The 11th Montane Lakeland 100 & 50 ultra's once again proved itself to be the UK's most exciting and dynamic race of its kind, with thrills, spills and drama in abundance.

Over the years, the Montane Lakeland 100 & 50 has become the primary ultra-distance race in the country, leading the way in providing a race experience tougher and unlike any other. The 11^th iteration of the annual race delivered quite literally in deluges. Often in events of this kind the weather is as big a factor as the terrain and distance, though this year it seemed to develop a character and personality all of its own. Both races commenced in the blistering sunshine we have come to expect this summer, however just as competitors were hitting their stride they were harassed by a schizophrenic programme of tropical deluges. Kit management became the name of the game, and layering tactics were constantly at the forefront of the athletes’ minds. Drama was not confined to meteorology, however. The 100 mile race experienced a DNF ratio of over 50%. It also came tantalisingly close to making history with its first ever female outright winner in the form of Sabrina Verjee (453), who lead for the lions share of the race only to be piqued to the post after the last checkpoint by Ken Sutor. Nonetheless, Verjee significantly closed the continually shrinking performance gap between the sexes. A factor oft overlooked in ultra-endurance running is that this gap is negligible at the highest level – a boast few other sports can make. In the 50, a dominating performance from Oliver Thorogood (1268), who lead from the second checkpoint at Mardale resulted in victory, finishing 30 minutes ahead of second place Cees van Der land (1293). The sudden influx of rainwater on overly parched ground made the going difficult for many, whilst those able to manage the technical aspects of the course were rewarded with improved finishing places. RESULTS: 100 POSITION No. Name Team Time Category 1^st 404 Ken Sutor 22:55:50 MV40 2^nd 453 Sabrina Verjee Team Sabs 23:05:47 F 3^rd 211 Kevin Hoult Calder Valley FR 23:30:01 MV40 50 POSITION No. Name Team Time Category 1^st 1268 Oliver Thorogood 07:36:11 M 2^nd 1293 Cees van Der Land Tyne Bridge Harriers 08:02:00 M 3^rd 973 Adam Lloyd Keswick AC 03:03:32 M

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