This winter, we're offering combined entry to BOTH Virtual Events so you've a challenge in the run up to Christmas and then one in the New Year.
The Virtual Ultra gives you the opportunity to complete either our 100k, 55k or 23k courses over a period of 3 weeks, starting on Saturday 23rd November and ending on Sunday 15th December, sharing your journey with Lakeland Trailers and being in with chance of winning some great prizes!
Starting on Saturday 11th January (at 00:01), the Virtual Lakeland Trails has options of 75k, 150k and 250k visiting each of our venues in sequence. Running for 6 weeks, the Virtual Lakeland Trails will end on Sunday 23rd February.
Runners loved last winter's Virtual Lakeland Trails events with over 175 involved, sharing photos of their runs (and cake) and giving each other that extra bit of motivation and encouragement you sometimes need in the darker months. We've even had some trail running heroes such as Damian Hall and Nicky Spinks..
We've gone the extra mile to make it as easy as possible for you to track your progress, with automatic syncing from Strava so you don't have to manually upload your activities to see your cumulative miles.
Your progress is plotted along actual routes - no straight lines from A to B like you might see elsewhere, and with photos from the actual course at specific waypoints, it's the next best thing to running with the amazing Lakeland Trailers but from your doorstep. One runner's feedback that ours was the best virtual mapping out there!
00:01
£20 / U16 £10
Save 20% with code 2425VirtualSave20% - ends 6/10
Keeping the classic midnight start time of the real event, the 100k Virtual Ultra takes you on a journey around some of the most picturesque parts of the Lake District on some of its finest trails. Whether you're setting yourself the challenge of running the full distance as part of a training plan, trying to complete the circuit as many times as possible or pitting youself against inov-8 ambassadors or runners from your own club, it's up to you to set your own goals. The minimum age for taking part is 12 years old.
We'll send out information to you a week-or-so before the event explaining how they can sync their Strava profile and sign up to the exclusive Facebook group.
It's really straightforward to sync your Lakeland Trails account to your Strava one. We've created a simple 'How To' Guide which can be downloaded from THIS LINK.
Nearly all of our previous competitors found the process very simple as we've made it as easy as possible and our system has an extremely high uptime.
We'll be able to give a few suggestions if you're struggling to get the tech to work and we'll sort things at our end in the unlikely event there are any technical glitches but unfortunately we can't provide a tech support service if you have specific issues.
We set up our first Virtual Lakeland Trails during the pandemic to capture the spirit of the real events via an exclusive Facebook group and help everyone keep in contact & ticking over during the winter months. The overwhelming feedback was that people wanted to see the virtual events return as a regular feature of the Lakeland Trails' year. Of course, if you're new to the Lakeland Trails, you're most welcome to take part too!
One of the great successes of the virtual events is that many runners have forged friendships and regularly meet up at the real events too.
Our Virtual Lakeland Trails Ultra will follow either the 23k, 55k or 100k course, setting off from Ambleside and taking you on an amazing circuit of the Lake District National Park on some of the finest trails you'll find. You can get a taster of the event by checking out the awesome video from the 2019 event!
The Virtual Lakeland Trails will give you options of 75k, 150k & 250k as you complete each of the Lakeland Trails courses in sequence, with your progress automatically moving from one venue to the next.
As you take part, your progress will be plotted on a map of the routes and you'll be to see photos of the actual course along the way.
We'll offer up a few spot prizes along the way - nothing to do with how fast you complete the events or how far you run in total (speedy runners and mile munchers are, of course, most welcome) but chosen at random for taking part.
Your entry will grant you exclusive access to a private group on the Lakeland Trails Facebook page.
Never run off road at all? Want to be able to run up the mile-long 'Coffin Trail' hill at Lakeland Trails in Hawkshead? Are you in awe of the speed at which some people fly down the fast descent from Latrigg towards the end of Lakeland Trails in Keswick? The regular Lakeland Trailers will be happy to share their experiences to help you develop your skill and enjoyment of running the trails.
As well as seeing your own progress on the virtual map and in Results' tables, you'll also be able to pit yourself against a friend, other members of your running club.
The great thing is, you're in control of your own goal and challenge - it might be that competing the distance in the allotted time would mean you'd run further than you'd thought possible or that taking part gives you motivation to get out of the house in the dark (and we all know how much better you feel once you've gone out when you really had to force yourself!).
If you're one of those people for whom the distance is less than your weekly mileage, you'll be able to continue going around the route for the duration to see how many miles you can rack up...or maybe how many metres of vertical elevation you can achieve.
Saturday 23rd November 2024
00:01 START of the 2024 Virtual Lakeland Trails Ultra
Sunday 15th December
23:59 END of the event
Saturday 11th January 2025
00:01 START of the 2024 Virtual Lakeland Trails
Sunday 24rd February 2025
23:59 END of the event
We'll have some fantastic prizes and, in keeping with our ethos of inclusivity, we're not simply going to be awarding them to the people who run the furthest or fastest.
We've had a few questions about our Virtual Ultra so we thought we'd respond to them as FAQs
A virtual run gives you the opportunity to run wherever you are and watch your progress on a map of the virtual course you have chosen to take part on.
Unlike the real Ultra, there's no cut-off time so you can take as long as you like over the three weeks that the event will be running for.
The simple answer is no! Every run (or walk) you do will count towards your total mileage so you could do ten 10k runs or twenty 5k runs - or any combination that works for you.
Like our real Ultra, it's perfectly fine to walk or run to cover the distance. One of the great things about running an Ultra is that there's no pressure to run all the way so you can stop and take in the views!
If you've got a Strava account, you'll be able to link it up before the event so that our system will automatically updated your progress. Don't worry if you don't as there'll be the option to submit your efforts manually too.