Northern Traverse

Stacked Field of Ultra-Runners to line up for 2022 SILVA Northern Traverse

Press Release / 31.03.2022

Organisers are preparing for very competitive races at the 2022 SILVA Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse. In particular, the SILVA Northern Traverse field is stacked with many leading ultra-runners, including past winners of the men’s and women’s events. Now part of the Ourea Events stable, the two races begin at St Bees on the west coast of Cumbrian on Saturday 2 April.

Founded in 2016, the SILVA Northern Traverse is a continuous 300km footrace from St Bees on the west coast of England to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast. The route follows the well-established coast to coast route created by Alfred Wainwright, through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors. It is now arguably the most popular long distance hike in England and attracts around 10,000 walkers each year. The SILVA Lakes Traverse is a 100km footrace that starts at St Bees at the same time as the Northern Traverse and, using the same race infrastructure, logistics and staffing, finishes in Shap after a traverse of the Lake District National Park fells.

The 2022 SILVA Northern Traverse has a field of 158, including some of the best ultra-runners around. The women’s race will see 2018 Northern Traverse winner Karen Nash take on Lisa Watson (2019 Dragon’s Back Race winner), Elaine Bisson (second place in the 2021 Montane Dragon’s Back Race and 2022 Montane Spine Race), Ita Emanuela Marzotto (2016 Cape Wrath Ultra winner), and Anna Troup (holder of the women’s fastest known time for running the Pennine Way).

The men’s SILVA Northern Traverse is just as competitive. Eoin Keith (winner in 2016 and 2018 and winner of the 2022 Montane Spine Race) will be joined on the start line by Kim Collison (Paddy Buckley Round and winter Bob Graham Round record holder), Pavel Paloncý (three-time Montane Spine Race winner), and Robert Barnes (2018 Cape Wrath Ultra winner). 

The SILVA Lakes Traverse has a field of 247 runners and will start on St Bees foreshore at 9:30am on Saturday, 2 April, followed an hour later by the SILVA Northern Traverse. Participants in the SILVA Lakes Traverse must reach Shap by 2:00pm on 3 April to complete the event. Competitors in the SILVA Northern Traverse have to get to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast by 1:30am on 7 April to complete their race.

There will be live tracking of all runners at; 

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/northerntraverse2022 and

https://live.opentracking.co.uk/lakestraverse2022.

Entries for the 2022 SILVA Northern Traverse and SILVA Lakes Traverse have now closed, but entries for the 2023 events will open on Friday 25 March.

Find out more at www.northerntraverse.com.