The race itself is run entirely on the road and starts and finishes in Princetown which is the home of Dartmoor prison. While the distance for this particular ultramarathon is “only” 32 miles 674 yards it is one which has a precondition in that you need to have completed a marathon in less than 4 and half hours in the 18 months prior to the race. Even though the Dartmoor Discovery ultramarathon is limited to a maximum of 190 entrants it is one of the hardest in the UK, and potentially Europe, taking in 4000 feet of ascents and descents.

The race has been run since 1998 although the 2001 event was cancelled because of the foot and mouth outbreak in the UK which affected the local area. The record time for the men’s event came in 2002 when Mike Feighan of Exeter Harriers  registered a time of three hours 36 minutes. The record for the ladies event is held by Adela Salt who registered a time of just under four hours and three minutes back in 2008.

This is most certainly not a race for novice Ultra runners!