Lonesome Pine Run – PREVIEW

With four races down and two to go in the Shadowlands Winter Trail Series this Saturday it is the turn of the Lonesome Pine Run for people to get stuck into.  On the night there are the usual range of category prizes on offer.  For the long term series there is still a lot to play for.  Series front runners can look to close out their titles whilst others are well placed to make big moves.  Just take a look at the wide open FV50 category where no-one has done more than one run.  The Lonesome Pine run has a little more distance at 16km and a reasonable ascent total at 369m.  It’s not an outright long distance slog but neither is it a quick-fire blast.  Let’s take a look at the key points below:

Setting off from Kielder castle car park the run uses the track in behind the castle that skirts alongside the river opposite the Salmon fishery.  After that runners pop out over the main village road at point B and use the village bypass track to make a beeline for the viaduct.  At point C runners choose not to go on the viaduct but instead pass straight over the entrance to it and head to the Lakeside Way.  The Lakeside Way between point C and D is wide, flat and fast.  Those people wanting to make a fast start and test the competition then this is the spot for you.

At point D it is time to get off the Lakeside Way and and head up the very long hill that Lewis Burn runners last weekend came down.  It’s a gradual climb with trees trees reaching down from all sides to give an enclosed dark feel to proceedings.  Turning at point E runners stay on the same track that works its way north west before dropping down when it heads north east and dips to point F.  The uphill drag between point F and G will probably be the toughest of the day.  It starts off relatively gentle before cranking up the gradient to a crescendo of the last 400 metres of pain to the head of the mountain bike trail.

Point G is the head of the newly relaid mountain bike trail and offers a fabulous view over the reservoir on a clear day.  With any luck runners might get a break in the clouds and see stars rippling of the surface should they have time to look up.  The new trail was built for accessible bikes so it is wide, rolling and quick.  It’s a short hop to the forest track below and after another small bit of single track people will be taken to Skyspace before passing beyond that to the Sky Dive mountain bike trail at point H.  Sky Dive has also been relaid and is now silky smooth which gives runners confidence to attack if there is skin in the game.

A small fire road crossing and then runners dive into the final section of trail that ultimately spits people out at the main road near the garage.  Safely cross that road and then sprint down the tarmac road to the castle before winding a way behind the castle once more and through the pinetum to cross the Forest Drive and give it full beans to the finish line.  The regulation hot chocolate will be waiting for you but I’ll need to check if my mother has any home baked goodness lined up.

In terms of the overall series the Lonesome Run represents a great opportunity to score big points no matter where you finish in the race.  It’s easier to grab them here than the final round at the Duergar Run where numbers swell somewhat.  Good luck to everyone taking part.