Glen Coe Skyline™ – Skyrunning comes to Scotland

Posted on March 23, 2015 by talkultra

Skyrunning will be coming to Scotland in 2015 with a world-class course based around Glen Coe. Aptly named the ‘Glen Coe Skyline™’ this race has already caused a storm of speculation as rumours of its launch swept through the mountain running community earlier this year.

The provisional route starts at the Glencoe Mountain Resort and, via the West Highland Way, reaches and ascends Buachaille. A full traverse of Bidean nam Bian ensues before dropping down into Glen Coe to then climb up to Sgorr nam Fiannaidh. There is then an extended traverse of the entire Aonach Eagach ridge, before rejoining the West Highland Way and descending into Glen Coe Pass via the Devil’s Staircase and returning to Glencoe Mountain Resort. The provisional route statistics are approximately 45km with 4500m of ascent.

As many experienced hill walkers and climbers have pointed out, this route covers some of the most challenging mountain terrain in the UK with long sections of exposed and serious Moderate standard rock climbing.

Shane Ohly

Race Director Shane Ohly explained:

“I am not trying to create another fell or trail race, but bring to the UK World class Skyrunning and a course that has World class challenges. It is not meant to be easy, and a course of this caliber has inherent risk. We are not creating another mass participation running event, rather, a world-class course for experienced and competent participants. The Glen Coe Skyline™ is a fusion of mountain running and alpinism where competitors need to be skilled at both disciplines to negotiate the course.”

Indeed, there has been a hotly debated forum thread about the Glen Coe Skyline™ on the popular UKClimbing / UKHillWalking website, and in response, Ohly has provided a detailed Q&A about the race, which is available HERE.

http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7189

Leading British Skyrunners were quick to endorse the route with Tom Owens from the Salomon International Team saying,

“Wow – This will be a seriously brilliant and challenging route,” whilst teammate Any Symonds said, “Excellent! Glen Coe Skyline. Couldn’t get much of a better setting and route for a Sky Race in the UK.”

Ohly continued, “The Glen Coe Skyline™ follows in the finest tradition of the most prestigious Skyrunning races and competing on such challenging and technical terrain is not without precedent.”

For an event that has not even happened, the Glen Coe Skyline™ is already one the most talked about races on the UK calendar and it is clearly challenging many observers’ perceptions of what mountain running is.

Ian Corless from Skyrunning UK provided further context to the race, “The UK may lack high mountains but we have unique terrain and what we lack in altitude can be compensated for with challenging routes as we have seen at the V3K and the Mourne Skyline MTR. The Glen Coe Skyline™ however takes Skyrunning UK to the next level! Having experienced the iconic Trofeo Kimain Italy in 2012 and 2014, I was inspired to extend that experience to a UK and worldwide audience but on UK soil. Shane Ohly and his team have put my dream into reality. The Glen CoeSkyline™ will arguably be the toughest race in the UK and takes it inspiration from the Skyrunner World Series races such as the Dolomites, Zegama-Aizkorri and Tromso SkyRace’s®. The Glen Coe Skyline™ will not be for everyone though; it is a challenging race over a tough and technical course. It harks back to Marino Giacometti’s vision of Skyrunning that was created on the slopes of Monte Rosa in the late 80’s.”

The organisers have been careful to consider the impact the race may have on other recreational users of Glen Coe and have been working with the National Trust for Scotland who are the major landowner.

Gary Tompsett

Rebecca Amiel, Individual Giving Manager, from the National Trust for Scotland said “We are delighted to be involved in Scotland’s first skyrunning event at Glencoe. We look forward to welcoming participants who may never have visited Glencoe to take in its beauty as they complete this challenging event. The National Trust for Scotland is Scotland’s largest conservation charity and relies on membership and donations to care for these wonderful places. The magnificent landscape of Glencoe is loved by so many, yet cared for by so few which is why it’s so important to raise the profile of our conservation work. Find out more about the Footpath Fund and mountain conservation at www.footpathfund.org.uk”

Ohly added, “Each year Ourea Events™ (the company organising the Glen Coe Skyline™) donates 1% of its total income to charitable environmental organisations at the forefront of the protection of the mountain environment. The business has been a member of 1% of the Planet since day one because, whilst we always seek to mitigate our environmental impact, we understand that we do still have some form of impact, but our policies over the years have given some very attributable payback”.

