Continuing a habit of trying new and silly things, 3 members of Grantham Running Club travelled up north to take part in the Leeds Ultra Loop. The grounds of Temple Newsam House was the stunning setting for the event where around 200 runners completed as many 5k loops of the park as possible before the 8-hour cut off.
The course was varied and challenging, with stony trails, woodland, grass and estate roads underfoot. It also included a heck of a lot of hills, but it was never boring which helped the laps fly by. Temperatures were a little on the toasty side but thankfully there was a breeze that whipped up the dust, leaving everyone filthy and desiccated by the end of the day.
Despite all 3 members seemingly forgetting to put in any specific preparation other than the power of prayer and a Wetherspoons dinner the night before, they were all over the moon with how the event went.
Yvette Taylor (who was the instigator of this nonsense) smashed a brilliant 7 laps, travelling 35km, her longest run to date by some margin. She called it a day when the heat and lack of energy started to take its toll, commenting that with better fuelling she’d be able to keep going.
Kathleen Gray ran a fantastic 9 laps, exceeding all her expectations and maintaining a strong and consistent pace throughout her 45K. She finished in the top 50% as 30th female and loved every minute.
Sylv Hull wanted to try and hit 10 laps which she managed, finishing at 7 hours. She decided not to go for an 11th lap despite having enough time which on reflection was a mistake. She finished as 18th female and 82nd overall and ate a prodigious number of biscuits and sweets.
The event was fantastically well organised and friendly and an easy introduction to ultra running. The well-stocked aid station at the start/finish and places for runners to leave their gear meant that they didn’t need to carry a lot of kit and had access to food and water regularly.
The male winner Danny Bailey completed an astonishing 16 laps (80KM) and set a new course record. The female winner, Georgina Riby covered 14 laps (70KM).
Photos c/o Resolute Running