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06
Sept
Masham gearing up as Long Course Weekend begins today
Masham is gearing up to host Yorkshire’s very first Long Course Weekend.
Around 1,700 athletes and 4,000 spectators are expected to descend on Masham and surrounding villages for the sports tourism weekend, which is due to be hosted annually over the next three years following a £75,000 deal with North Yorkshire Council.
The Long Course Weekend follows a similar structure to a triathlon. It includes running, cycling and swimming but participants can choose to enter as many events as they like.
The event begins today (September 6) and ends on Sunday.
Masham Market Place has been converted into an athlete's village and central hub, which will be used as a registration area, for start and finish lines, and for an awards presentation.
Some 400 swimmers will take on 1.2-mile and 2.4-mile swims this afternoon, which are being held 20 miles down the road from Masham at Grimwith Reservoir.
Credit: Black Sheep Brewery Facebook
The cycling event will take place on open roads across the Harrogate district on Saturday, which will see around 600 cyclists take on a 112-mile or 56-mile route.
Donned the blue-ribboned day, the running events will bring the weekend to a close on Sunday. It will include a marathon, half-marathon, 10k and 5k with an estimated 750 people taking part.
A number of roads around the area will be closed to facilitate the event. You can find a full list of closures here.
Credit: Long Course Weekend
Official beer partner Black Sheep Brewery, which is hosting a Long Course Carnival over the weekend, today said on social media the event will begin with a carnival breakfast menu from this morning.
It added the brewery will be hosting a beer festival on-site, with more than 20 draught beers and a BBQ to be enjoyed.
Over the three days, people can also look forward to stalls, live music, a fire breather, free brewery tours and sweet treats for children at Black Sheep to mark the occasion.
The Stray Ferret has followed the Long Course Weekend's progress closely since it was announced last September.
North Yorkshire Council anticipates the Long Course Weekend will generate up to £2 million for the local economy.
You can find a full breakdown of events and timings in our Long Course Weekend guide, which was published earlier this week.
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