Entries will open at 9pm on Monday 13th April 2015

For further Information about:

Ourea Events visit www.OureaEvents.com or contact Shane Ohly on 07771516962 or ShaneOhly@OureaEvents.com

Glen Coe Skyline visit www.GlenCoeSkyline.com

SkyrunningUK visit http://skyrunninguk.com or contact Ian Corless on 07725813457 or iancorless@mac.com

Key Event Information

Website: www.GlenCoeSkyline.com

Date: Saturday 22nd August 2015

Venue: Glencoe Mountain Resort, Scotland

Entries Open: Monday 13th April 2015

Courses: 45km with 4,500m ascent (TBC)

Marmot Dark Mountains 2015 – Provisional results and Images

Posted on January 25, 2015 by talkultra

The heavens opened the day before the Marmot Dark Mountains and the promise of a snowy course disappeared with each rain drop.

In many respects it was a shame. Many, including me, was excited by the prospect of a night time race with cold chilly temperatures, a clear sky and a layer of the white stuff. However, it was not to be!

More importantly, the 2015 Marmot Dark Mountains took place with no rain… yes, no rain! Conditions were less than perfect though. The ground was sodden with the previous days torrential rain and melted snow and although the evening started relatively calm the wind increased hour-by-hour and by the early hours of the morning, the wind and wind chill was having an impact on everyone.

Taking place in the Howgills, runners started to race at 1900-hours with elite duo Alex Pilkington and Tim Higginbottom first off! Kim Collison and Adam Perry departed at1940-hours and it was immediately apparent that they were on a mission!. Completing the top trio, Steve Birkinshaw partnered with Jim Mann and they departed at 2000-hours chasing the other runners down.

What followed was a masterclass of navigation and speedy running from Collison and Perry. They blazed a trail around the Howgills and the ‘projected’ best case scenario finish time of 11-hours was blown out the fells when the finish line dibber confirmed a time of 8-hours and 34-minutes. Quite incredible.

Higginbottom and Pilkington had had some problems early on finding a control. Equally, Birkinshaw and Mann had also had a problem. However, Birkinshaw said after the race that his form was just not up to running at the required pace. Hardly surprising after his Wainwrights record.

There were four linear courses that follow the standard Elite, A, B and C format of ordinary mountain marathons and two score format courses. Feedback post race was excellent and a dry night on the fells was extremely welcome.

Results below are provisional and will be confirmed by Ourea Events asap.

Elite

1st Kim Collison / Adam Perry 08:34:54

2nd Steve Birkinshaw / Jim Mann 10:41:46

1st and 1st Mix Catherine Litherland / Ross Litherland 09:49:54

2nd Andy Thompson / Rob Brown 10:10:35

3rd Chris Baynham-Hughes / Max Wainwright 10:51:05

1st Women and 4th Steph Jones / Sally Ozanne 11:26:51

1st and 1st Vet Bryan Stadden / Andy Creber 09:15:33

2nd and 2nd Vet Tim Martland / Jim Allen 09:51.35

3rd Jamie Rennie / David Rennie 10:02:02

1st Greg Weatherhead / Kevin Drew 07:55:21

2nd James Parratt / Neil Garrido 09:21:14

3rd and 1st Mix Emma Van Der Gucht / James Pawson 09:34:30

Long Score

1st David Adcock / Ben Turner 404 in 10:00:33

2nd and 1st Mix Digby Harris / Kirsty Hewitson 295 in 09:55:28

3rd and 1st Female Jo Gillyon / Catherine Evans

4th and 1st Vet Simon Caldwell / Carmen Elphick

Short Score

1st, 1st Mix, 1st Vet Jonathan Aylward / Kate Boobyer 235 in 07:38:37

2nd and 2nd Mix Scott Collier / Anne Edwards 235 in 07:42:15

3rd Darryl Watton and Andy Bell

The Howgill Fells are hills in Northern England between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. The fells are bounded by the River Lune to the north by upper reaches of the River Lune and to the east by the River Rawthey. The Howgill Fells include two Marilyns: The Calf – 2,218 ft (676 m) and Yarlside – 2,096 ft (639 m) and a number of smaller peaks, including five Hewitts. Parts of the southern Howgill Fells lie within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though they have been within the modern county of Cumbria since the county boundary changes in 1974. They were originally shared by the West Riding of Yorkshire and Westmorland. The name Howgill derives from the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill or barrow, plus gil meaning a narrow valley. – wikepedia

