The Montane Lakeland 100 and Lakeland 50 ultra distance races took place on Saturday 25 July, and the hot and humid conditions proved a real challenge for all the competitors involved.
The weather took its toll on the experienced field – 114 of the 306 starters had to pull out before the end. The 100-mile run, which started and finished in Coniston, is considered the UK’s premiere ultra trail race and is known for its stunning lakes and testing terrain.
Marco Consani, of Garscube Harriers and UvU Racing, won the sizzling ML100 event. He was the first male to cross the line, finishing in a breathtaking time of 21 hours 14 minutes. And his wife, Debbie Martin-Consani, ran an equally cool time of 25 hours 27 minutes, taking first place in the women’s.
The female ML100 winner, who is also a Montane athlete, claimed: “I ran it [the ML100] last year and loved it so much that I thought I’d give it another bash.”
“Although I was pleased with my run in 2013, I still felt I had more to give, so I wanted to better my time. Above al,l though, it’s an amazing experience just being a part of this fantastic race.”
When questioned as to whether she would take on the grueling race again, she promptly replied: “Never say never, but right now I feel I’ve served my time.
“It’s just a wonderful event, I can’t imagine not being a part of it. But maybe I’ll just join you at Kentmere and hand out smoothies to the legends.”
Kim Collison won the Montane Lakeland 50 men’s race, in a time of 7 hours 48 minutes. While the women’s champion, Jo Meek, finished in an impressive 8 hours 43 minutes.
The shorter race, which started at Dalemain, takes runners on the second half of the longer route – and, like the full race, takes in picturesque fells and valleys.
