LAKELAND 100 - ULTRA TOUR OF THE LAKE DISTRICT (UTLD)

8th/9th AUGUST 2008
SPONSORED BY:

Lakes Runner are proud to be supporting the inaugural running of the soon to be classic UTLD. This 100 mile trail race, with over 23,000 ft of ascent, is set to give the UK what it has been waiting for, a 100 mile+ ultra event to rival the established classics in Europe and the states.

The Course has been set by 2 experienced Ultra Runners (both having completed the UTMB among other things) and links the radial valleys of the lakes using the classic mountain passes. Although the route doesn't take in the fell tops (more akin to a Bob Graham round) it is still a rough and varied run in stunning mountain scenery.

Full food and medical support will be provided at 13 check points along the course with Lakes Runner providing a full blown feed and support station after 80 odd miles as the run passes through Ambleside.

As well as the feed station in Ambleside Lakes Runner will have there mobile shop set up at the event HQ in Coniston to provided last minute kit and some excellent deals on a wide range of relevant products.

For more information on the event and entry details check out www.lakeland100.co.uk

KIT REQUIREMENTS:

An initial kit list has been supplied by the event organiser. We have given details under each heading as to the kit we think is most suitable for the event and why.

• FIRST AID KIT (SPECIFICS TBC)

  ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS Depending on the specific requirements Adventure medical Kits provide a range of minamilist First Aid kits to meet the demands of the ultra and adventure race athlete. In Our opinion if you need to carry some medical supplies these offer the lightest most compact way of doing so. Packs range in both content, weight and cost depending how strict the race organisers are on what needs to be taken. view the options and purchase

• FULL WINDPROOF BODY COVER

MONTANE FEATHERLITE SMOCK - UNISEX The Montane Featherlite Smock has long been the choice for competitors looking for a wind and shower proof top with the minimum of weight and bulk. Packing down to the size of a small apple and weighing just 85g (medium), the featherlite utilises the fantastic breathablility to weather protection of Pertex to give a fantastic end users piece. Feaures include lower cut at the back to give protection on a bike and reflective dotting and logo. Lakes Runner have currently got some half price stock selling at £20 (RRP £40) although stock is going fast. view options and purchase

MONTANE FEATHERLITE PANTS The same great spec as the featherlite Smock, these pertex pants are super compressable and have an excellent articulated cut to allow comfortable running. One great feature is the velcro volume reducing tabs on the ankles that allow the bottom part of the pant to be sinched in to stop annoying flapping whilst on the move. Combined with the smock this is the lightest (medium pants 120g) most packable combination of full body wind proof cover. view MENS options and purchase view WOMENS options and Purchase

• SPARE BASE LAYER
  

  MONTANE BIONIC LONG SLEEVE T What Montane Say: The SPORTWOOL® Bionic base-layer combines all the well-known performance properties of both Merino wool and knitted polyester, in an active-cut, flat-seam, lightweight long-sleeve t-shirt format. In use, the Bionic rapidly moves moisture away from the skin, making for dry-to-the-touch comfort; it effectively enhances the natural cooling effects of evaporation, is odour free and provides natural UV protection and elasticity. What we say: An excellent use of fabrics gives a light and high wicking base layer. Having run in this piece extensively we have found it extremely comfortable next to the skin which will be key for the longer distance events. Also it is relatively light (medium 160g) and packable as you may be carrying it, not wearing it, for long periods of the race.

• HEAD TORCH
  

  Obviously as the Ultra will run through at least one night for all involved (50's and 100's) and probably 2 nights for most competitors doing the 100 mile course, choice of head toarch is very important. Here at Lakes Runner the staff have been running, biking, climbing and generally adventuring with Petzl headtorches for a long time. Although there are some other good headlamps on the market, when it comes to reliability and performance we don't think petzl can be beaten. It's great having the best most fancy headtoarch in the world but if it doesn't work when you switch it on your knackered! Thats why we recommend Petzl. From experiance we think there is a choice of three petzl lamps suitable for the event, depending on what your after and how good your night vision is!!!

  1) NEW PETZL ULTRA Incredibly powerful new head toarch from Petzl, no compromise design to give maximum adjustability and power output. We managed to get hold of a prototype to help pace a Bob Graham round over the Dodds on leg 2. This thing is like a car headlight when on full power. Standing on top of Great Dodd you could light up Watson Dodd if you weren't sure where it was!!!!!!! Petzl say the maximum power setting gives 120m of visbility, although in use we found this to be a minimum figure as we found you could make out things at a much greater distance. The best thing about the Ultra is the ease at which you can switch between power settings, allowing the maximum brightness to be used when navigating to spot features or set a course, then switching down to economy to save battery life which is still more than bright enough for general running. This is the choice for those wanting maximum brightness and adjustability to get themselves through the night.

