SkyRunning™ comes to the Lake District with the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™

Race feature: The True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ team give some information on the race and some of the favourites. The event is part of the SkyRunningUK Series and is taking place on Saturday, September 12, 2015

Photos © Steve Ashworth, www.movieit.co.uk

With only two weeks to go, the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ team are getting their final preparations set in place. After the buzz that was created around the Salomon™ Glen Coe Skyline™ from the mainstream press dubbing it as the “Death Race”, this technical mountain running event housing itself under the SkyRunningUK™ series will undoubtedly take some of the same heat.

With technical running across Swirral Edge & Striding Edge and rock hopping up one of the most classic ridge scrambles in the British Isles, namely Pinnacle Ridge, the inaugural True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ will most certainly be in the spot light.

In the final flurry of activity before the race, the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ is proud to have two new partners come on board to add to the already very exciting headline sponsor True Mountain™ (UK based, designed and manufactured outdoor clothing and equipment) and supporting sponsors, Team Nutrition, Mountain Run, Mountain Lite, Suprabeam, Harvey Maps, Cowmire Hall Cider, Open Tracking and SPORTident Entries.

Salewa™ have agreed to be sponsor for the most technical part of the race, Pinnacle Ridge, supplying ropes & safety hardware. This will be set in place by the Nav4Adventure team, headed by Joe Faulkner, chief safety officer on the event’s technical sections.

Stript Snacks, from Ireland, have also come on board as a supporting sponsor. This adds weight to the already healthy nature of the checkpoint food & nutrition, supplied by the local company Team Nutrition. Stript Snacks will be supplying Irish Beef Jerky to the two feed stations placed in strategic locations around the course.

Following on from the standard of race coverage and safety set by the Ourea Events team, Pura Powr Events have now arranged to use Open Tracking’s services for the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ in order to offer improved safety measures for the competitors and fully inclusive viewing for family, friends and fans of the sport. With a truly international field comprising of top level European sky runners like Eirik Haugsnes (first place in the Tromso Sky Race 2014), Es Tressider (Snowdon Horseshoe Record Holder) and Ricky Lightfoot (first place Yorkshire 3 Peaks 2015 and first place Madeira Ultra Sky Marathon 2015), live tracking will add a fantastic angle for spectators both on the course or in the comfort of their armchairs at home.

Not to forget the female runners from the field, the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ has Beth Pascal (first lady and fourth overall in the Spine Race – possibly the most brutal race in the UK) and Sarah Ridgeway (female Snowdon Horseshoe record holder) heading the top of the female entrants. Victoria Mousley may also prove to be a dark horse on race day. It is hoped that fans of off-road running, lovers of the fells and sportsmen and women will head to the Lake District to support the hardy souls running the race.

This is the first race of its kind in the Lake District, being a technical sky race, fusing fast and light mountaineering with mountain trail running. Although the course has some technical rock scrambles, technical scree and trails, the majority of the course is very runnable and we expect a very fast winning time.

Photos © Steve Ashworth, www.movieit.co.uk

Starting at 7am from the University of Cumbria campus, in the centre of Ambleside, the race has a tight field of top-level mountain and fell runners. A fully marked course, crossing technical rock sections makes this more than a simple fell race. This is SkyRunning™. The race route is highly technical, ascending some of the highest peaks in the Lake District whilst utilising some of the best ascents and descents on offer. Expect a very exciting race in the heart of the Lakes, setting off from one of the most famous villages in the area.

The True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ team would like to encourage spectator involvement. For competent hill walkers and mountaineers the summit of Helvellyn and its surrounding ridgelines of Swirral Edge and Striding Edge will give fantastic views. Should you wish a more sedate location to view from then the two checkpoint locations of Patterdale Junior School and Kirkstone Pass car park, will allow close quarter viewing and action. From Kirkstone Pass to the summit of Red Screes, the runners will be part of a race within the race – a timed ascent of Red Screes, followed by a timed descent to the finish line.

If you are planning on spectating in the mountains please treat all fell users with complete respect and don’t get in the way of the runners. They also suggest taking a ‘cow bell’ into the fells and to the roadside viewing locations to give the runners an extra special boost as they run past.

With 50+km of distance and 4300m of ascent and descent separately, the True Mountain™ Lakes Sky Ultra™ is a real beast of a race, which looks set to kick technical SkyRunning off with a real boom in the Lake District this September.

Find out more at: www.lakesskyultra.uk
Facebook: LakesSkyUltra
Twitter: @LakesSkyUltra
Instagram: LakesSkyUltra