The marathon will take place overnight. Photo: Ben Winston

Organisers of a tough winter night-time mountain marathon have announced its venue.

The base for the inaugural Marmot Dark Mountains event will be Muncaster Castle near Ravenglass on the Cumbrian coast.

The overnight marathon will take start in the evening of Saturday 26 January and will have an elite class of more than 50km, along with A, B and C courses down to about 31km. There is also an eight-hour score class.

Organiser Shane Ohly, who put together last year’s running of the Dragon’s Back race in Wales, said the elite class is still wide open, with only two pairs entered so far.

He said the event area has been carefully selected for its remote and mountainous moorland nature but is generally below 500m, and should avoid the worst of the winter weather that can be experienced on the higher Lakeland fells.

An event spokesperson said: “Although the area is low in elevation, it more than compensates for this with some technical terrain with complex contours, crags and areas of featureless moorland.

Muncaster Castle, base for the Marmot Dark Mountains Event

“Indeed, the 2012 British Orienteering Champs used some of this area to test the best navigators in the country.

“Excellent navigation, careful use of the terrain features and a cautious approach are likely to be a rewarding strategy for competitors in this challenging new event.”

There is a plethora of lower fells within striking distance of Muncaster Castle, including the fells around Devoke Water, plus the dominant Black Combe in the south-western corner of the Lake District national park.

Organisers said planning the courses proved a tricky task. Race director, Shane Ohly said: “We work to a set winning time, rather than a set distance for each course.

“However, compensating for the added difficulty of running and navigating at night has proven difficult, as the differences between people’s ability to navigate accurately and run with confidence seem to be magnified by the darkness.

“The organising team have carried out a significant amount of testing themselves and had experienced mountain marathon competitors who are independent of the planning team run the courses to check our assumptions.”

Devoke Water, with Yoadcastle, right, and Hesk Fell in the distance

Despite the careful planning process, differences in the weather conditions have resulted in very different experiences for the test team. Mr Ohly added: “Obviously, it is also impossible to account for the variations in the weather; a clear moonlit night produces a completely different winning time to a foggy wet night.

“As such, we have erred on the side of caution when determining the length and climb for each course. It is meant to be fun after all.”

Places are still available on the event, entry cost for which is £90 per team of two and there is a £500 cash prize for the elite class winners.

More details are on the Marmot Dark Mountains website.