Off Road Duathlon Opens

Not since the 2016 Barrowburn Blast have we had a duathlon on our books but on 22nd November 2026 we are bringing the Deadwater Dirty Duathlon to Kielder for some exciting racing.  I remember taking part in the old Kielder  duathlon from High Terrain events round about Christmas time which was pretty popular and allowed solo participants or pairs to get out into the cold air after Christmas.  Cold Brew’s offering is consisting of a trail run – mountain bike – trail run format and this duathlon combines two off road pursuits over testing and enjoyable terrain to put a smile on everyone’s face.  Kielder is well known for it’s rich and varied mountain bike trails that are spread out on the northern parts of the reservoir and Kielder castle.  Also in the Cold Brew Events stable is the popular Shadowlands Winter Trail Series that has seen six quality runs come together to form a race series.  So why not piece together two excellent running loops with one of the more established mountain bike trails.

First off you’ll get up to speed with a roughly 10km run that will hit the forest trails and spread out the participants.  When returning back to base the transition area will be around the side of the castle and once people are finished switching to a bike they can then set off on the mountain bike leg.  This ride is a tried and tested staple in Kielder’s most popular trail known as the Deadwater red.  This lap forms the bulk of the tough Chiller 24 mountain bike race and so is proven to stand up to whatever weather may be around on the day.  The Deadwater trail incorporates the interesting outbound single track sections such as Ravens Hill, Primrose Woods and Three Dogs Climb on the way out to the furthest point before dropping down through a quick Into The Valley red that flows into Along The Watch Tower and eventually finishing with the super fast rolling berms of Twist and Shout.

A quick transition back to the running game and off you go for the final leg.  Pairs will have the luxury of passing on to the other member of the team but solo people will need to get those legs adjusted form cycling effort to running once again.  Run two is very likely to be in the area to the north east of the castle and kisses up against the riders as they drop into Twist and Shout.  With around 200m of ascent and a distance under 8km it gives people a chance to really put the pedal down and push the limits if they are wanting to go for one of the many categories on offer.  In total with both runs and the bike leg the distance will be about 30km which makes this accessible to all levels.  Whether you are a first time duathlon participant who is just a bit curious to see how it goes or you’re a hardened pro and really want to attack things then the Deadwater Dirty Duathlon has something for you.  We look forward to seeing you there.