We are delighted to be able to announce the races that will make up the Runfurther Ultra Championship 2016. We think we’ve got a great year’s running coming up, although we can’t guarantee we’ll be as lucky with the weather in 2016 as we were this year! Five races have been retained from 2015:
- The Haworth Hobble
- The Calderdale Hike
- The Fellsman
- The Marlborough Downs Challenge
- The Long Tour of Bradwell
Three races are returning to the Championship after a 1-year break:
- The Northants Ultra (Shires and Spires)
- The High Peak 40
- The Round Rotherham 50
There are four new races:
- The Pennine 39
- The St Cuthbert’s Way Ultra
- The Clif Bar 10 Peaks Brecon Beacons
- The Warrington Way Ultra
You can find the dates and lots more information about all the races here. We’ve continued the approach of mixing old favourites with new races, with a spread across the country that should suit existing members and attract new runners too. We’re off to Wales again, with what will be a pretty hard race in the Brecon Beacons. We’ve got just half a race in Scotland this time: the St Cuthbert’s Way race starts in Northumberland on Holy Island, and finishes at Melrose, which should be a spectacular run. The Pennine 39 crosses the highest mountain in England outside the Lakes, and the Warrington Way race should suit those who enjoy the Round Rotherham, which is also back for 2016.
Five of the races are already open for entries, and we’d advise entering as soon as you can: some of them will fill up quite quickly. I’ve already entered all of them (he said smugly).
We didn’t manage to fit in some races we’d really have liked to include, but date clashes prevented it. We’d have liked to have gone back to the Hardmoors 55 and the Evesham Ultra. We’d really liked to have included one of the Beyond Marathon races, such as the Apocalyse or the Gritstone Grind, but we couldn’t fit them in either. And there’s nothing in the Lakes for 2016. We’ll do our best to remedy all these in 2017, and if any of you have any other suggestions for 2017 races, just let us know.
Enter those races, and we’ll see you there!