A Racing Tour of Britain’s Best Trail Running Terrain: This Week's Trail Tally

© Lakeland 100 Photo by David Miller Photography on Instagram

Chasing Trails: Week 31

"The Lake District holds a special place in the hearts of all UK trail runners, so it’s only normal that it keeps coming up as the site of amazing trail adventures. This past weekend, we watched the runners take on a tour of the Lakes at the Lakeland 50 and 100-mile races, while over in Eryri National Park, Ultra X put on a fantastic weekend of racing with multistage and single-day events. A great well done to all and happy running into the new week!"

- Kate Parker, Director - Founder

An Ultra Tour of the Lake District

The Lakeland 100 ‘Ultra Tour of the Lake District’ is a spectacular circular route that ticks off all the lakeland fells while challenging runners with 6,300 m of ascent. Starting in Coniston and moving clockwise, expect to enjoy fantastic views of Buttermere and Wasdale, then stop in picturesque Keswick and continue through Kentmere, Ambleside, and Elterwater. It’s really a must-do 100-mile race for UK-based ultrarunners, and attracts a stacked field year on year. With a 6pm Friday evening start, it also echoes the Ultra-Trail du Mont Blanc and gives the advantage of feeling less sleep deprived on the second night.

This year, Britain’s Damian Hall returned to the trails he loves so much, claiming the win in a fantastic time of 19:33:33 in front of Ry Webb (20:05:31), with whom he shared some miles throughout the first half of the race. Jarlath McKenna claimed third place in 20:41:15. 

In the women’s race, it was Anna Llewellyn who put in a brilliant performance to win in 22:20:29, followed by Charlotte Fisher (24:21:39) and Sarah Page (24:40:59). Anna ran in third overall for a good part of the race, eventually claiming sixth, while Charlotte was 10th overall. 

Anna Llewellyn during the Lakeland 100 © No Limits Photography

Caroline Turner & Lewis Browness Win at Lakeland 50

For those looking for a shorter distance, the Lakeland 50 was also run over the second half of the Lakeland 100 route, with over 3,000 m of ascent starting on the northern end of Ullswater. Another challenging event where Lewis Browness claimed the overall win (7:52:47), followed closely by Andrew Worster (7:56:49) and Daniel Weller (8:05:34). 

Caroline Turner was all smiles as she dominated the women’s race, leading from the start and finishing in a superb 8:52:13. She was joined on the podium by Alice Bourne (9:29:25) and Katie White (9:33:20). 

© Caroline Tuner’s Instagram

Ultra X Wales’ Final Run in Snowdonia Goes Out with a Bang

Over in Wales, trail runners took on a multistage adventure under the Ultra X banner. The two-day 110 km series started in Fairbourne, by the sea, and covered 62 km with 2,554 m of ascent, heading into the mountains and returning back in a loop. For day 2, it was 47.5 km to run and 1,830 m to climb and descend, ending back in Fairbourne (Gwynedd) again. 

And this wasn’t all: those looking for single-day races also had the opportunity to complete the Saturday or Sunday legs only (i.e. 62 km or 47.5 km), or run a 25km on the Sunday. A fantastic way to enjoy different sizes of challenges in beautiful surroundings. 

In the main multistage event, Paul O’Sullivan claimed the overall win in a cumulative time of 13:24:36, followed by Samuel Stéphan in 14:01:42 and Tom Cawte in 14:13:35. The women’s race was won by Natalie Taylor, who completed the route in 14:08:59. Tamsin Fry (14:33:47) and Helen Knight (16:55:49) completed the podium. 

This is the final time the race is held in Snowdonia National Park. They will move to new routes in the Brecon Beacons / Bannau Brycheiniog from 2026, when more records and memories are waiting to be set!

© Ultra X Co