THIS weekend saw the 19th running of the Dartmoor Discovery, or DD as it’s affectionately known, which at 32 miles and 674 yards is the UK’s longest single lap road ultra marathon.

This race, organised by Teignbridge Trotters, has gained something of a cult status on the running circuit and is one of those races that runners have to have on their CV.

The main feature of this race is the delightful countryside of Dartmoor and the associated hills. The total rise of the hills is about 1,200 metres (nearly 4,000 ft).

Due to the hills, times are typically about 50% longer than those of a flat marathon, even though the course is only 10 km longer than a marathon. The route starts in Princetown before heading east on a circular route via Two Bridges, Dartmeet, Poundsgate, Ashburton, Buckland in the Moor, Widecombe in the Moor, and Postbridge before returning to Two Bridges and Princetown where the legendary post race tea awaited the finishers, along with a bespoke quality DD medal for anyone crossing the finish line in under the strict 6 1/2 hour cut off time.

Lady BAT Fran Morgan ran the race this year, with much support out on the course from many of her fellow BATs, both past and present, and crossed the line in 6 hours 29 minutes 17 seconds.

The next outing for the BATs will be next weekend’s Buckland Bounder and Plym Valley Challenge.