Petzl to light-up Ultimate Trails 100k
Brand new off road ultra marathon event Ultimate Trails Challenge has sold out within three weeks of launching, and with entries flooding in from all over the UK and abroad the event has today announced Petzl as the Official Lighting Partner
The Ultimate Trails Challenge is a new off road ultra marathon event being organised by the award winning Lakeland Trails team, taking place on the weekend of 14th/15th September 2013. The event will also be supporting the charity Nurture Lakeland and Fix the Fells, and aims to bring a world class ultra marathon event to the Lake District.
Martin Bergerud, Petzl Brand Manager, says
“Petzl over the last few years have been investing focused time and product development into head torches for the exciting and growing demands of trail running. With this drive and energy Petzl are very excited to be helping support and promote the very first Ultimate Trail Challenge.
“Graham (Patten) and his team have an excellent track record with their Lakeland Trail race series in the Lake District and no doubt the experience from these will be make the inaugural Ultimate Trail Challenge an event to be remembered. Petzl will be on hand at the event with test product of their new Reactive lighting models and offering technical support out on the course”
Ultimate Trails Event Director, Graham Patten, stated
“We are very pleased to welcome Petzl on board as our Official Lighting Partner for the new Ultimate Trails Challenge. We’ve been staggered by the response to the event, and cannot quite believe that the event has sold out and reached our initial entry limit so fast.
“To celebrate our new partnership with Petzl, and as the demand for the Ultimate Trails has been so great, we are delighted to release a further 100 entries on a first come, first served basis.”
Starting and finishing at Brockhole, Lake District National Park Visitor Centre, the route is a 100km circuit of the central Lake District, taking in 6 mountain passes, with 14, 000ft of ascent & descent, 5 picturesque lakes and 10 iconic feed stations.
The Challenge is to complete the entire circuit within 24 hours. The way marked and marshalled course also has a 50km ultra marathon option covering the final half of the route and starting from Patterdale.
Already the event has partnered with the world’s biggest ultra marathon – the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB), and the 100km is worth 3 entry credit points for the UTMB.
Entry numbers are being restricted for this first year and the event is already a sell out. At this stage a further 100 entries are being made available and the organisers may or may not release further entries as the event planning develops. Entry includes electronic chip timing, food and drinks along the route, event memento, digital photo memento out on the course, a meal at the finish and coach transfer to the start (50km only).
Patten continues :
“This year we’re celebrating our 10th year organising the Lakeland Trails, and we’re responding to the growing demand for personal challenges such as ultra marathons.
“We wanted to create something truly unique here in the Lake District, and to offer a real challenge to everyone – runners and walkers alike, to achieve something remarkable by completing 100km in a day, in a safe, enjoyable and environmentally responsible event. We hope normal everyday people will see completing the Ultimate Trails as their equivalent to experienced fell runners tackling the epic Bob Graham Round”
