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Ultimate Trails 110km – A long day out in the Lakes

The Ultimate Trails 110km race took place on Saturday 27th June 2015, starting at 00:15am; when around 300 runners toed a very quiet start line in the heart of Ambleside to take part in the second running of this 24 hour, 110km endurance challenge.

10pm and an eerie mist descends on the quietest campsite ever

There was no doubting the route was stunning, with around 5 mountain passes that Map my run rates as cat 2 – second highest to the cat 1s! However, and just to make it more exciting, the first 3:30 hours were in pitch black with just the illuminated snaking trail of runners gingerly picking their way over Garburn Passand Nan Bield Pass to light the way. I remember climbing up and out of Ambleside to look back and see an eerie Lake Windermere lit by a half moon shrouded in wispy cloud. It was definitely a highlight of starting so late/early.

Mass start – much quieter than normal

By this stage I’d already been up since 9am, 16 hours earlier. The intention was to get to the campsite, register, set up the tent and sleep and although the campsite was fantastically chilled out, sleep did not happen. The weather was humid and overcast but as the evening wore on and the excitement began to build, the clouds did part, the sun did come out and the prospects were looking good for favourable weather; something the race director, Graham