The Lakeland 50

The Lakeland 50 is one the greatest ultra trail challenges in Europe, perhaps the world. It is run over the second half of the Lakeland 100 Ultra Tour of the Lake District, completing the final 50 miles of the 100 course. As it’s only half of the Lakeland 100 course it’s the easy option.. right? That’s the first and worst error you could possibly make..

It’s a fact that 40-50% of the 100 mile competitors don’t finish the course, 80-90% of those drop out prior to or ‘at’ half way. Many great ultra runners have started the 100 course and found it just too difficult, too demanding.. half of the course was ‘enough’. The Lakeland 50 is ‘half of the course’, it’s almost double the distance of a marathon, it’s on rough terrain and there’s approximately 3100m of ascent to deal with. Whether you choose the 50 or the 100 mile course.. there is no ‘easy option’ available. The Lakeland 50 is a huge challenge, it requires commitment, drive and the ability to ‘just keep going’ when most folk would ‘just rather not’.

The route starts from the Northern end of Ullswater within the grand Dalemain Estate before following the Eastern shore line as far as Howtown. A quick climb and descent followed by a trek along the banks of Haweswater sees you at Mardale Head. The route from here visits Long Sleddale, Kentmere, Ambleside, Langdale and Tilberthwaite before the final climb and descent to the finish at Coniston. It is a truly amazing route and you will visit places that you never knew existed, places which are ignored by the masses.

There are 6 manned checkpoints on the course which are compulsory to visit, food and drink is available at each. Our support team will greet you and feed you before sending you in the direction of Coniston. The 50 mile event starts at 11:30am on Saturday from Dalemain Estate near Penrith. There is a briefing for all competitors at Coniston on Saturday morning before our ‘fleet’ of coaches arrive to take you to the start line, leaving your car, tent and personals waiting for you at the finish!

The time limit for the Lakeland 50 event is 24 hours which makes it achievable by both runners and walkers. Each year we have a huge range of people complete the event for a huge range of personal reasons.. At the front end are elite mountain runners who race ‘neck and neck’ to complete the course in 8 hours or less.. at the opposite end we have walkers who push themselves through the night to complete within the event time limit, the key to success is to ‘keep moving towards Coniston’.

To complete the event you must be well prepared and be able to navigate successfully. Experience of fell walking or running is a necessity for all competitors and the challenge should not be underestimated. There is nothing ‘easy’ about the Lakeland 50 no matter how well you prepare, but ‘easy’ and ‘achievement’ are rarely part of the same sentence.

(credit: race organiser)