Marmot Dark Mountains - the Night Time Mountain Marathon

News Release / 30.11.2012

In a major boost for the UK's newest mountain marathon, both Marmot and Silva have signed up to support the event. 

Marmot is an award-winning, global brand of high-performance, technical clothing, apparel and equipment for challenging mountain environments and they become the title sponsor of the renamed Marmot Dark Mountains™. As well as being famous for its navigational gear, Silva is a leading, international mobile lighting specialist and as such, is the perfect supporting partner for this navigation based, overnight mountain marathon.

Marmot Dark Mountains™ takes the classic two-day mountain marathon format and gives it a new… darker twist. Rather than two days of running with an overnight camp in between, Marmot Dark Mountains™ packs everything into one winter night!

The inaugural event will kick-off on the evening of Saturday 26th January 2013 with the longest classes setting off first for dusk-to-dawn racing. The shorter classes will set off later in the evening with the aim of most competitors finishing within an hour or so of each other the following morning. This should make for an exciting finish as all the courses and most of the competitors converge on the finish as dawn breaks.

With the support of Marmot and Silva, the event is now able to offer a £500 cash prize to the winning elite team. Race Director, Shane Ohly says, "Marmot Dark Mountains™ was already shaping up to be a superb event but the added support of both Marmot and Silva is going to make a big difference to what we can deliver. For a start, all of the race marshals will be issued with Marmot clothing and Silva headlamps so I can be relaxed about them staying safe and warm during the event. The £500 cash prize for the winning elite team should also be a major incentive to elite mountain runners and we hope will result in some exciting racing".

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is based on the usual mountain marathon format with Elite, A, B, C and Score classes for competitors to choose from. Usually at a mountain marathon the nature of the terrain dictates the distance of each course, with the planners designing a course with a certain winning time. We are sticking with this principle but allowing for the added difficulty of navigating and running at night. Therefore, although the winning time for a class will be similar to a normal mountain marathon, the overall distance will be significantly less.

The location for the first Marmot Dark Mountains™ is a closely guarded secret presently but is in northern England and within two hours drive of Manchester. The location will be revealed in the week before the event but the event centre is based at an historical building with all the car parking on hard standing and all the event infrastructure inside.

Marmot Dark Mountains™ is meant to be challenging but with the courses remaining open until 1200 on the Sunday there will be sufficient time for everyone to complete their course and share in the success. It goes without saying that there will a hearty breakfast and hot drinks available to everyone as they finish. Competitors may sleep at the Event Centre should they wish to rest before travelling home.

Key Event Information

Website: http://www.marmot-dark-mountains.com

Date: 26th/27th January 2013

Venue: Northern England

Entry: £90 per team of two

Courses: Elite, A, B, C and Score courses