Runners start · local time — The Lakeland 100 starts from Coniston at 18:00 on Friday, and the Lakeland 50 starts from Dalemain at 10:00 on Saturday.
Starting in Coniston, the Lakeland 100 is a one-lap course that passes through Dunnerdale, Eskdale,
Wasdale and Buttermere, heads up toward Keswick, then swings through Haweswater and Kentmere before returning to Coniston.
According to the organizers, it barely touches the famous peaks that most Lake District walkers climb,
and instead strings together a course along valleys and hillsides.
Most of the route is on public footpaths and bridleways.
You leave on a Friday evening, so you spend the whole night running in the dark,
and because the course isn't marked, you navigate with a roadbook, a map and a compass.
Winners usually come in around 19 hours, but only a little over half of runners finish inside the 40-hour time limit, the official site says.
That's why a finisher's finisher medal is especially prized.
The start is famous too: the whole village comes out along the road to cheer, and Nessun Dorma plays before you go.
The 14 checkpoints, in places like village halls and schools, serve food and drink,
and the Lakeland 50, which covers only the second half of the loop, runs the same weekend.
In 2027, the start is Friday, July 23.
