The DirtRun Ultra – Have you got what it takes?

We’re delighted to introduce a brand new event for 2017 – the DirtRun Black Country Ultra!

When: Sunday 12th March 2017

Where: Start and finish at Himley Hall (situated between Kingswinford and Wombourne)

How: The 32 mile loop is broken down into 4 x 8 mile segments and can be taken on solo, as a relay pair, or in teams of 4.

The DirtRun Black Country Ultra is a fantastic scenic urban loop around our historic Black Country. Working with Dudley Metropolitan Council, Sandwell District Council and the Canal and River Trust, expect everything you love about a Pulse Pursuits event but in the form of an Ultra.

The route is set among some great urban escapes – old railway lines, canal towpaths, tunnels and other exciting things that you just don’t get to see from the roads.

What is an Ultra

An Ultra event comes under the category of long distance running, and is generally a 30+ mile running event.

We want to make our event as accessible to as many people as possible, so you can choose to enter solo, as relay pairs, or in a team of 4. The event is split into 4 x segments of 8 miles.

Seasoned Ultra runners will enjoy the potential for a fast pace with interesting things to see throughout the route.  Newcomers to this style of running will benefit from a well organised event and participant support.

The route

The start and finish venue is Himley Hall, situated between Kingswinford and Wombourne. This will be the base for our event village which will provide refreshments, trade stands and post race massage.

The route itself is 99% traffic free, with just three minor, marshalled, road crossings. The majority of the route is on well surfaced disused railway lines and canal towpaths. Shoe choice is very much a personal choice.

• From Himley Hall, the route heads north via Wombourne and Lower Penn, to Wolverhampton, and the first check point at Aldersley Stadium after 8.5miles.
• From here it’s on around the east of Wolverhampton, down through the Coseley canal tunnel (329 metres) – head torches recommended, and on to Tipton and the second check point, at Victoria Park, after 16.5miles
• Leg 3 is a mandatory head torch section, as it almost immediately features the 2.7km long Netherton Tunnel, one of the longest in the UK. At 24 miles, comes the third and final check point, on the edge of the Merry Hill Centre.
• The final leg takes in Brockmoor, Pensnett, before a largely wooded, and potentially muddy, run in via Baggeridge Country Park, to the finish back at Himley Hall, and a well earned bespoke medal.

The route will be fully waymarked, and runners will also receive a set of printed instructions, a printed route map, along with a gpx file to download to your gps device. (These will be available early 2017)

There are 3 check points on the route, which also mark the ‘change-over/relay’ points for

teams. Each check point will offer water, cake, energy food and drink and first aid assistance.

Enter now for Early Bird Discount

The minimum age for runners is 18 years old on race day.

Sign up before 15th January 2017 and you’ll benefit from our Early Bird Fees which are shown in bold alongside our standard fees.

– Male SOLO £35 / £45

– Female SOLO £35 / £45

– Male PAIRS £55 (per pair) / £65

– Female PAIRS £55 (per pair) / £65

– Mixed PAIRS £55 (per pair) / £65

– Teams of Four £75 (per team) / £85 – AT LEAST ONE MEMBER MUST BE FEMALE

FREE MASSAGE at finish for all solo runners. Other categories at small charge. We’ll have prizes for the first three in each category, and all finishers will receive a bespoke medal.

RACE STARTS AT 09:30

ENTER NOW

About the Event

This event supports The Mary Stevens Hospice who provide specialist palliative care in the Dudley Borough.

£1 from all SENIOR entry fees will be donated direct to charity. Participants may make additional voluntary contributions as desired on the on-line entry page.

In addition we are supporting the work of the Canal and River Trust, with a donation option on the entry form too.