The Ultramarathon and Trail Running section is an official sub-section of WDAC made up of runners who seek to either take their running beyond the marathon distance, or who prefer running off-road on trails or rocky terrain for any length of distance.
** An Ultramarathon is a race of any distance over that of a marathon (26.2 miles).
** Trail Running tends to traverse varying terrain; hills, mountains, fields, deserts, forests, and narrow passages are common. Likewise, steep inclines or rough terrain sometimes may require hiking or scrambling. Runners participating in trail runs must often ascend and descend thousands of feet.
Training
Informal runs are often organised at various times throughout the week – usually shorter distances (up to 90mins) on Wednesday night and Friday nights and much longer distances on a Saturday or Sunday. These runs are often along local trails. Get in touch with Gary Thacker on a club night (Gary usually runs with Group 2/3)
Trail Running Championship
For the 2017 season, W&DAC are holding an Ultramarathon & Trail Series Championship. This Championship will comprise of the following races:
| #1 | Multi-terrain Dirt Run | 15k | 5th Feb 2017 |
| #2 | Dukeries | 10m | 11th Feb 2017 |
| #3 | Belvoir Challenge | 15m | 25th Feb 2017 |
| #4 | Ashridge | 16m | 18th Mar 2017 |
| #5 | Obelisk ‘Obble | 14m | March 2017 |
| #6 | Dukeries | 30m | 13th May 2017 |
| #7 | Shires and Spires | 35m | 4th June 2017 |
| #8 | Colworth | 8.1m | 24th June 2017 |
| #9 | Fairlands | 26m | 16th July 2017 |
| #10 | Dunstable Downs | 26m | Sept |
| #11 | Royston Harvest Trail | 13.1m | Sept |
| #12 | T’Owd Man | 13.1m | Oct |
| #13 | Dirt Half | 13.1m | Nov |
In order to take part in the Trail Championships, at least six races must be completed, which must include at least one marathon or ultramarathon. Points totals are done on a sliding scale with the winner of each race getting one point. Results from the best 6 out of the 13 races will be totalled and points will be added to determine the overall winner. A prize will also be given to the person or persons who cover the most miles within the series.
| NAME: | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | TOTAL: | MILES: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James T | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 13 | 129.3m |
| Guy E | 10 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 28 | 104.3m | ||
| Greg S | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 33.3m | ||||
| Zac O | 2 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 39.3m | ||||
| Tom W | 5 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 74.3m | ||||
| Ben S | 8 | 6 | 3 | 17 | 58.3m | ||||
| Craig C | 4 | 1 | 5 | 49m | |||||
| Gordon C | 4 | 6 | 10 | 65m | |||||
| Gary T | 9 | 3 | 12 | 39.3m | |||||
| Jon K | 2 | 2 | 14m | ||||||
| Michael Q | 2 | 2 | 35m | ||||||
| Mark B | 3 | 3 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Neil M | 4 | 8 | 12 | 44.3m | |||||
| Mark E | 7 | 7 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Stuart R | 7 | 7 | 14m | ||||||
| Shaun DC | 8 | 8 | 14m | ||||||
| Tom N | 9 | 9 | 35m | ||||||
| Mike G | 10 | 10 | 35m | ||||||
| Ian M | 11 | 11 | 35m | ||||||
| Kevin O | 12 | 12 | 35m |
| NAME: | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | #7 | TOTAL: | MILES: |
| Sarah R | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 104.3m | ||
| Lynda R | 6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 28 | 104.3m | ||
| Nicola W | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 90.3m | |||
| Amanda D | 3 | 2 | 8 | 13 | 81m | ||||
| Rebecca S | 8 | 1 | 7 | 16 | 35.3m | ||||
| Felicity A | 11 | 5 | 12 | 28 | 58.3m | ||||
| Kat B | 1 | 2 | 3 | 30m | |||||
| Margaret B | 4 | 4 | 8 | 25.3m | |||||
| Mandy A | 12 | 2 | 14 | 19.3m | |||||
| Sarah E | 1 | 1 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Cathrine D | 1 | 1 | 14m | ||||||
| Helen E | 1 | 1 | 35m | ||||||
| Jo E | 2 | 2 | 35m | ||||||
| Louise M | 3 | 3 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Mary P | 3 | 3 | 35m | ||||||
| Karen T | 5 | 5 | 35m | ||||||
| Tracey F | 5 | 5 | 30m | ||||||
| Sandra C | 6 | 6 | 35m | ||||||
| Denise M | 7 | 7 | 35m | ||||||
| Kirsty H | 7 | 7 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Loreto S | 9 | 9 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Sally H | 10 | 10 | 9.3m | ||||||
| Katy P | 11 | 11 | 35m | ||||||
| Katharine W | 13 | 13 | 35m | ||||||
| Yasmin G | 14 | 14 | 35m | ||||||
| Rosie J | 15 | 15 | 35m | ||||||
| Angela L | 16 | 16 | 35m | ||||||
| Nicola M | 17 | 17 | 35m |