The Coal Line Solo Ultra – OPENS 01/01/21

Today we open a new kind of race. One that adapts to the restrictions we find ourselves in and is open to just 50 people and to north east locals only. Just before the new year the north east was put into Tier 4 restrictions which put a further nail into the mass participation event coffin. For now. To satisfy peoples urge to compete against others whilst still remaining completely solo we came up with the idea of a solo ultra. Called The Coal Line, it’s a 41 mile ultra based on an old railway line that took coal to Newcastle from far off coal mines. The route is purposely chosen as one that is not in the wilds of Northumberland but is a popular route for walkers and cyclist whilst still being completely traffic free.

What’s the deal? Well a solo ultra, as you might have guessed, involves running on your own. This way you are not interacting with anyone and can maintain social distancing. You bring along your own safety team to look after you on the event should you have a problem. It’s up to you how you organise that safety team: take a hands off approach or meet up regularly. Again, this safety team needs to be someone in your immediate bubble, not someone from a different household.

How is it a race on my own? This is the beauty of the tracker. We’ll have an interactive map open for all of February. You choose your day to have one attempt at the race. Go early and you give people a target, leave it too late and you might hit bad weather. Choices choices. There are geo-fenced locations that you pass and when you do it “clicks” through a time for you. When you have passed through all three your time will be added to the table of finishers.

When you are done you’ll get some free grub from a local cafe and an event t-shirt. Prizes will be placed at the same cafe to be picked up once the race has finished. We’re hoping you can give this new format a crack and we look forward to seeing how you get on.

The Coal Line