Home » Courses » Winter Mountain Ultra Running Training Weekend 2024
An immersive weekend of ultra mountain training in the middle of SPINE country, with expert coaches and elite runners.
£300 | Saturday Evening Meal | Sunday Breakfast | Location - Dufton Village Hall | 16 to 17 November 2024 | Montane Endorsed Course
Athletes in attendance are: Sabrina Verjee [La Sportiva | Double Spine winner | Ultra Legend ], Charles Sproson [Scarpa UK/Mountain Run] and Chris Wright [Mountain Mastery UK]
Your winter ultra journey starts here: we’ve teamed up with Sabrina Verjee and Chris Wright to create an immersive weekend of winter running, skills and training that will prepare you to tackle races such as The Montane Spine, The Montane Cheviot Goat, UK Rounds like the Bob Graham, Paddy Buckley or Charlie Ramsay with confidence. Expect two jam packed days of running skills with expert coaches, opportunities to learn from seasoned ultra runners, and evenings talking trails and swapping stories.
We recommend you stay at the Dufton Caravan Park in Dufton:
Dufton Hobbit Huts, Caravan Park and Camping
There are also plenty of Air B&B's locally, you can search through here:
Anyone considering taking on winter trail, mountain and ultra events - the list is none exhaustive, so think:
Anyone entered into the races above or date set for a UK Winter Adventure
We are collaborating with running coach Tim Piggot of HP3, who has offered to support attendees with bespoke training plans for e.g. the Spine race.
This is not included in the course fee, but we can link you up with Tim to discuss your individual needs should you so wish.
Tim is a sports physiotherapist with an amazing story of recovery, university academic and endurance coach, with over 20yrs experience working with beginners through to international & Olympic athletes from a multitude of sports. Coupled with nutrition coaching (Precision Nutrition 1), Strength & Conditioning, British Triathlon level2 and British Athletics Coach in Running Fitness, he can help you return to, or realise your potential.
His area of expertise is working with athletes who have been struggling with illness or injury and returning them to peak performance, particularly the longer distance events.
Course opens at 08:30 - Meet and Greet with coffee and introductions
Saturday morning/Afternoon;
Indoor session going over;
Fitness training
Clothing and Equipment
Food and Hydration
Navigation - theory
Saturday evening/night;
Outdoor session covering;
Navigation - practical
Journey on the Pennine Way from Dufton
Set up a Bivi and make a brew/food
Head back to Dufton
Food at Dufton Hall - think hearty veggie [vegan] chilli and rice
Sunday morning;
Indoor and Outdoor sessions covering;
Breakfast to get us all set - Vegan & Meat options
Walking/Running with Poles session
Pacing and movement over different ground with packs loaded
Personal Admin
Sunday Mid morning to Mid afternoon;
Journey to Greg's Hut
Familiarise yourself with the route
Practice skills on the move
Chat about mindset etc on the move
Sunday afternoon [16:00];
De-brief back at Dufton Village Hall
Course closure 16:30/17:00
This is an extensive winter kit list, you will need all of this for events such as The Montane Spine and Cheviot Goat, any winter UK rounds in the mountains and recce's you may do, so it is an investment for sure.
Let us know if you are struggling for kit, as we do have 'some' supplies to lend.
Leki/Black Diamond Poles available to use
Kahtoola MicroSpikes and KTS Steels Crampons available to use
Please be aware we WILL be moving at slow speeds at some points during the day & night - Think SPINE PACE: please account for this in your clothing selection. Check the weather forecast in advance of the training weekend and come prepared.
Please drop Charles and email if you are unsure about any of the above. [charlie@mountainrun.co.uk]
Charles Sproson is the head of Mountain Run and has a wealth of winter mountain experience under his belt. Whilst he did not complete The Montane Spine in 2014, he did recce the whole route and made it to Houghton in Ribblesdale, but suffered a knee injury and realised the Spine was not his favourite terrain and never made it back. However, Charles is a winter junkie and has spent many many hours in foul winter conditions hanging off belays, racing on skis and training through the winter on the Lakeland Fells for more than 20 years
Read more about Charles here: https://mountainrun.co.uk/abou...
Chris Wright is the head of Mountain Mastery UK, a summer and winter mountain leader, plus Mountaineering & Climbing Instructor and a Spine Race finisher amongst other winter races. Chris knows what it takes to 'get it done' and has a wealth of his own experience to bring to the weekend
Read more about Chris here: https://mountainrun.co.uk/abou...
Her achievements are not limited to the pennines, nor the UK: Sabrina, author of 'Where there's a Hill', broke the continuous Wainwright round record in 2021, completing the 325 mile route incorporating all 214 summits in just under 6 days.
More recently, she was 2nd lady in the gruelling 330km Tor des Geants race in Italy. Sabrina brings a wealth of first hand experience to this workshop. As well as giving a short talk, she will accompany the runs over the weekend, dispensing invaluable tips and practical information.
Decoding the Bob Graham Round; This is a 2 to 2.5 hour in depth seminar about everything you need to know to plan/organise your Bob Graham Round to how to train in your own area. If you are serious about doing a BGR, then this session will charge you with everything you need to know and more.
66 miles. 42 Lake District Peaks. 8,200m ascent. 24 hours to finish. If you’re looking for a serious running challenge, look no further. Have you got what it takes to complete a Bob Graham?
56 miles. 24 summits. 8,600m ascent. 24 hours to finish. Charlie Ramsay’s classic Scottish round is not for the fainthearted. Have you got what it takes?
62 miles. 47 summits. 8,500m ascent. 24 hours to finish. The ‘Welsh Classical’ is the newest of the UK rounds, and rumour has it this one is the toughest of all. Could you complete a Paddy Buckley?
The Lake District National Park is home to some of the most technical, scenic, challenging and rewarding running country in England, and we can't wait to share it with you.
Don’t let your big mountain dreams turn into a Mountain Rescue nightmare: if your sights are set on higher summits, bigger adventures or tougher mountain races this year, then this practical one-day course is the place to start.
Learn to navigate, and the mountains of the world will be your playground. Our one-day navigation course is designed specifically for runners, by runners, covering all the essentials of sound navigation on the move.
If you’re training for a long ultra, or if you just want extra peace of mind before you head into the hills for a long day out, sound night-navigation skills are a must.
Learn to use poles the right way, and you will transform yourself from struggling biped to energy-efficient quadruped: move efficiently, improve your stability, and boost your performance when you need it most.
Learn to use Trail Running Poles for walking and running in Ultra Race's and Challenges. In this course we will teach you the basics, go through some drills and then put in to practice what we have learnt. We'll supply Leki poles, so don't worry if you don't have any.