Marmot Dark Mountains™ Howgills 2015 – Race Preview

Posted on January 19, 2015 by talkultra

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is the only overnight winter mountain marathon and the 3rd edition of the race will take place on Saturday 24th January in the Howgills.

The Howgill Fells are hills in Northern England between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales. The fells are bounded by the River Lune to the north by upper reaches of the River Lune and to the east by the River Rawthey. The Howgill Fells include two Marilyns: The Calf – 2,218 ft (676 m) and Yarlside – 2,096 ft (639 m) and a number of smaller peaks, including five Hewitts. Parts of the southern Howgill Fells lie within the Yorkshire Dales National Park, though they have been within the modern county of Cumbria since the county boundary changes in 1974. They were originally shared by the West Riding of Yorkshire and Westmorland. The name Howgill derives from the Old Norse word haugr meaning a hill or barrow, plus gil meaning a narrow valley. – wikepedia

This year’s elite course is a tough one, with a potential 3000m of elevation gain and an optimum distance of 53km. Famous for their steep rounded hills, the Howgills will be a tough challenge. Having viewed weather forecasts the organisers have issued a stern warning to all the competitors about the challenging nature of the terrain and event.

Needless to say, mandatory kit will be checked prior to the event.

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is a true test of mountain craft for experienced mountain runners. Challenging terrain, night navigation and a wintery environment will test each runner over the variety of courses available: Elite, A, B, C, Short Score and Long Score.

“Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes the classic two-day mountain marathon format and gives it a new… darker twist.” said Race Director, Shane Ohly. “Rather than two days of running with an overnight camp in between, Marmot Dark Mountains™ packs everything into one winter’s night!”

Three of the UK’s leading teams are of particular interest in the 2015 event: Steve Birkinshaw and Jim Mann, Chris Near and Tim Higginbottom and Kim Collison and Adam Perry.

Kim Collison at Mourne Skyline MTR

Runners will start to race at 1900-hours and Chris Near and Tim Higginbottom will be first off! The dynamic duo have won practically every elite mountain marathon and they have held various long distance mountain running records. In 2014, Near and Higginbottom missed the race due to last minute illness, they will be looking for victory in 2015.

Steve Birkinshaw needs no introduction. His incredible Wainwrights record in 2014 was a highlight of the year for many a trail, mountain, fell and ultra runner. Steve’s partnership with Jim Mann is fitting as Mann holds the record for the winter Bob Graham Round. Birkinshaw won the 2014 event when partnered with Tom Gibbs, so the pressure will be on! Birkinshaw and Mann start at 2000-hours chasing the other runners down.

Kim Collison and Adam Perry will be a tough pair to beat and setting off at 1940-hours. Collison won the first Marmot Dark Mountains in 2013 (running with Alex Pilkington) and finished the 98km Fellsman with Perry in first place last year. The duo are evenly matched and are considered favourites by many!

Offering a range courses to suit a range of abilities, every year there has been a small but steady increase in the number of participants.

“The event kicks-off on the Saturday evening with the longest classes setting off first for dusk-to-dawn racing. The shorter classes will set off later in the evening with the aim of most competitors finishing within an hour or so of each other the following Sunday morning. This makes for an exciting finale as all the courses and most of the competitors converge on the finish as dawn breaks.”

There are four linear courses that follow the standard Elite, A, B and C format of ordinary mountain marathons and two score format courses.

This year there will be two manned checkpoints in the Howgills that competitors on the various courses may visit and the organisers intend to post updates to the event website as the night of racing unfolds.

