The 36km ride welcomes families and those looking for a gentler route. It is primarily flat and will have designated marshals stationed at difficult junctions, with plenty of signs letting riders know the way. Feeding stations will also be placed en route, whilst a sag wagon will be available to riders on call.

The 100km ride provides more of a challenge to those who don’t feel up to do doing the longest route. The first 10km is quite flat, rising slightly through Sherriff Hutton until the start of the Howardian Hills. As well as feeding stations, this route will also offer a tea stop to refresh and refuel before heading off again, cycling past the towers of York Minster before finishing up back in Wigginton.

For those willing to tackle the longest route, the 140km ride will follow the 100km route before extending to challenging climbs including the Rosedale Chimney. Feeding stations and a tea stop will also be provided.
So, whether you looking for a challenge or a chilled ride with the family, this fundraising event caters to all.

Then, swimmers will jump on their bikes for a picturesque cycle out of the park and along local roads, cycling through Collingham and East Keswick along the way. Again, participants can choose between the 44km standard ride or the 24km sprint.

The final section of the event is a 9km standard or 6.4km sprint run around Roundhay Park where large crowds will cheer runners on. Results will be gathered using electronic chip timing to give instant results once each person has crossed the finish line. The traffic lights section will be excluded from chip timing as a ‘dead zone’. Prizes will be awarded for male and female overall winners, age groups, relay team, club and novice. So there’ll be something for everyone.

The 10K route combines sections of the infamous Coast to Coast 140m cycle route, whilst also adding a visit into the ‘Hell Hole Wood’ in Beamish – a planted ancient woodland site offering picturesque scenery for those taking part. All participants will receive a t-shirt and goody bag, and prize vouchers will be available in all categories, including team prizes. The Louisa Centre in Stanley will hold registration, refreshments and the race presentation and marshals will be on hand to direct participants to the start of the run. The Fun Run will also use part of the C2C cycle route and will finish on Oakey Park; finishers will receive a medal and a goody bag.

This event is therefore perfect for those looking for a multi-terrain challenge, and for those looking to keep the whole family entertained.

…Will there be mud? No. Will there be water obstacles? No. Will the Spartan Race UK team, now under new command, pull off this all-new ‘urban’ setting and make it just as memorable as the challenging, mudsoaked races the brand is known for? Hell yes.

Over a distance of around 5K, this was a perfect entry-level race for those wanting to find out what the sport is all about. The terrain was varied, with open sports field, trail, woodland, stadium and track sections. The race was obstacle-heavy over the first couple of kilometres, sending us under cargo nets and barbed wire crawls, over jumps, hurdles, overhanging walls, and monkey bars.

Then came the heavy-lifting obstacles, including tyres, water-filled buckets, a boulder carry, and a concrete weight hoist, all topped off with the infamous rope climb. Following a dash through a quiet woodland trail to regain some composure, we were back in the stadium for the next gruelling section.

Sprinting through the indoor track, we immediately ground to a halt when confronted by an eight-foot wall. After getting over a team of 20 by any means possible, we were told to grab a heavy sandbag and make our way up and down the steps though the stadium’s main grandstand. With positive encouragement from the wonderful Spartan volunteers, the highly charged atmosphere, music blaring and incredible views from the top over the pitch and track, this was by far the highlight of the day.

With the end in sight came the most famous Spartan obstacle… the dreaded spear throw. So, after 30 penalty burpees it was up and over more walls, a cargo net frame and a three-cornered traverse wall, all rounded up nicely with a sprint finish.

The lack of mud and a fire jump is clearly splitting camps, but this is a great race that could become a popular staple in the Spartan UK offering. Are there plans for more stadium races in the UK? According to Spartan Race’s CEO Joe De Sena, yes there are. So don’t dismay if you missed it this year.

There are three types of Spartan Race; Sprint (3+ miles, 15+ obstacles), Super (8+ miles, 20+ obstacles) and Beast (12+miles, 25+ obstacles). Check the Spartan Race website for details of upcoming races in the UK www.spartanraceuk.uk Coming up: Superhuman Games, Total Warrior and the Manchester Spartan double (Sprint and Super)