SILVA signs up as title sponsor of the Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse

Leading outdoor navigation brand SILVA has signed up as title sponsor of the Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse expedition races.

Ourea Events recently acquired the two events, which will be held at the start of April, and then followed by the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day at the end of the same month. From this year, SILVA has agreed a three-year sponsorship of the two Traverse races, underlining the company’s investment to support UK growth.

Founded in 2016, the Northern Traverse is a continuous 308km footrace from St Bees on the west coast of England to Robin Hood’s Bay on the east coast. The route follows the well-established coast to coast route inspired by Alfred Wainwright, through the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors. It is now arguably the most popular long distance hike in England and attracts around 10,000 walkers each year. The Lakes Traverse is a 96km footrace that starts at St Bees at the same time as the Northern Traverse and, using the same race infrastructure, logistics and staffing, finishes in Shap after a traverse of the Lake District National Park fells. In its first year, 62 runners took park in the Northern Traverse, which grew to 106 for the second edition in 2018, split across the Northern Traverse and the new Lakes Traverse. Both events return in 2022 after a pandemic-enforced break and will now be annual races.

Ourea Events acquired the Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse from James Thurlow at Open Adventure in November 2021. Their addition to the stable is set to cement Ourea Events’ reputation as the UK’s leading expedition race organiser, with an English event that complements the Welsh Montane Dragon’s Back Race and Scottish Cape Wrath Ultra. The English races have grown considerably for 2022, with 175 participants entered in the Northern Traverse and 255 in the Lakes Traverse.

With support from new sponsor SILVA, Ourea Events plans to continue developing both Traverse events, raising their profile, and enhancing the experience for participants, with aspects such as first response team cover and the new park and ride options.

Shane Ohly, CEO of Ourea Events, said: “We have already enjoyed a brilliant working relationship with SILVA on our sister event the SILVA Great Lakeland 3Day™ for many years. We are delighted to be building on this relationship and welcoming SILVA on board as our title sponsor for the Northern Traverse and the Lakes Traverse. The non-stop nature of both events is a hugely challenging format for the participants and demands only the very best equipment. The combination of self-navigation, overnight darkness and the arduous continuous racing format, perfectly complements the standout range of compasses, headtorches, rucksacks and poles from SILVA.”

Tim Young, UK Sales Manager at SILVA, added: “The weather, terrain and navigation will make this journey through three National Parks a unique challenge. Anyone attempting it must be sure they are both physically and mentally strong enough. Runners will be unsupported, so it is also essential they are equipped with robust and reliable kit.

“The SILVA range of products includes headtorches, compasses and dry bags, all mandatory kit for the Northern Traverse. Our navigation experts designed the Expedition compass with a 1:40,000 scale specifically for mountain navigation. High-powered headtorches such as the Trail-Speed and Cross-Trail have multiple battery options – perfect for ultra-distance events.

“We’re really excited about this partnership. The Northern Traverse is a perfect opportunity to really show what our products can do.’’

Entries for the 2022 Northern Traverse and Lakes Traverse are almost at capacity and entries for the 2023 events will open on Friday 25 March. Find out more at www.northerntraverse.com/enter. Keep an eye on www.oureaevents.com for all of the news from the Ourea Events team and its schedule of races and other events.