Competitors at the start of the 2017 Black Spur Ultra. Raven Eye Photography fie

Competitors at the start of the 2017 Black Spur Ultra. Raven Eye Photography fie

Ultra marathon Black Spur Ultra returns to Kimberley

54 k and 108 k marathon runs

Round the Mountain 2018 and the Kimberley Spartan Race are in the books, and both proved very popular with locals and those who travelled from afar to take part.

There’s another adventure race looming on the horizon, and this one features extreme marathon running.

For the third year, the Black Spur Ultra in coming to Kimberley, and the trails around the Kimberley Alpine Resort on August 24 to 26, 2018.

With the tag line, ‘The Black Spur Ultra — it’s gonna beat you up a bit’, this is not a race for the faint of heart.

The race features a 54 k solo run, a 108 k solo run, and a 108 k relay. Twelve hours are allotted for the completion of the 54 k and 24 for the 108 k distances. Last year’s 108 K men’s winner, Michael Moore of Fernie, finished in 14 hours, 18 minutes, 51 seconds. The top female was Charlotte Brockton of Saskatchewan with a time of 17 hors, 53 minutes and 31 seconds.

The course is split into three loops that start and end at Kimberley Alpine Resort.

The course was described by a competitor last year as technical, difficult and generally awesome.

“The Alpine Resort in Kimberley is probably the best spot in the world to host an ultra marathon,” said Joshua Slykhuis, who finished second in the 108 k in 2017.

To sign up for the ultra marathon, or to volunteer at this year’s race, go to www.blackspurultra.com

Kimberley Bulletin