Your chance to try Mountain Running in the Lake District

STORY BY Patrick 17th February 2017

If you’ve ever fancied getting in to mountain or fell running, a good way to start could be at the  Keswick Mountain Festival Trail Races in the Lake District where some relatively easy options are available for the first time.

There’ll be an ‘easy’ 5km race on Saturday 21st May and a ‘moderate’ 10km option the following day, Sunday 22nd May 2017.

It is the 4th year that Mountain Run have been involved with the Keswick Mountain Festival and they are the course creators, planners and events directors again.

“We have worked extremely hard to make sure these continue to be some of the best trail races in the Lake District and UK,” a statement from Mountain Run reads.

The 5, 25 and 50km trail races all start from Crow Park, the 10km starts at Low Brandlehow on the western shores of Derwent Water and is accessed by the Keswick Launch Company on a beautiful scenic cruise across the lake.

Of course Mountain Run organise competitions up to the most challenging levels there are and experienced racers will no doubt prefer to tackled either the 25km route (half marathon, described as “hard”) on the Saturday or the 50km route the KMF Ultra (full marathon, very hard) on the Sunday instead.

Mountain run organise plenty more races through the year if you can’t make it to Keswick in May.

The KMF Ultra 50km is an entry requirement/qualifier race for the Lakes Sky Ultra™ and Scafell Sky Race™

The 56km Lakes Sky Ultra™ on the 15th July 2017 is the creation of Mountain Run Events and is their ultimate Lakeland mountain trail race in the Central andEastern Fells.

Designed as a sky ultra distance race with 4500m of vertical ascent , this exposed, elevated, technical and bold race takes in as many of the fast descents, soaring ridge lines and excellent trails this part of the Lakes has to offer.

It involves classics such as Dove Crag, Hart Crag and Fairfield, Helvellyn, Swirral Edge, CatstyCam, Striding Edge, Pinnacle Ridge, High Street and more.  Participation costs £75

The Scafell Sky Race at 35km long with 2700m of vertical takes place the same weekend on the 16th and costs £70 to take part.

A less challenging option is the Wansfell Trail Race on the 20th September 2017 staged as part of the Festival of the Fells in Ambleside.

Nonetheless this ‘Mountain Trail Race’ is graded hard, with 600m of ascent and descent over 10k. It’s a mixture of a little road, great woodland and park trails, but mostly on the ‘fell’.

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