On 13^th February, London will host its first Ultra Marathon covering a staggering 50K (31 miles) from Streatham Common to Wembley Stadium. The course uses part of the Capital Ring footpath that was completed in 2005.

 

One of the 300 runners is Celebrity Chef Tom Aikens. He is running in preparation for the infamous Marathon des Sables (MdS) in April; the gruelling six day/six stage race across the Sahara Desert. ‘This will be the perfect training run for the MdS and it looks like this is set to become a great London event in its own right’, says Tom.

 

The organisers of this extreme event are Rory Coleman, Jen Salter and Mark Gillett, all Ultra Runners and MdS veterans. ‘The distance is a great step-up from a standard marathon for those wishing to start an Ultra career, although the extra five miles might catch a few out’, says Rory who has over 600 Marathons under his belt.

 

Jen was the first British lady in the MdS 2009 and is excited at the large contingent of women entering this event: ‘I would love to see even more women out there running in these events. Traditionally we have a better record than men for completing long distances and the course is on the doorstep of millions of people’, says Jen.

 

 

The London Ultra^TM 50K and Expo will be launched by MdS Race Director and Creator, Patrick Bauer, who has created the hottest Ultra event in the world today. Seen as the ideal warm up for his race in April, Patrick will talk at the Expo on Friday and start the race on Saturday.

 

The race itself starts at 09:00 and is already being seen by many as a race that will become a regular part of the Ultra Running calendar, worldwide.

 

For more details about the event, check out www.londonultra.co.uk. To interview Tom Aikens or Race Director, Rory Coleman, please call 07866 477051 or email office@ultrarace.co.uk.