Follow the race at Ourea Events HERE

Marmot Dark Mountains HERE

Marmot Dark Mountains 2015

Posted on December 15, 2014 by talkultra

The organisers of the formidable Marmot Dark Mountains™ have just announced that the 2015 event will take place in the Howgills on the night of 24th & 25th January 2015.

Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes the classic two-day mountain marathon format and gives it a new… darker twist. Rather than two days of running with an overnight camp in between, Marmot Dark Mountains™ packs everything into one winter’s night!

©iancorless.com.©iancorless.com.P1100372

The event kicks-off on the Saturday evening with the longest classes setting off first for dusk-to-dawn racing. The shorter classes set off later in the evening with the aim of most competitors finishing within an hour or so of each other the following Sunday morning. This makes for an exciting finale as all the courses and most of the competitors converge on the finish as dawn breaks.

©iancorless.com.©iancorless.com.P1100383

Race Director, Shane Ohly from Ourea Events describes the 2015 event area, “The Howgills provide a superb setting for Marmot Dark Mountains™. The terrain is definitely more runable than previous editions of the race but with the steep sided valleys that are typical, there is significant height gain, and the course are sure to provide a suitable test of endurance.” He continued, “The Howgills also seem to catch more than their fair share of winter weather and we are anticipating a tough challenge for those competitors brave enough to enter.”

©iancorless.com.©iancorless.com.P1100464

Marmot Dark Mountains™ has a growing reputation as the test of competence for experienced mountain runners. Ordinarily a standard mountain marathon with its combination of mountain running and navigation at its heart is a sufficient challenge but Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes it a step further by packing two days of running into one long winters night with dusk-to-dawn racing.

Marmot Dark Mountains™ 2013 was held in the southwest fells of the Lake District National Park. That year the event experience extremely poor weather and the completion rate for the linear courses averaged just 21%. In 2014 the event moved to the Peak District National Park and with better weather the completion rate rose to 53%. Still, these are low completion rates considering that competitors are vetted for experience before their entry is accepted.

With the announcement of the venue, the organisers have also released details of the routes, which have been planned by Charlie Sproson who is a regular Race Planner for Ourea Events. These are:

Elite Course: 53.1km / 2,966m
A Course: 42.3km / 2,415m
B Course: 35.8km / 2,311m
C Course: 33.9km / 1,770m
Long Score: 10 Hours
Short Score: 8 hours

Working in collaboration with Harvey Maps at the 2014 Marmot Dark Mountains™ bespoke ‘high contrast’ maps were produced for the first time. These were designed to show contours more clearly in the dark and when the map is illuminated by high-powered headtorches. These were a great success and the 2015 event will also feature these special night maps.

Race Director, Shane Ohly elaborated, “For an event that is focused on mountain navigation and running, we understand completely that the quality of the map is directly linked to the quality of the overall experience and as such, we invest significant time and energy into the map. As in previous years we will be using waterproof and tearproof paper and our special night-nav high contrast printing developed with Harvey Maps. Whilst checking control sites both Charlie Sproson and I have been recording new paths, fences etc with GPS and combined with Harvey’s updating their base data from a new photogrammetry survey data, we are confident that we will provide a high quality and accurate map for the competitors.”

With the support of sponsorship from Marmot® and Petzl® there is a £500 cash prize for the winning elite team. In 2014 Steve Birkinshaw and Tom Gibbs won and Alex Pilkington and Kim Collison won in 2013.

Key Event Information
Website: www.Marmot-Dark-Mountains.com
Date: 24th & 25th January 2015
Venue: Howgills, Northern England
Entry: from £50 per person
Courses: Elite, A, B, C, Short and Long Score

Rab Mountain Marathon 2014 Preview

Posted on September 24, 2014 by talkultra

The 8th Rab Mountain Marathon™ will be held on the 27th and 28th September 2014. The Rab Mountain Marathon™ is a two-day fell running and navigation challenge for solos and pairs with an overnight camp.

The Rab Mountain Marathon kicks off this weekend at 0830. Two days of navigation and running will unfold in the English Lakes using the popular score format.