  2) PETZL MYO XP In Many ways petzl's Myo XP is to the L.E.D market what petzl's origional Zoom head torch was to the conventional Bulb market i.e. the class leader that all other multipurpose lamps are measured against. Although the Myo XP comes with a raft of features and functions the main advantages for the ultra runner are its long burn time (80 h on max), three levels of brightness plus boost function (giving a 97m beam), flood or spot light options (flood is great for general night running with spot being better for navigation), and the weight (including batteries 175g) The Myo XP is a great choice for the all rounder. View Options and Purchase

  3) TIKKA XP The Tikka XP provides what is probably the minimum amount of lighting power necassery to run through a full night. Although beam distance and brightness is not as good as the ULTRA or MYO XP, therefore making picking out route choices in the distance and other Navigation more difficult, it does give enough light to run by and is very light and compact (95g including batteries). The Tikka XP gives 60h burn on max and has a boost facility giving a beam of 50m (around half that of the Myo XP) The Tikka XP is the choice for the minimalist light weight warrior who also has pretty good night vision! View Options and Purchase

  CONCLUSION Having run the majority of the UTLD course in various sections, it is obvious that this Ultra differs significantly from some of the other continental events. Firstly you don't have a reflective tag or spray paint plastered all over the course every few meters (it is taking place in the lakes after all - not sure the NP would be too psyched for that!). Secondly, you are running over much rougher ground than on the continent, there are much less hard packed trails and much more broken ground to deal with. These leads to to issues (especially at night): You will have to navigate a lot more, refering to the map and roadbook frequently With a few exceptions you will have to be watching where your put your feet most of the time. Because of this Petzl's new ULTRA headtorch will be the ideal companion, giving you much easier long range navigation ability, which we think will be key on this course during the hours of dark. After the ULTRA, as the ideal choice, (this is exactly the sort of event petzl have designed this unit for - hence the name) it really would be sensible to go with the MYO XP and take a bit more time over navigation decisions, only opting for the Tikka XP if you know the lakedistrict fells like the back of your hand and are confident that this will be enough light for you.

• MOBILE PHONE

We are recommending that Paris Hilton has a new one out, that comes in pink, with a free Chiwowa. Just don't let it crap on the course as you will be liable for a £1000 fine (not that this would bother Paris Hilton!)

• HAT AND GLOVES

	ODLO WARM QUALITY GLOVE Made using the same fabric that Odlo use on thier classic warm quality base layer, these are the best gloves if you suffer with cold hands but don't want the extra bulk of powerstretch or alternative warm fabrics. Warm Quality has fantastic moisture management abilities. They come in different sizes (xs,s,m,l,xl) to give a much better fit than the classic one size fits all stretch glove.
	ODLO WARM QUALITY BALACLAVA If you want to be prepared to stay warm in all conditions we always recommend a balaclava. It can be rolled up to act like a classic beanie hat, but gives you that extra protection against a biteing wind/horizontal rain etc. We recommend Odlo warm balaclava and gloves if you need a high warmth to weight ratio. If you are warm blooded then the extremities power dry gloves and beanie may be all you need.
	EXTREMITIES POWERDRY GLOVE What they say: Polartec® Power Dry® fabric provides superb next to skin moisture management and it is slightly stretchy for an excellent fit. This makes Power Dry® an ideal baselayer fabric and our Power Dry® glove is designed to capitalise on this with a close fit and minimal seams. Use this under any of our glove or mitts for extra warmth without loosing dexterity. What we say: An excellent high wicking lightweight glove if only medium warmth is required.
	EXTREMITIES POWERDRY BEANIE What they say: The same style as our Power Stretch® Beanie using Polartec® Power Dry® to create a superb, close fitting hat with the best wicking properties of all the Malden Mills fabrics. Flat lock seams ensure comfort and prevent rubbing and the deep unfinished hem allows you to fit the beanie to your needs. Perfect for use under a helmet when cycling, climbing or during winter sports and superb for running in winter or cold weather events. What we say: The best low bulk wicking hat around, doesn't itch in use which is a bonus

