Great Owl Running
Leeds Country Way Winter Ultras
Next Race: 10/01/2026 + 1 other
Miners Welfare Hall, 56 Main St, Garforth, Leeds LS25 1AA & St John's Community Church, 19 Carr Bottom Rd, Greengates, BD10 0BB
Looking for a challenge to get you out during the dull winter days and embracing our fine British weather? Look no further than the Leeds Country Way Winter Ultras: An ultra challenge designed to make the most of the limited winter daylight. The Leeds Country Way Winter Ultras event consists of two consecutive point-to-point ultra-marathons circumnavigating the city of Leeds via local footpaths.
Day One is the longer 58km LCW South which starts at The Garforth Miners Welfare Hall and follows the LCW in a clockwise direction passing Swillington, St Aidan's RSPB, Methley, Swithen's Farm, Carlton, Lofthouse, East Ardsley, Woodkirk, Batley, Morley, Drighlington, Tong, Fulneck, Pudsey, Woodhall Hills and finishes in Greengates. This day packs a punch but if you are running both days it means that you have broken the back of the Leeds Country Way.
Day Two is the LCW North. Coming in at just over the marathon distance this is an ideal fisrt winter ultra for anyone. The 43km race starts at Greengates and heads through Apperley Bridge, Horsforth, Cookridge, Golden Acre Park, Eccup, Harewood, Bardsey, Thorner, Barwick in Elmet and finishes back at Garforth.
EVENT DETAILS
Terrain Leeds Country Way Footpath / Trail
Entry Limit 150
Minimum Age 20
ULTRA SOUTH - DAY ONE
Route Garforth - Greengates (LCW Clockwise)
Race Start Miners Welfare Hall, 56 Main St, Garforth, Leeds LS25 1AA
Race Finish St John's Community Church, 19 Carr Bottom Rd, Greengates, Bradford BD10 0BB
Distance ~59km / 36 miles
Elevation ~800m
Registration 07:00
Start Times 08:00 & 09:00
Course Close 18:00
ULTRA NORTH - DAY TWO
Route Greengates - Garforth (LCW Clockwise)
Race Start St John's Community Church, 19 Carr Bottom Rd, Greengates, BD10 0BB
Race Finish Miners Welfare Hall, 56 Main St, Garforth, Leeds LS25 1AA
Distance ~43km / 27 miles
Elevation ~650m
Registration 07:00
Start Times 08:00 & 09:00
Course Close 18:00
WHAT'S INCLUDED?
A Hot Meal at the end of each day
Bag Transfer to the finish
Drop bag transfer to the halfway point
Hot Drinks at start / halfway / finish
Wooden Finishers Medal
Finishers Poster
ABOUT LEEDS COUNTRY WAY
A very popular long-distance walk of 100km / 62 miles which makes a complete circuit around the city of Leeds and visits many of the neighbouring towns, villages, parks and nature reserves.
It is never more than 7 miles from Leeds City Square. Despite being so close to the city the route is mainly rural with much to enjoy including extensive views to the West and North Yorkshire countryside in the outlying areas of the Leeds metropolitan district. It follows public rights of way including footpaths, bridleways and minor lanes, with just a few short sections along roads.
History A route was first devised by Fred Andrews of the Ramblers Association, and then developed by West Yorkshire County Council in the early 1980s. This council was abolished in 1986, and the path is now under the care of the Countryside section of Leeds City Council. The Leeds Country Way was realigned in 2006, using a route devised by Bob Brewster, to bring it entirely within the boundary of the Leeds metropolitan district (previously it crossed the boundary into Wakefield), and the path was officially relaunched on 26 September 2006 with a revised set of map leaflets and improved waymarking.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
You must have completed at least one marathon or ultra-marathon within the last 4 years and be able to give an example upon entering.
KIT REQUIREMENTS
MANDATORY
Hat and Gloves
Waterproof Jacket with taped seams
Minimum of 500 ml water/sports drink to be carried
Headtorch/Torch
Whistle
Emergency food supply (chocolate/energy bar)
Map and route description
Survival Bag
Foil blanket
Mobile phone
Cup for drinks at aid stations and the finish
RECOMMENDED KIT
Spare Gloves
Buff or similar
GPS
Full leg cover (eg running tights)
TIME LIMIT / CUT OFFS
DAY ONE - 18:00 (10 hours)
DAY TWO - 18:00 (10 hours)
We will have a strict but generous and fair procedure in place to ensure the safety of our volunteers. There will be a cut off at the approximate half way point each day. We want the race to be completed in full by as many participants as possible and we will have two start times with an early start reserved for entrants with longer predicted finish times.
CREW / PACERS / SAFETY RUNNERS
Crews are allowed
Crew vehicles must not park on any private property / roads and must not obstruct the official checkpoint vehicles. We ask that any crew vehicles find a safe and quiet place to park when meeting their runners.
Pacers are allowed but must not accompany at the start or the finish line of the race.
ALL Runners must carry all mandatory kit themselves and any runners found to have used pacers as mules will be disqualified.
NAVIGATION
Leeds Country Way Winter Ultras will not be marked and require self navigation - However The Leeds Country Way is a well trodden footpath and is marked with green plates with a yellow owl icon. Any deviations from the footpath will be signposted.
The GPX files are available and it is recommended runners carry a printed race map. It is ultimately the runners responsibility to navigate the course successfully. Recces are recommended.
RECCE DAYS
We will be hosting some recce days in 2025, info TBA
CHECKPOINTS / AID STATIONS
The Winter Ultras will all have a number of manned checkpoints and aid stations with basic food and drink and an indoor aid station around the half way mark. Exact locations tbc. The route itself also passes many local amenities, shops and pubs etc. Runners will be informed of which checkpoints will have toilets ahead of race day.
PRIZE CATEGORIES
Prizes TBA for LCW Winter Ultra South / North and Overall
VOLUNTEERS
This race will require plenty of volunteers, and plenty of roles are available including some running roles. Roles include fully mobile checkpoint teams, aid station crew, finish crew, race timing, tail running crew, drivers. If you are interested please check out the link below.
COURSE RECORDS
OVERALL
9:39 Tim Brook 2025
12:24 Ella Bishop 2025
SOUTH
5:09 Tim Brook 2025
6:44 Ella Bishop 2025
NORTH
4:10 Chris Andrade 2025
5:40 Ella Bishop 2025
Location
Directions
TRAVEL
Garforth and Greengates are specifically chosen to be the start/finish points due to their access to public transport and local amenities. Both Garforth and Greengates (Apperley Bridge) are accessible by bus and train (within 15 mins of Leeds). Both starts and finishes are located within 15 minute walk of a local train station (Garforth and Apperley Bridge) and will be at a warm indoor venue with access to toilets, hot drinks. Bags for warm clothing will be transported from the start to the end each day. There will be also be hot food and drink available at the end of each day.
On Saturday trains services starts with time for you to get to registration around 6am after dropping your vehicle off in Apperley Bridge. On Sunday we would advise heading straight to Greengates and returning post race as the trains are less frequent.
Overall Rating