Now in it’s 8^th year, the Rab Mountain Marathon has become an iconic race that has visited many stunning locations, the Cheviot Hills, Derwent Fells, Snowdonia, Howgills and this year it once again returns to the English Lakes.

Taking on challenging mountain terrain, participants need to be competent and confident at moving fast over tough terrain. As usual, the is the UK and runners will need to be prepared for the worst despite a recent spell of really good weather in the UK.

As one would expect, the Rab Mountain Marathon will take place over rough, steep and technical mountain terrain. Many sections of the course will be isolated and if bad weather comes in, everyone needs to be prepared.

The race format is ‘score’ as this tests navigation skills and avoids snakes of runners going from point-to-point. A rolling start window of 2-hours will spread the runners out and electronic timing is used to track the runners. As normal, different class options are available (including walking) and it’s possible to participate as a solo or team of two.

It’s hard to highlight some standout competitors for 2014. If I were to place a bet on the top Long Score competitors it would be between Adam Stirk and Andrew Higgins (who are a pair) and Stewart Bellamy (solo). Adam and Andrew finished 3rd last year behind Steve Birkinshaw (1st in 2013) and Alex Pilkington (2nd in 2013) both of whom are not taking part this year. They were also 2nd at the Highlander in 2013.

Stewart Bellamy is a strong runner and whilst he may not have featured in the results of recent mountain marathons, he did win the GL3D in 2013.

The Rab Mountain Marathon’s approach is designed to be relaxed and less formal and structured than that of the OMM, which will take place next month.

Shane Ohly, race director for Ourea Events says, ‘But hey the Rab isn’t really about the elite runners and there is some super generous support from Rab who are providing vouchers to the value of about £10,000 for 1st, 2nd and 3rd across a huge range of categories. Check them out here: HERE

At registration on the Friday evening or Saturday morning, competitors can view a Master Map of the competition area which will give a full overview of the event area being used plus provide details of any out of bounds areas, map corrections etcetera. The event Master Map will not be over-printed with any control points.

So there you have it… two days of navigational fun in the English Lakes. It’s possible to follow a live stream HERE and a free APP has been created. Details HERE

Apps can be downloaded here:

iOS – http://bit.ly/1wwcbDK Android – http://bit.ly/1AUZNhj

Race Website HERE

Rab Apparel HERE

Rab Twitter HERE

Berghaus Trail Chase 2014 – Summary and Images

Posted on August 18, 2014 by talkultra

The inaugural Berghaus Trail Chase took place at the weekend in the North York Moors National Park. Organised by Shane Ohly and the team from Ourea Events, this race offered a unique format that was suitable for all abilities and experience.

Three courses: Black (white flags), Red and Blue offered three distances of varying difficulty over 2-days on way marked courses.

A full set of race images are available to view HERE

The event HQ was located in Thinmbleby, Osmotherley. This location provided a hub for runners to assemble, register and prepare and then on the stroke of midday buses arrived to transfer runners to three different starts.

Using ski piste colour coding, runners participating in the black route would run 32.8km with 1012m elevation on day-1 and then 21.3km (814m+) on day-2.

The red route covered 25.3km (801m+) and 17.4km (582m+)

And the blue route provided an entry level race that could appeal to all abilities covering 16.6km (326m+) on day-1 and 10.1km (291m+) on day-2.

Logistically, all races on day-1 would finish at the same campsite in Chop Gate and then on the following day, black and red races would start from the overnight stop and the blue runners would be transferred to Locker Wood for the shorter last day. As one would expect, all races finished at the race HQ in Osmotherley.

Vibrant heather, lush green fields, dense bracken and rugged trails along with lush green forests and bridle paths provided a stunning backdrop to all 3-races. Despite heavy rain during the overnight camp, the weather gods played ball providing everyone with a couple of excellent days running. Add to this live music, flowing beer and some excellent food in the Chop Gate village hall and Ohly and the Ourea team have the makings of a great event.

Day-1 for all three races started as one would expect with mass starts for each respective race. The sting in the tail and the unique nature of this event became clear on day-2 when the CHASE began. Starting in finishing order of day-1, runners would leave in order with exact time gaps adhered to. The objective? Catch the runner in front and you gain a place. It brings a whole new meaning to running scared and the cat and mouse scenario adds a real element of excitement to the event.

