The course in general

Cycle 1

The routes are a mass of stunning scenery, dotted with historical landmarks, beautiful lakes and enduring climbs. While Extreme North take no credit for the fantastic natural routes, other than identifying them, the perfect balance of adventure, endurance, hospitality and care for runners is part and parcel of what makes an Extreme North event a memorable one.

This event is suited to all levels of fitness enthusiast / elite adventurer. The new Mini Adventure will hopefully entice the keep fit enthusiasts to the wonderful outdoors while the 62k Extreme course is what it says and will test any elite athlete at their own pace.

All races start at the Sliabh Sneacht Centre.

62K Ultra race

12.5K Run – Starting at the Sliabh Sneacht Centre a flat start soon turns right onto a 3.0k steep climb, starting on road and eventually leading onto hill track. After passing the Wind Mills the hill road goes into a long decline before ending back on main roads and a rolling terrain leads runners to the Lake Kayak stage.

1.5k Kayak – Kayaking is on Lough Fad lake, surrounded by steep mountainous terrain, so enjoy and relax a little for some of the tasks ahead.

22.5k Cycle – The first cycle of the day starts with a 6k on road then 6k off road section which incorporates a 1k steep climb. Fantastic panoramic scenery on both sides of Lough Swilly as you wind your way around Wind Mills before embarking on rural windy, rolling roads for the final half of the cycle terminating with a steep off road climb to base of Sliabh Sneacht.

7.0K Mountain Trek – Starting with a .75k track, then onto a similar distance of relatively flat but boggy section before embarking on the real 2k climb of Sliabh Sneacht. Hopefully a clear day will reveal the real beauty of the peninsula for as far as the eye can see.

18.3K Cycle 2 – Continuing on Mountain track and after a short 1k you may have to assist / carry you bike across a 100m section then another 2k of off road before eventually ending up on small windy rural roads as you make your way back to the Finish line at Sliabh Sneacht Centre at Drumfries.

0.2K Run -Rack your bike and a short sprint around the Centre to the very welcome Finish Gantry where you’ll get presented with your Medal and Race time and then a well deserved warm meal as you reminisce on your achievement with friends and colleagues.

41K Sprint Race

6.50k Run – All on road this starts with an easy flat then continues on rolling roads as you make your way to Lough Fad and the Kayak section.

1.5k Kayak – Kayaking is on Lough Fad lake, surrounded by steep mountainous terrain, so enjoy and relax a little for some of the tasks ahead.

15.5k Cycle – The first cycle of the day starts with a 6k on road then 5k off road section which incorporates a 1k steep climb. Fantastic panoramic scenery on both sides of Lough Swilly as you wind your way around Wind Mills and separate from the Extreme Course for a shorter descent before embarking on rural windy, rolling roads for the final half of the cycle terminating with a steep off road climb to base of Sliabh Sneacht.

5.3K Mountain Trek – Starting with a .75k track, then onto a similar distance of relatively flat but boggy section before embarking on over 1k of a rock/heather climb of Sliabh Sneacht. As you turn around to descend again take in the real beauty of the peninsula for as far as the eye can see.

13.0K Cycle 2 – Continuing on Mountain track and after a short 1k you may have to assist / carry you bike across a 100m section then another 2k of off road before eventually ending up on small windy rural roads as you make your way back to the Finish line at Sliabh Sneacht Centre at Drumfries.

0.2K Run -Rack your bike and a short sprint around the Centre to the very welcome Finish Gantry where you’ll get presented with your Medal and Race time and then a well deserved warm meal as you reminisce on your achievement with friends and colleagues.

22K Mini Adventure

5.00K Run – Short but not easy , mainly rising roads with the most notable climb as runners turn towards Sliabh Sneacht on the off road section. This run will continue into the mountain trek, but a forced slower pace will be a welcome addition.

3.00K Mountain trek – At end of run on hill track runners now start on the first 1k of flat boggy hill trek, then a further 1k climb half way up the mountain. Take note of the beautiful scenery as you turn around to descend the mountain and back to the Bike Transition.

5.00K Cycle 1 – Continuing on Mountain track and after a short 1k you may have to assist / carry you bike across a 100m section then another 2k of off road before eventually ending up on rural roads as you make your way to the kayak section.

1.0k Kayak – Kayaking is on Lough Fad lake, the kayaks are twin, flat bottom kayaks which means that you don’t really need much /any previous kayaking experience as there is little chance of capsizing. So relax and take in your surrounded of the steep mountainous terrain, as you complete the short course around the centre Island.

7.8K Cycle2 – Back on the bike and navigate along small windy rural roads as you make your way back to the Finish line at Sliabh Sneacht Centre at Drumfries.

0.2K Run -Rack your bike and a short sprint around the Centre to the very welcome Finish Gantry where you’ll get presented with your Medal and Race time and then a well deserved warm meal as you reminisce on your achievement with friends and colleagues.

Finish Arena

The finishers arena in the new Sliabh Sneacht centre will greet you with a welcome worthy of the challenge and you can rest shower and recover as you savour the hot food and goodies while reflecting on an amazing achievement on an equally amazing course. The finishers medals and T shirt will serve as a deserving memento of a job well done.

The adventure consist of

Bike Hire from Grassroutes Cycles

Why not save yourself some hassle and hire a bike for the Shore 2 Summit? Cycle Inishowen are offering €29.90 bike hire for this event. The bikes are Ridgeback Velocity hybrids available in a wide range of sizes. They are 24 speed with Shimano Acera gearing, aluminium frame and rigid forks. The tyres are fairly wide for the road and ideal for the trail. We can also fit your own accessories to the bikes such as pedals, saddles etc. You can collect your bike and get fitted at Race Pack collection

Click on files below for detailed course routes

Extreme course route map – Click for more detail or download pdf

Sprint course route map – click for more detail or download pdf

Shore 2 Summit Mini adventure – click for more detail or download PDF.

Click on file below for gradients on all routes

Extreme course gradient – Click for more detail or download PDF.

Sprint course gradient – Click for more detail or download PDF

Mini course gradient – Click for more detail or download PDF.