Event Director’s Report – 2025 Adidas TERREX Kendal Trail Run & The North Face Kendal Skyline Ultra
By Shane Ohly, Event Director, Ourea Events
The 2025 Kendal Trail Races offered an exceptional weekend of trail running, community and festival spirit, reinforcing their status as flagship components within the Kendal Mountain Festival weekend. Both races sold out, with a record 1,200 participants entering the adidas TERREX Kendal Trail Run and 350 entering The North Face Kendal Skyline Ultra. The Ultra tripling the amount of participants that registered for the event in 2024. This remarkable demand underscores the strong connection these races have with the community and the ongoing value they contribute to the wider festival experience.
The partnership between Ourea Events, Kendal Mountain Festival, adidas TERREX, and The North Face continues to demonstrate a powerful and positive collaboration, allowing all three brands to engage meaningfully with runners, spectators and the thousands of outdoor enthusiasts visiting Kendal during festival weekend.
The atmosphere builds as participants gather in Kendal ©Joel Jameson Photography
One of the most significant aspects of the adidas TERREX Kendal Trail Run is that it operates on a not-for-profit basis, with Ourea Events donating all time, equipment and specialist support free of charge. Consequently, the race raises approximately £10,000 each year for the Kendal Mountain Search and Rescue Team, remaining the team’s largest regular annual donation. The chance to connect runners with the work of our local rescuers continues to be incredibly meaningful, and the spectators and town-centre atmosphere greatly contribute to this shared sense of community impact.
The Kendal Mountain Festival attracts around 25,000 visitors each year, giving these two races an unusually diverse and international participant base. This year, we worked closely with community organisations, including Black Trail Runners, Into Ultra and Sanctuary Runners, to encourage more involvement from groups underrepresented in trail running. Their presence enriched the event enormously, and we remain committed to deepening this work in 2026 and beyond.
Feedback from participants has been superb, with many commenting on the exceptionally clear way-marking, the friendliness and professionalism of the marshals, and the energy of the town-centre starts. The closed-road start, supported by local businesses, residents and Cumbria Constabulary, is one of the most unique and memorable aspects of the event, and we remain deeply grateful to the community for enabling it.
The trail run is supported by the local community ©My Bib Photography
Drum Nation playing to the crowds on the Ultra start line ©Joel Jameson Photography
The Kendal Skyline Ultra once again benefitted from a spectacular finish in the Kendal Mountain Festival Basecamp, with hundreds of festival-goers cheering on the runners. The lively atmosphere created by the Passenger Bus (complete with dance music) added another layer of magic and reinforced why this finish line is so special. Operationally, both races ran very smoothly. We recorded no major incidents, and our teams managed retirements from the Ultra efficiently. The drizzle and low cloud throughout the morning meant that the forecasted sunshine never arrived, but conditions were significantly better than the torrential downpour of 2024. Although the course became slippery in places, runners seemed to relish the mud, many finishing covered in splatters and wearing wide smiles.
Crowds cheered in our Ultra finishers ©Joel Jameson Photography
These races continue to benefit immensely from the support of local stakeholders. The cooperation of Kendal’s businesses, residents and local authorities ensures the safe running of the starts, and the engagement of Cumbria Constabulary is crucial for managing the complex traffic and pedestrian flows during one of the busiest weekends of the year. Our continued positive relationships with landowners remain essential for route permissions and environmental stewardship, and we will continue our post-event reviews with these partners.
Looking ahead, it is clear that the Kendal Trail Races have never been in a stronger position. The sold-out fields, outstanding participant feedback and strong partner engagement give us an excellent foundation to build on for 2026. We plan to enhance our diversity outreach and refine operational elements. The appetite for both races continues to grow each year and we strongly encourage runners to subscribe to our mailing list to ensure they are first to hear when entries open for 2026.
Participants embraced the conditions ©My Bib Number Photography
Reflections
One of my frustrations from the weekend was that the first gate on the Trail Run leading from the old horse racing course into the initial section of Helsington Barrows (the Bradley Field area) was not opened. This led to some unfortunate delays as runners were forced to use the kissing gate, and a queue developed at peak times. This gate should have been opened, and this situation is entirely avoidable. In fact, the whole reason for using this route is that there is a gate access point rather than the more direct line, which only has a kissing gate.
In the days since the Trail Run and Skyline Ultra, the office team from Ourea Events has covered much of this course in their daily runs, which serves as a useful double-check for any wayward waymarking. We have only found two directional arrows, which have been removed, and we are also delighted to confirm that any evidence of the passage of 1,000+ runners is almost zero; a testament to the hard-wearing nature of the ground and the route.
In closing, I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone involved: the runners, volunteers, marshals, medical teams, partner brands, Kendal Mountain Festival, landowners, local businesses, residents, and emergency services. Your collective support and enthusiasm are what make the Kendal Trail Races the special events they are. It has been a privilege to direct the 2025 edition, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back to Kendal next November.
Recap The Weekend On Socials
Relive the weekend highlights ©Tanya Raab Photography
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