Post race, not only had the Berghaus Trail Chase race format provided a challenging experience for each and every participant but it had also been fun! The atmosphere was very relaxed and the whole experience had been a real positive.

Of course, racing did take place over the 2-days and some hard fought battles were run out on the trails of the North York Moors. However, it very much felt that racing was secondary to fun and enjoying the moment.

The Berghaus Trail Chase will be back in 2015. Bigger, better and I can only hope that Ohly books some great weather once again. I for one will be back.

RESULTS:

Black

Duncan Archer 4:36:54
Charlie Sharpe 4:47:42
Steve Coates 5:07:34

Stephanie Kitchen 6:06:32
Michelle Hetherington 6:07:42
Sam Scott 6:23:34

Full BLACK results HERE

Red

Simon Jones 3:47:51
Madeleine Robinson 3:56:43
Alistair Nash 3:57:29

Full RED results HERE

Blue

Christian McGill 2:32:25
Peter Downes 2:33:22
Martin Done 2:35:31

Full BLUE results HERE

A full set of race images are available to view HERE

Race website HERE

Final results HERE

A full set of race images are available to view HERE

Berghaus Trail Chase 2014 – Race preview

Posted on August 12, 2014 by talkultra

Shane Ohly and Ourea Events have pioneered the growth of trail, mountain and navigation events within the UK in the last couple of years. It’s a boom time and as we all gain more knowledge and experience, the more we demand from an event… this may be increasingly difficulty to provide; longer distances, mountain marathon style navigation or maybe a combination of the two. It’s not easy to come up with a new concept!

Enter the inaugural Berghaus Trail Chase.

It’s a great concept and one that stems from Ohly’s multiday experience. However, we are not all supreme navigators! Importantly, we may not want to navigate but are looking for a concept and a style of racing that not only provides a new stimulus but also a new experience.

Three spectacular courses located in the North York Moors National Park provide the setting for ‘the chase.’ Starting on Saturday, runners are transported from the event centre to their respective starts for the adventure to begin. Using a colour-coded format pioneered in skiing, Ohly offers three fully way marked courses: long course as one would expect is black, middle course will be red and the shortest course will be blue.

Aapproximate distances and height gains are:

Blue Course. Day One = 16.6km / 326m. Day Two = 10.1km / 291m. Total 26.7km / 617m
Red Course. Day One = 25.3km / 801m. Day Two = 17.4km / 582m. Total 42.7km / 1,383m
Black Course. Day One = 32.8km / 1,012m. Day Two = 21.3km / 814m. Total 54.1km / 1,826m

Starting simultaneously, all three courses, black, red and blue will converge at the same overnight campsite at the end of the first day. The only difference for runners will be the distance covered. Day-1 camp will provide a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with an emphasis on an opportunity to relax, have fun and share stories of the adventure day-1 provided. A large marquee will be available providing music, bar and food… sounds great!

Sunday is when the real excitement begins and the true ‘chase’ commences. Runners will depart in the order they finished on day-1. The objective? Front-runners will try to hold the lead and respective places while behind a battle royal will commence as you CHASE the runner in front. It’s simple, catch a runner, you gain a place!

A real head-to-head race will develop and tactics will come into play. Go out too hard and you may blow up… go out to easy and you will possibly loose places. The Berghaus Trail Chase brings an innovative format to trail running and one that not only provides a new incentive and experience to each and every runner, but also really does put the fun back into racing.

Are you the tortoise or the hare?

Practical Info:

Event Centre – Osmotherley
The Event Centre is where all the competitors will park on Saturday morning, register, catch buses to the different starts and finish on the Sunday. The field we are using for the Event Centre is where the Osmotherley Show is held and it is a well-drained, flat field with a gravel track running along one side. The exact StreetMap location is HEREand the Google Maps image below also shows the exact location. It is just a few minutes drive from the A19. The closest postcode for SatNav is DL6 3PY.

