Get ready for Christmas festivities and go 'there and back again' at the Winter Tolkien Trail Race on 14 December. The new event from Pennine Trails will see runners journey around the same course as their summer race only in the opposite direction. 

Speaking about their event, organisers say: "Take on the Tolkien Trail and race the trails that inspired the greatest fantasy story of all time, but this time in reverse. Run through the enchanting woods and epic scenery that inspired The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit."

With a distance of 11.1K and an elevation of 528ft, the race will start on the Avenue of the stunning Stonyhurst College, where Tolkien himself spent time and wrote parts of the Lord of the Rings (and even taught a few lectures).  

Runners will head through the village of Hurst Green before descending down the field lovingly known as Mount Doom where they will meet the Tolkienesque woodland. Seeing the breathtaking aqueduct (built in 1880), they will run counter clockwise along the Hobbiton-like Ribble River, gaining views only available to the Winter version of the race.  

Participants will then race down towards the Cromwell Bridge (built in 1562) which leads to the ancient woodlands. Racing back towards Stonyhurst College, runners will finish with the iconic building in the background, for a super photo finish and completing the eleventy one (11.1K) course.

All those participating will receive a medal and buff, organisers say: "The Tolkien Trail Race medal is one of the most sought after medals in all the land. Each event we aim to outdo ourselves, and for the Winter version, it will be no different. And the buff is well worth the entry fee alone - styled in the updated Tolkien Trail style each year."

If you'd like to know more, visit the Winter Tolkien Trail Race website. 

Image: Winter Tolkien Trail Race Facebook/Pennine Trails