THE addition of innovative tracking devices will allow members of the public to watch the progress of the upcoming Tyne Trail Ultra.

Organisers Cold Brew Events have announced that GPS trackers will be included in the price of the first ultra runs through the Tyne Valley, added to the event to improve safety issues as people tackle either 75km or 150km routes.

Attached to runners’ back packs, the devices will mean that people can keep a close eye on the participants and check on them if they stray into trouble after covering such long distances.

Both runs set off from Deadwater Fell, in Kielder, on the morning of Saturday, April 29, with the shorter, if you can call it that, route ending at Boatside Inn, Warden, after stop-offs at Kielder Dam, Bellingham and Wark Sports Club.

The runners going the full journey will continue after Warden, passing through Hexham, Corbridge, Riding Mill, Stocksfield and Prudhoe, onto the check points at Newburn and Newcastle, before reaching their goal at Tynemouth.

With so many miles through some rugged terrain, the trackers will provide extra peace of mind.

One of the event’s organisers, Andy Clark, said: “It’s quite a new thing but the trackers were used at the Lakes in a Day Ultra Marathon I took part in last year.

“It’s a huge benefit for safety so you can see where each runner is, and if it looks like one of them are lost we can ring them if they have signal to tell them they’ve strayed too much.

“Or if the tracker isn’t moving for an unusually long time, it will flag up to us and we can go out and look for them.

“As well as the safety benefits, it turns the race into a huge spectator sport and people can follow it online which is often hard to do with races over 100 miles. By ‘dot watching’ as it’s called, friends and relatives can also check how far the runners are off a check point and plan to meet up.

“The trackers usually cost about £200 each to buy, but we’ve rented them and added it into the price so it’s unbelievable value for money.”

Andy is a team of ultra runners putting the event on for the sake of the sport, and is confident the routes will score massive points with local people. He has reccied the route numerous times, and is always bowled over by the ever-changing beauty the Tyne Valley has to offer.

He said: “It changes all the time because of the weather, but the landscape is absolutely stunning and this was the reason we wanted to run this event so that people could enjoy it as much as we have.”

With spaces limited to 100 over the two runs – 60 in the 75km and 40 in the 150km – in its debut year, available places are at a premium.

david.coulter@hexham-courant.co.uk