SKYRUNNING UK 2016 Calendar Announced

Posted on November 23, 2015 by talkultra

SkyrunningUKlogo

SKYRUNNING UK CALENDAR 2016

To keep you all excited and on your toes, Skyrunning UK are pleased to announce several key changes that will be implemented in 2016.

Prize Money

All Skyrunning UK races in 2016 will have a minimum prize purse of £500 awarded as £125, £75 and £50 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd male and female.

UK Series

The Skyrunning UK Series will be implemented in 2016 and at the end of the year a male and female champion will be crowned. Points are awarded as outlined HERE. To qualify for the series, runners must participate and finish in a minimum of 4-races. Points are accumulated and the male and the female with the most points are the Skyrunning UK 2016 Series Campions. It is possible to run all Skyrunning UK races and use your best 4 performances for the ranking.

UK Series Prizes

In addition to prize money awarded at each race, the male and female 2016 Skyrunning UK Champions will receive:

Free entry into all Skyrunning UK races in the following year.
Guaranteed entry into a 2017 Skyrunner World Series event with 2-nights accommodation.
Prizes from Skyrunning UK sponsor, Raidlight

Needless to say, Skyrunning UK is booming!

Less Cloud, More Sky.

V3K Ultra Skyrunning – June 18th

Distance/ascent: 55km, 4,000m

Main mountains and terrain type: The 15 highest mountains in Wales, Snowdon massive (including Crib Goch), Glyderau (inluding Tryfan) and Carneddau expect gnarly ground, a knife edged arete, grade 1 scrambles, boulder fields, scree and some great gentle grassy slopes to finish

The V3K crosses the best of Wales – gnarly edges, rocky inclines and grassy slopes. food. You’ll need to be mountain savvy with a good head for heights, confident scrambling technical terrain and be prepared for the greatest mountain day of your life.

Race entry HERE

Lakes Sky Ultra

Lakes Sky Ultra – July TBC*

Distance/ascent: 54km/4300m

Main mountains and terrain type: Fairfield, Helvellyn, Swirral, Casty Cam & Striding Edge, Pinnacle Ridge, High Street and Red Screes. Its a mixture of single track trails, technical rocky ground and open fell. This is a race of 2 halves, with very technical running & graded rock scrambling in the 1st half, then faster and easier running on good trails for the second half. The course ascends and descends some of the most classic ridge lines taking in 3 of the most iconic scrambles in the Lakes.

The course is fast & furious. Be lulled into the race by ascending Fairfield via Dove Crag,then punished by Helvellyn’s Edges and the ascent to Pinnacle Ridge. Luckily there’s Patterdale CP & the second half to recover if your legs can still take it!

Note – New LSU propose a new addition for 2016. A SKY race. More news to follow via Skyrunning UK.

Race entry HERE*

Peak SkyRace – August 6th (tbc)*

Distance/ascent: 47km/ 2000m+.

The route is based on a local fell running challenge called the 5 Trigs. The race principally follows public footpaths passing close to or over the tops of Axe Edge, Roaches, Shuttlingsloe, Shinning Tor and Burbedge Edge. Competitors will cross fields, moorland, limestone and millstone grit peaks/escarpments.

Peak SkyRace is an ideal introduction to Skyrunning in the UK. The Peak District cannot compete with the altitude and ruggedness of the Lake District, Snowdonia and the Scottish Highlands. However do not think that this course will be easy, pacing is crucial. Go out too fast and you will pay the price in the later stages where most of the ascent and technical descent is found.

Race entry HERE * Entries will open when land permissions have been granted

Glencoe-Skyline

Glen Coe Skyline – September 16th, 17th and 18th

Distance/ascent: 53km / 4200m+

Main mountains and terrain type: Buachaille Etive Mor, Bidean nam Bian, Aonach Eagach Ridge: extremly remote and serious Scottish mountains.

A route that dances along the jagged and lofty mountainous horizons above Scotland’s most famous Glen and Pass, with long and serious sections of grade III scrambling. Skills needed: scrambling, endurance, running

Note – New additions for 2016

There will be a VK Friday evening 16th September and a 25km ‘Ring of Steall‘ SkyRace race on the Saturday 17th (same high mountainous terrain at Glen Coe Skyline but without the technical scrambling sections).

Race entry HERE

3x3logo

3×3000 80k Ultra – September 24th

Distance/ascent: 80km / 4101m+

Main mountains and terrain type: Scafell Pike – Steep rocky terrain throughout. The summit plateau of Scafell Pike is a vast boulder field. Initial part of descent is steep & covered with loose rocks.

Helvellyn – Long ascent then rolling mountain trails along the beautiful Helvellyn ridge line. Skiddaw – A long & steep climb on grassy terrain, summit scree/slate, fast descent on gravel/stone trails.

A unique ultra running event linking the Lake District’s highest mountains-Scafell Pike, Helvellyn & Skiddaw. Designed by 2013 World Trail Running Champion Ricky Lightfoot, the route offers a journey through the full spectrum of classic Lake District fell terrain.

Race entry HERE

Mourne Skyline MTR

Garmin Mourne Skyline Mountain-Trail Race – October 22nd

Distance/ascent: 35km/ 3370m+

Main mountains and terrain type: The course covers the highest peaks in the Mourne Mountains, including Slieve Donard (850m), starting at sea-level on Newcastle Promenade and winding it’s way uphill onto forest and mountain trails, all surrounded by the most stunning scenery.

