The Lap Returns

The Lap is back! Organisers of the Windermere ultra-marathon announced this week that they will indeed be holding “An actual event, on actual trails, with actual people” and that there are still places available.

After the inaugural event last September this year’s Lap had been in doubt for obvious reasons, but as restrictions began to ease over the last few weeks it looked more and more likely that September 12th might still be a realistic date to hold the full event.

Trail Ultra-marathon

The Lap is a 47 mile trail ultra-marathon around Lake Windermere and with it’s way-marked route and generous cut-offs it has positioned itself as a great introduction to longer races for first timers or a fast, low level option, for more experienced racers.

At first glance you might think this would be a relatively flat lakeside jaunt. On the contrary it is mostly run on footpaths and fells with some decent sized hill climbs thrown in, as we found out when we entered the event last year.

With a generous 24-hour limit the race gives both runners and walkers alike the chance to circumnavigate England’s most iconic lake and, if the weather is kind, experience some of the most picturesque views and beautiful trails that The Lakes has to offer.

Spring Forward and Double Tap

Following the success of last year’s event the organisers have added a few new options in terms of routes and challenges which will be coming to the 2021 edition. “The Lap – Spring Forward” will be held in May, so potentially slightly more favourable conditions and run in the clockwise direction around the lake. “The Lap – Double Tap” is probably quite self-explanatory.

Held in September, as per the original event, competitors will complete the 47-mile route before turning right around and doing it all again in the opposite direction. That’s 94-miles and over 5,000m of ascent. As much as this is very much a “beautiful, not brutal” race, this incarnation of it will not be for the feint hearted and is designed for those really willing to push themselves, even with the time-limit extended to 36-hours.

All details of how to enter the races, routes and other relevant information can be found on The Lap website here.