Important race logistics and final race information HERE

Marmot24™ and Marmot Dark Mountains™ get Petzl sponsorship

Posted on July 22, 2014 by talkultra

Lyon Equipment, the distributors of Petzl in the UK and Ireland, has today announced a wide-ranging new sponsorship deal with Ourea Events. The agreement will see Petzl, the Worlds leading headlamp brand, becoming an event partner for both Marmot24™ and Marmot Dark Mountains™.

Both races involve lots of nocturnal action and Petzl, with it highly innovative headlamp range, makes a logical partner for these events. Marmot24™ consists of 24-hours non-stop mountain marathon racing and the inaugural race takes place at the beginning of August in the Lake District. Marmot Dark Mountains™ is firmly established as one of the most serious and challenging mountain races in the UK, with dusk to dawn racing in January each year. Both events require competitors to navigate, race and remain safe in the mountains at night.

In addition to become an event partner for these two prestigious races, Petzl will also become a supporting sponsor for the Dragon’s Back Race™, Berghaus Trail Chase™, Great Lakeland 3Day™, Cape Wrath Ultra™ and the Rab Mountain Marathon™. This wide ranging new sponsorship will strongly associated Petzl with many of the leading mountain running events in the UK for the next three years.

Shane Ohly, Managing Director of Ourea Events said, “Petzl products are superb and their headlamps are a natural companions to our events, which often challenge product and people in equal measure!”

Image ©iancorless.com - Marmot Dark Mountains

He continued, “I fondly remember my first Petzl Zoom headtorch in the early 1990’s and don’t think I have been without a Petzl headtorch of some kind since then. With such a wide and innovative range of headlamps there is definitely an appropriate Petzl product for all our competitors at all our different events”. I am looking forward to working with Lyon Equipment and Petzl”.

Martin Bergerud, Brand Manager for Petzl at Lyon Equipment added, “We are genuinely excited to be linked to and working with Ourea Events as Event Partners on the Marmot 24 and Marmot Dark Mountain Marathon and as supporting sponsors to all their other current and future iconic events that they organise. They deliver eye exciting yet challenging events where having dependable and practical product designed for the task are key, an ideal playground for Petzl”.

For more than 30 years Petzl has led the way in as an innovator in the research, design and manufacture of quality headlamps. From humble beginnings, when Fernand Petzl fashioned the first helmet-mounted light for caving, headlamps were refined over time, until he created the ‘Zoom’ model, which, with its rotating bezel as a switch and focus adjuster, became a seminal outdoor product well into the 21st century. At the same time, international praise grew for all of Petzl’s climbing and mountaineering equipment.

Petzl now provides a comprehensive range of hands-free lighting for many outdoor activities from alpinism to fishing and night-running to canyoning. Utilising the very best LED and battery technology you can choose from the iconic TIKKA range the proven MYO RXP, illuminate a tree from 120 with the ULTRA, have the security of the back up of an E+LITE in your rucksack or delve into the future with the latest REACTIVE LIGHTING featured torches such as the TIKKA R+ and the revolutionary NAO.

For further Information about:

Ourea Events, visit www.OureaEvents.com or contact Shane Ohly on 07771516962 or ShaneOhly@OureaEvents.com

Petzl and Lyon Equipment, visit www.lyon.co.uk/outdoor/ or contact Martin Bergerud on 015396 26338 ormartinb@lyon.co.uk

Please note – Press release provided by Ourea Events

Dragon’s Back Race™ 2015 gets support from YHA

Posted on June 12, 2014 by talkultra

Organisers of the legendary Dragon’s Back Race™ have today announced that YHA (England and Wales) will be supporting the event in 2015.

The race follows the mountainous spine of Wales, from Conwy Castle in the north to Carreg Cennen Castle in the south. The race is an incredible 5-day journey across wild, trackless, remote and mountainous terrain and is widely acknowledged as one of the hardest mountain races in the World.

Race Director Shane Ohly said, “At the last Dragon’s Back Race in 2012 the event volunteers and many of the competitors stayed at the YHA Conwy before the race and we received a fantastic, warm welcome from the staff, despite staging an impromptu takeover. In 2015, the YHA Conwy will be our official headquarters in the days before the event with all our event personnel staying there. We will also have the competitor registration, kit check and briefing there. It is a great venue and we look forward to returning in June 2015.”

