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27
Jun
Long Course Weekend in Masham cancelled
An endurance race extravaganza that was set to attract thousands of visitors to Masham has been cancelled for “operational reasons”, according to the organisers.
The Long Course Weekend would have seen more than 3,000 competitors battle it out over three days at the end of August in cycling, swimming and running events of various distances.
As many as 10,000 supporters from all over the world were expected, giving a welcome boost to Masham’s hospitality industry.
But The Long Course Weekend website now features a banner saying: “Event withdrawn. New date will be announced shortly.”
Felicity Cunliffe-Lister, who represents the Masham and Fountains division on North Yorkshire Council, told the Stray Ferret that the Long Course Weekend steering group in Masham had received an email from Scott Powell, of organiser Activity Wales Events, the let them know that he had decided to cancel and was looking for an alternative venue for 2026.
She said:
He mentioned that community buy-in was essential for the delivery and legacy of the event and that it was clear this could not be achieved. I am not sure if there were other operational reasons.
The lack of “community buy-in" Mr Powell alludes to in his email appears to be a legacy of the first Long Course Weekend held in Masham, last year.
That event proved controversial from the outset. In the lead-up to the weekend, many local residents complained of a lack of communication from the organisers, particularly with regard to road closures for some of the running races.
In addition, the organisers had advertised that “5,000 athletes and 20,000 supporters” would come to Masham, but in the event just 1,500 took part, and some local hospitality providers said they had experienced a drop-off in business due to road closures, rather than a boost.
This year, the organisers had tried to engage more with local people, and in February even made a £500 donation to Masham Primary School to pay for new educational resources and extracurricular activities.
Ms Cunliffe-Lister said:
Whilst the first event didn't get off to a great start in terms of engagement with local residents, I was hopeful that this year would run more smoothly, so it's a disappointment.
It was a good match for the area, in that it attracted outdoor and active tourism during quieter months and showcased this part of the world to a market that didn't know it so well.
I know that the officers at Visit North Yorkshire are working with Scott to try to establish another location for the event.
Long Course Weekend events are also held in Wales, Belgium, the Netherlands and Mallorca.
The Stray Ferret has contacted Activity Wales Events and Visit Yorkshire for comment.
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