14 January 2014

The Montane Lakeland 50 has been announced as host of the British Athletics Ultra Trail Championships for 2014. The event, now in its seventh year, will be held on Saturday 26 July and covers a challenging 50 mile circuit in the heart of The Lake District.

Previously held biannually, the move to an annual championship,  reflects the growth in participation in ultra trail running at all levels following the success of the GB & NI  team at the IAU World Ultra Trail Championships in Wales last July, where Ricky Lightfoot won the world title and the men’s and women’s teams won gold and bronze respectively.

Adrian Stott, a member of the GB & NI ultra squad team management, said: “Any national championship seeks to bring the best in the country together to bring the best out of each other and the move to an annual ultra trail event can only help to raise standards. The Lakeland 50 has a good track record and I am sure it will be a memorable event.”

The event is already fully subscribed but athletes who have not already entered the event can apply for a championship place if they feel they can achieve the guideline times of 8 hours 30 minutes for men and 9 hours 30 minutes for women. Please send details of recent performances to support your application to the event organiser Marc Laithwaite info@lakeland100.com.

The 2013 event was incorporated into the Hoka Highland Fling in Scotland, where the winners were Lee Kemp (Team Craft) and Tracy Dean (Staffordshire Moorlands).

Dean, a member of the successful GB & NI trail team in Wales, is looking forward to defending her UK title. “I love the Lakeland course having run there in 2012,” she said. “It is one of my favourite events and I’m really looking forward to running it again.”

The event also includes the Montane Lakeland 100 mile event and full details of both can be found at http://www.lakeland100.com/. For more information please contact Adrian Stott at tarit@runandbecome.com