Pennine Ultra & Trail Skills

Bespoke Trail Running Skills Days for Individuals, Groups & Clubs

PENNINE COUNTRY TRAIL, ULTRA & MULTI DAY RACING

Our trail running, ultra and multi-day race skills course emphasis is on great value and quality training. With instructors who’s focus is upon your skills development, confidence, aspirations and enjoyment – Sharing ideas, tips and learning, so that you arrive at your chosen race with the best possible preparation. The courses are in Pennine Country, from our base in Hayfield, with immediate access to a broad variety of terrain to enjoy an immersive day. Our courses are open to all trail and ultra participants who are looking to broaden their range of skills.

OUR COMPLETE RACER APPROACH

Stu Westfield, Ranger Ultras trail race organiser is and experienced Mountain & Expedition leader, endurance event runner and former cycling time trialist. Through his Complete Racer courses Stu has assisted many trail and ultra runners: Helping novice and GPS-only navigators develop confident ‘heads-up’ route finding skills. Using incremental gains and sharing the results of detailed analysis to make easy ‘quick win’ time savings. Also, turning the disappointment of previous racers DNFs into robust and ultimately race finishing strategies.

Naturally, we cannot guarantee that our courses will present you that much sought after finish. But, we are confident that with us, you’ll develop a race strategy which will enable you to travel further, faster and more efficiently than you otherwise would have done.

THE SPINE RACE

Stu Westfield (Ranger Ultras) supported The Spine from the very first edition in 2011 to the 10th Anniversary in 2022 (postponed from 2021 due to Covid). Starting on the original Safety Team and then as Spine Safety Team Manager. He formalised the Spine safety procedures into a structure which made information accessible to every team member as well as empowering on-the-ground team leaders.  As the race grew in popularity with each edition, Stu evolved the Safety Team plan to ensure it remained fit for purpose and continued to fully support all team leaders, within the constraints of a tight budgetary framework. At the same time as taking care that the spirit of the event was undiluted and participants still had what he liked to call ‘the full experience’.

Stu has also coordinated many Spine Race training events. Several of which were provided under-licence to Ranger Expeditions & Ultras. Guest speakers drawn from the most experienced Spine Safety Team members, Mountain Rescue and Spine competitors were a regular feature of these gatherings. Many course participants were Spiners & Challengers going for the finish rather than high placings.  So the content was made especially relevant, by inviting previous mid-field and back-markers to share their top-tips and lessons-learnt. A common thread among participants at the start of their course was that they ‘didn’t know what they needed to know’. But by the end of each training session, feed back from participants was that they came away with a wealth of information, ideas, skills and strategies to help them on their way to developing their own personal race finishing plan.

In latter years Stu was Co-Race Director on both the summer and winter Spine Race series.

LEGENDS TRAILS

As Safety Team Manager, Stu has also regularly supported Legends Trails, from their first race, the Legends 250km, in the Belgium Ardennes in 2016. He has helped build the Legends safety systems and procedures, within local infrastructure parameters. Working closely with regional emergency medicine professionals on the Legends team, with positive feedback on his leadership of the safety team: “I wanted to congratulate you for the way you guided the race, a brilliant job well done. It was very impressive how professional everything went”.

Here’s just a selection of the comments from previous course participants…
“Without your course I’d still be faffing at CP1″
“The timing plan we did on the Hayfield training day was very useful”
“Had a great time spending two days navigating with Stu”
“A great weekend with lots of excellent training”
“A real confidence boost”
“Your tips made it possible for me to finish the Spine Race”
“Thanks and appreciation for the advice you provided and which I believe played a big part in helping me complete the Spine successfully”
“Thank you for the course, it has certainly given me the confidence to ‘race’ and reassured me that I’m not a liability on the hill”
“Thank you for a brilliant weekend of advanced race skills training, I found it really useful and worthwhile”
“Thanks and appreciation for the advice you provided and which I believe played a big part in helping me complete my race successfully”

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