struggle to survive. It didn¿t help that they got the length of the race slightly wrong and instead of 16K it was more like 18.5K. I did however survive and managed to complete in just around two hours in what I can honestly say is one of the most beautiful races I have ever participated in and at the same time extremely challenging. It is up there with the contest of a marathon.
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WOODLANDS |
Every runner receives a sticky toffee pudding in the end as well as a free race picture.
I can highly recommend that if you ever have the opportunity to participate, this is definitely a worthwhile experience.
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