Having received the green light from the Commonwealth Games Federation in May 2007 to press ahead with organising a Commonwealth Championship in Ultra Distance and Mountain Running, we are pleased to announce that at last the financial arrangements, the venue, and the date have been agreed
“At a recent Cabinet meeting of the Cumbria County Council (GBR), it was agreed that the County become the &lsquo,Accountable body&rsquo, for the championships. This decision releases significant amounts of money from the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA) for the event to be held in the Northwest of England in the Cumbrian town of Keswick. The date of the four days of competition will be September 17th-20th 2009

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Keswick was the venue of the successful World Masters Mountain Running Championships in 2005.

The funding is in place to guarantee the staging of the championships and some monies are in place to support commonwealth countries towards their accommodation costs. Sponsorship from the commercial sector is expected to cover the cost of the festival of sport which will accompany the championships. The festival will focus on youth and school children introducing them to the atmosphere of international athletics and encouraging a healthy lifestyle.

The Championship programme will comprise two Ultra distance races over 100km and 24 hours, and two Mountain races, one being uphill only and the other an up/down race starting and finishing in the towns Fitz Park.

Situated in the heart of the Lake District, Keswick benefits from ideal natural terrain, and experience of organising many mountain races, road races, and important cultural events.

The date has been carefully chosen not to clash with the peak tourist season or other town events and to be just one week separated from the 2009 World Mountain Running Trophy when many commonwealth mountain running athletes will be present in Europe to represent their countries.

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