Joe Lynch the Sales and Marketing Director for the YHA continued, “We are delighted to be supporting the Dragon’s Back Race™ and proud that the team have chosen YHA Conwy as their base for this fantastic event. With over 136 hostels throughout England and Wales, YHA strives to create opportunities for everyone to enjoy our great countryside. Not everyone chooses to run 300km with 17,000m of ascent in five days, but everyone staying with YHA can be assured of the essentials for any trip; A warm welcome, excellent hospitality, great food and unbeatable value for money. We wish all of the Dragon’s Back Race™ competitors every success and look forward to welcoming you to YHA Conwy.”

The original Dragon’s Back Race™ happened in September 1992 and was famously won by Martin Stone and Helene Whitaker (nee Diamantides) who together beat an array of the World’s best mountain and ultra runners. This was the first time in the history of mountain running that a woman had beat the best men and it happened at arguably the Worlds toughest race.

Steve Birkinshaw. Winner of the 2012 Dragon's Back Race™. © Jon Brooke

Ever since, the Dragon’s Back Race™ was whispered about with a mix of awe and trepidation and with the help of books like Richard Askwith’s ‘Feet In the Clouds’, its reputation had reached legendary status with most fell, mountain and ultra runners by September 2012 when the second Dragon’s Back Race™ happened.

The 2012 race was a huge success with a multi award winning, feature length documentary (Review HERE) capturing the brutal pleasure of the race. British mountain running legend Steve Birkinshaw won and incredibly, Helene Whitaker returned after twenty years to finish fourth overall.

Entries for the 2015 Dragon’s Back Race are now open but close on the 8th September 2014.

Key Event Information
Website: www.DragonsBackRace.com
Date: 22nd – 26th June 2015

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MARMOT24™ – LOCATION ANNOUNCED

Posted on June 3, 2014 by talkultra

The organisers of the UK’s first 24-hour nonstop mountain marathon, Marmot24™, have just announced that the inaugural event will be held in the Lake District National Park this August.

Marmot24™ combines the very best elements of the predominantly British mountain marathon phenomenon with aspects of the more international 24-hour rogaining events. With mountain running and navigation at the heart of the event, competitors will have 24, 12 or 6-hours to visit as many checkpoints as possible on a score format course.

Race Director, Shane Ohly described the competition area to us. “From our central Event Centre the competition area spans 360 degrees in all directions and includes approximately 300 square kilometers of the finest mountain running terrain in the UK. It is Perfect for a 24-hour non-stop mountain marathon and we are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the event weekend 2nd/3rd August”.

He continued, “To the north of the Event Centre are the remote Northern Fells guarded by the imposing flanks of Blencathra. To the south, Clough Head marks the start of the Dodd’s ridge running towards Helvellyn and ultimately Ambleside. There are also interesting yet rarely visited fells to the east and west. The terrain is perfect for a mountain marathon with laser fast ridges and valleys linking remote and trackless areas that contain complex contour features.”

As many regular visitors to the Lake District will know this vast competition area includes about every topographical feature you could possibly imagine, and the experienced planning team of Charlie Sproson and Shane Ohly, will no doubt be conjuring up another excellent event after the highly successful Great Lakeland 3Day™ earlier this year.

The 24-hour race starts at noon Saturday but if that sounds too daunting, then there is a 12-hour race starting at midnight Saturday and a 6-hour race starting at 0600 on the Sunday morning. Everyone will finish at 12 noon on the Sunday in what promises to be an exciting and dramatic finale to a memorable weekend of racing.

Over 100 competitors have now entered Marmot24™ including a large number of elite Spanish runners that includes Aurelio Antonio Olivar, the 2013 European Rogaine Champion.

If you enter Marmot24™ now you can get a free Marmot Compact Hauler (worth £22) for each person.

Key Event Information
Website: http://www.Marmot24.com
Date: 2nd & 3rd August 2014
Venue: Northern England
Entry: from £55
Courses: 24-hour, 12-hour and 6-hour