The seaside start, alongside the relentlessly tough (yet spectacular) course has proved popular with athletes. You will need mountain-trail experience, endurance and courage for the race, which is technical in places. Some speed will also help on the flat and fast sections, and the final 5k descent!

Race entry HERE* Please note entries will open on St Patricks Day (March) 2016.

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Download this information in PDF HERE

LINKS

Go to Skyrunning UK on Facebook HERE

Go to the Skyrunning UK website HERE

Follow on Twitter @skyrunninguk

Skyrunning UK announce the 3x3ULTRA

Posted on January 6, 2014 by talkultra

A new year and what better way to start than with the announcement of the first race in the new Skyrunning UK ‘Skyrunner® National Series’ – the ‘3x3ULTRA’ by High Terrain Events.

Over 4000m (13,000ft) of ascent await participants of the 3x3Ultra. “It’s an opportunity to cover three classic Lakeland peaks in an accumulative distance of 80km’s”, says High Terrain Events race director, Ian Mulvey.

Salomon athlete, Ricky Lightfoot (IAU World Trail Champion 2013 and Otter course record holder) has been instrumental in combining his skills and knowledge in designing a course that will bring Skyrunning UK an event that ultimately will create the perfect flagship for the Skyrunner® National Series (SNS) within the UK.

Based on the classic ‘Lakes 3000’s’ the 80km route will include Scafell Pike, Helvellyn and Skiddaw. An amazing circular route over the best mountains available within the UK, it promises to be a tough challenge.

Lauri van Houten, executive director for the International Skyrunning Federation (ISF) has been instrumental in providing the backing and support to enable Skyrunning UK to become a reality. When asked about Skyrunning in the UK, Lauri had this to say:

“Some of the world’s top athletes come from the UK! Andy Symonds, Tom Owens, Ricky Lightfoot, Robbie Simpson, Tessa Hill, Anna Lupton and past SWS (Skyrunner® World Series) Champions Angela Mudge and Rob Jebb… British races are known for being tough and challenging. Skyrunning captures the spirit and tough technical challenges runners are looking for today. That’s the ‘feel’ we’d like to bring to the UK.”

The race route combines all the elements of a classic Lakeland run with aspects of European racing. “Skyrunning UK offers a great opportunity, we already have the main ingredients; technical terrain, beautiful mountains and hills” said Tom Owens (UK based Salomon athlete) “The UK has brilliant and committed athletes who love racing. We may not have the required altitude that a Skyrunning race would require in Europe but this is compensated for with the amount and steepness of climb that we can accumulate over distance, the 3x3Ultra is a great example of this.”

No stranger to Skyrunning, Salomon International athlete, Andy Symonds has performed with the best-of-the-best all over Europe, his podium finish at Transvulcania La Palma in 2012 a particular highlight also offered his approval of the 3x3Ultra:

“Skyrunning is about running high up on rough ground. Getting up, over and along big mountains with big views. The 3x3Ultra does just that and it’s great to see it finalized on the all new Skyrunning UK calendar, it’s an exciting time”.

The Skyrunner® National Series will bring a new race series to the UK. Made up of five races in each category (Sky and Ultra), runners will accumulate ranking points by competing in at least three out of five races over the SkyRace® and Ultra SkyMarathon® distances. Respective male and female winners of the ‘SNS’ in 2015 will be rewarded with the ultimate prize; not only they will they be crowned champions of the ‘SNS’ but they will also receive the opportunity to race in the final of the Skyrunner® World Series.

Ian Corless, director for Skyrunning UK has been working for months in conjunction with the ISF Athlete Commission to bring this moment to fruition, “It’s about progression and development. Having witnessed Skyrunning from every level for the past 2-years and seen the growth, the excitement, the opportunities; to not be part of this in the UK would be a shame. The sport is growing at all levels. In time I hope we will have a series of UK based Skyrunning teams similar to the model that inov-8 have created. A Skyrunner® National Series will provide not only a great structure for the sport but it will also provide a springboard for UK athletes to race in other countries but equally, we hope to attract foreign athletes to race on home soil. The announcement of the 3x3Ultra clearly states our intentions for what a Skyrunning event should be in the UK.”

Lauri van Houten continues, “The only setback has been the difficulty in finding the right person to represent Skyrunning in the UK and bring it in line with other countries. It’s been hard to find a replacement but Ian Corless has embodied that and with his contacts and know-how we’re confident he’ll pull a great movement together.”

The stage is set for the 3x3Ultra.

Ian Mulvey, race director for the 3x3Ultra explained his thoughts and vision:

“It will showcase what we have to offer in the UK and hopefully attract international runners enabling the top UK athletes to race against the world’s best on their home terrain.”

When asked about the benefits Skyrunning will bring to the UK race circuit, Ian replied:

“Having raced in Europe I can see the potential of bringing Skyrunning to the UK. In terms of raising the profile of UK ultra running, I think this will take ultra running to the next level and give us recognition on an international scale. Now is the perfect time for this type of event, runners are looking for tougher challenges to strive for. Being part of the Skyrunning UK series I hope will raise the profile of the event & attract international athletes.”