Preparing for Helvellyn Sky Ultra

To give you the best chance of reaching the finish line ahead of the course cut-off and to avoid an unplanned bus ride home from Ambleside, we would recommend that you take on an appropriate level and amount of mountain training.

The following are a number of ways to help make sure that your experience at Helvellyn Sky Ultra is unforgettable – for all the right reasons!

Build up your relevant race and terrain experience

We would expect you to have or be building up the skills and confidence to run technical terrain and long distances.

If this is your first big skyrace – perhaps you’re stepping up from Mourne Skyline or Ring of Steall; then tough ultra-distance routes like Lakeland 50, Keswick Mountain Festival 50km, V3K, Lakes in a Day or the Tour de Helvellyn all provide the type of race preparation and experience that will be beneficial.

Build up your ridge-running experience

You will need to be able to tackle ridge-running with sure feet and a clear head, without posing a danger to yourself, your fellow competitors or our safety team.

And to do this requires practice and getting out as much as possible to gain the relevant experience.

If you have a fear of heights, wobbly knees or vertigo, then maybe this isn’t the race for you. However if ridge-running is your cup of tea, then this is the Ultra distance Sky race you've been looking for.

Join us on a course at Mountain Run Sky School

If you love the sound of all this but are worried that you don’t have the time, access or confidence to get the race or hill running experience on your own, then check out our Mountain Run Sky School training packages.

We have a number of Skills Training Weekends and Route Recce days that are aimed at making Helvellyn Sky Ultra entrants gain the specific experience and confidence they need to run their best sky race ever.