As we pack away the final bits of kit, look back through the photos and reflect on the weekend, my overwhelming feeling is one of gratitude.
More than 1,500 competitors joined us in Grasmere across the weekend, taking part in everything from the Gallop trail races and OMM Lite Trail Quest to the inaugural Grasmere 24 Ultra. Combined with supporters, volunteers, traders, speakers and event staff, it made for a vibrant and memorable weekend in the heart of the Lake District.
This year was particularly significant as it marked the first Lake District Running Festival delivered entirely under a single banner, bringing together the Gallop races, OMM Lite, a new Ultra and the wider festival programme. Our aim was to create a weekend that offered something for everyone, whether that was a first taste of trail running, a navigation challenge, an ultra-distance test or simply a chance to spend time in the fells with like-minded people. Judging by the atmosphere around the event village throughout the weekend, it felt like that vision came to life.
While race results and finish times are often what make the headlines, one of the most pleasing aspects of the weekend was seeing the different elements of the festival come together. From trail races and navigation challenges to ultra running, talks, demos and socialising in the event village, Grasmere felt alive with activity throughout the weekend.
The weekend began with sunshine and warm conditions on Saturday, creating fantastic racing conditions across the Gallop races and setting the scene for the start of the new Grasmere 24 Ultra. As darkness fell, conditions became more challenging for those continuing through the night, with rain arriving overnight before a more changeable Sunday greeted competitors on the Marathon and second day of OMM Lite. While the weather provided plenty of variety, the Lake District delivered exactly what many competitors had come for: a true mountain and trail running experience.
The Gallop Races
The Gallop races once again brought energy and excitement to the weekend. From experienced racers battling for podium places to those simply looking to enjoy a run in spectacular surroundings, the courses provided a challenge for every level of runner.
The atmosphere around the start and finish area throughout Saturday was one of the highlights of the weekend, with strong spectator support, encouraging marshals and plenty of stories being shared long after competitors had crossed the line. It was fantastic to see so many runners returning to Grasmere, alongside plenty of newcomers experiencing the event for the first time.
Sunday’s Marathon provided a fitting finale to the weekend, with runners taking on the longest of the festival’s trail races across some of the area’s finest trails. At the front of the race, the winning time of 4:03:32 was an impressive performance on a course that rewards both fitness and smart pacing, while throughout the field competitors battled changing conditions to earn their finish.
OMM Lite
The OMM Lite Trail Quest remains one of the most distinctive events of the weekend and once again attracted competitors keen to test their navigation skills as much as their running ability.
Across both days, participants tackled route choices, decision-making and time management while exploring the trails and hills surrounding Grasmere. A real contrast was felt by the competitors as day one stretched the legs with substantial height gain to a 100 pointer at the top of Helvellyn, then further height gain on to St. Sunday Crag for those who could be tempted. Day two contrasted with some more challenging treasure hunting around Langdale Valley into forestry, small lakes and other features to polish the navigation skills.
One of the strengths of OMM Lite continues to be the range of people it attracts, from those taking their first steps into navigation events through to experienced mountain marathon competitors. The supportive atmosphere and willingness of competitors to share stories and experiences afterwards is something that makes the event particularly special.
The standard of competition was high across both courses. On the Long Score course, the winning team amassed an impressive 1,490 points across the two days, while the overall winners on the Short Score course collected 990 points. These scores reflected not only strong running but excellent navigation and decision-making throughout the weekend.
Grasmere 24 Ultra
The introduction of the Grasmere 24 Ultra was undoubtedly one ‘very long’ standout moment of the weekend.
Starting on Saturday morning and continuing right through to Sunday, competitors took on the challenge of seeing how many laps they could complete around Grasmere over a full 24-hour period. Throughout the day, into the darkness and through the rain overnight, runners and teams continued to circulate around the course, creating a unique atmosphere that added a new dimension to the festival.
In the Ultra, the performances delivered were remarkable. The solo winner covered a staggering 28 laps (140km), while the winning pair team completed 36 laps (180km) entirely under their own steam.
Following the race, we identified an issue relating to the process used to verify the final team 3+ member category standings. During the event, inconsistencies between the various timing and tracking systems meant that different sources were showing conflicting information at different points in the race. In the rush of managing the finish, prize giving and wider event operations, we did not take the time we should have done to fully review and reconcile all available data before confirming the final results.
Following a subsequent review and discussions with the teams involved, Team Beyond have been confirmed as the rightful winners of the 3+ member team category, covering an outstanding 52 laps (260km). We would like to apologise to Team Beyond and all affected competitors for the confusion this caused and thank them for their patience while the review was completed.
While disappointing, the experience has highlighted several areas where we can improve. As we develop the Grasmere 24 in future years, we will be making changes to our timing and results processes to ensure competitors, organisers and supporters are all working from the same information throughout the event.
Festival Programme
Away from the racing, it was fantastic to see so many people engaging with the wider festival programme.
The talks hosted by Marcus Scotney proved particularly popular, with Harry Firth’s account of his Steve Parr Round and the ultrarunning discussion featuring Anna Troup and Carol Morgan drawing strong audiences and generating plenty of conversation around the event village afterwards.
Creating opportunities for runners to learn from and connect with others is an important part of what we want the festival to be, and it was encouraging to see these sessions so well supported. The positive response has reinforced our ambition to continue developing the festival programme in future years, bringing more speakers, stories and opportunities for runners to come together beyond the racing itself.
Thank You
Events like this only happen because of the efforts of a huge number of people working behind the scenes.
My sincere thanks go to our volunteers, marshals, safety teams, registration teams, photographers, traders, speakers, timing teams and event staff who gave their time, enthusiasmand expertise throughout the weekend. I would also like to thank our partners, local landowners and the wider Grasmere community for helping us deliver the event responsibly and ensuring competitors could enjoy such a fantastic setting.
Most importantly, thank you to everyone who entered and took part. Whether you were chasing a podium position, navigating your way around OMM Lite, completing your first trail race or simply enjoying a weekend in the Lakes, you helped make this year’s Lake District Running Festival what it was.
While this year’s event has only just finished, we’re already looking ahead to next year. The Lake District Running Festival will return to Grasmere from 4–6 June 2027, with entries opening in July. We hope many of you will be back to join us as we continue to build on what has been a fantastic weekend and an exciting new chapter for the festival.
Carrie
Race Director
Lake District Running Festival