• EMERGENCY BIVI/BLANKET

  	ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS EMERGENCY BIVI As well as producing a fantastic range of lightweight waterproof medical kits, adventure medical kits have also provided these fantastic ultralight heat shield coated survival bivi's. There is nothing to touch it for function and weight if you need to carry an emergency shelter. Weight 3.5oz View Options and Purchase
  	ADVENTURE MEDICAL KITS EMERGENCY BLANKET Same coated Heat Shield fabric as the bivi, just in standard wrap round blanket form. Not as much coverage in event of requiring to get covered up, but marginally lighter. Weight 2.5oz View Options and Purchase

   

• FOOD AND DRINK
  
  For true endurance event, such as either the 50 or 100 mile UTLD, what food and drink you take is a very personal subject. Some people swear by rice pudding, others by malt loaf and bananas, some live on a constant stream of jelly babies! Personally we like tinned peaches! It all depends on what your stomach can handle and digest whilst still on the move. Therefore its vital that what ever food and drink you are going to take you have used before and know you can handle. So next time your out on a sunday run try experimenting with some different foods to make sure your body can process them whilst on the go.
  
  We have listed some classic energy products that act as valuble sources of energy, however for these sorts of distances most people will need to take on board something more substantial and 'meal' like

  	SIS GO BARS Five Flavours to choose from, giving about 350kcal of energy per 100g. SIS pack these natural fruit bars with goodness: No Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils No Added Sugar No Artificial Flavours, Preservatives, or Colours approx 2% fat View Options and Purchase
  	ORIGIONAL CLIFF BAR This US Based company has been providing natural energy products for well over a decade. Ther origional bar is still an excellent choice for getting some calories down on the move. Around 340Kcal per 100g these puppies taste pretty sweet. My favourite is the black cherry almond flavour.
  	SIS GO GELS The worlds first isotonic energy gel. Simply put, you can deck these without needing to take water at the same time. Each gel gives you about 20-30 mins of energy. Some people can keep going all day on these, however most people use them in shorter events or to 'get them home' when they come in really useful. We recommend that you carry these on Ultra's as a pick me up when you hit one of those patched where nothing is working. Three flavours to choose from. View Options and Purchase
  	SIS SMART 1 GELS These work on the same isotonic principle as the Go gels, but take advantage of the fact caffine is no longer on the bnanned substance list. Not idea for ultra's unless you are nearing the very end as once the caffine buzz goes you are left feeling flat. SIS recomend to take these for the last 30mins of your excersise - ie get you to the finish/home. View Options and Purchase
  	CLIF SHOT BLOCS What they say: CLIF SHOT Bloks are the latest nutrition option for endurance athletes. Bloks come in chewable, 33 calorie cubes, making it easy to customize and track caloric and electrolyte intake during long outings and races. What We say: Haven't had time to test these out and about, a combination of carbs/electrolyte/caffine makes them sound useful. You still need to take water with them mind.
  	SIS PSP22 ENERGY DRINK PSP22 has been designedto provide a source of Carbohydrate energy in a palatable drink format. The Carbs comes from glucose and Fructose and is relatively light on the stomach. A much better idea than just carrying water. Again it is recommended that you try it in training to find a flavour that works for you./ View Options and Purchase
  	SIS GO ELECTROLYTE DRINK Priovides both Carbohydrates (as PSP22) but has added electrolytes to replace vital minerals and salts lost through sweating in the heat. If it is a hot day then this is the choice of champions for your water bottle. However it doesn't provide quuite as much energy as PSP22. View Options and Purchase
  	NUUN ELECTROLYTE TABLETS NUUN is a relatively new product that when added to water provides the optimum form of hydration through replacement of lost electrolytes. It doesn't add any major calorific content (energy) to your drink, but some say is a handy remedy for cramp during longer periods of excersion. We reccomend that at least some for of energy giving drink is used potentially in conjunction with nuun.

   

• MAP (SUPPLIED)
  
  A map will be supplied on race day, however if you want to recce any of the route we recomend either the individual Harvey 1:25000 Sheets or for an awesome overview of the whole course the 1:40000 BMC Lakedistrict map (this also shows the entire Bob Graham Round which is useful)

  	BMC LAKE DISTRICT MAP (1:40000) Fantastic overview of the majority of the lakedistrict View Options and Purchase
  	HARVEYS SUPERWALKER WATERPROOF MAPS The definitive 1:25000 maps of the region, much more sensibly split than the OS equivilant that make you buy all 4. View Options and Purchase

• COMPASS

  SILVA EXPEDITION 4 This has long been the standard compass for most outdoor propffesionals and enthusiasts. Long base plate with luminous markers for night use will be a key feature for the ultra's. Super reliable and good value to boot. View Options and Purchase