Trail Races

There are four mountain races at Átjan Wild Islands. The rough distances are:

Ultra-Trail Faroe islands approx 60KM / 2500m

Átjan Mountain Marathon approx 42KM / 1800m

Átjan Mountain Half Marathon approx 20KM / 900m

Átjan Mountain Trail approx 10KM / 500m

These are approximate distances and elevation, and are subject to change.

It is imperative that you have some mountain running experience and are correctly equipped to race in the mountains. The trails are technical, with steep ascents and descents and at times will involve some light scrambling and exposed mountain ridges. If you are unsure of your experience or have any questions about your ability please email sarah@atjanfestival.com

The mountain races take place on Saturday 3rd September 2022

Due to the fragile nature of the Faroe Islands, and in order to respect the environment, as well as the farmers land, the festival will be capped at 500 runners across the four races. If you are looking for a race atmosphere of thousands of athletes – this event is not for you.

Some areas of the routes feature sections of light scrambling which involve loose scree and sections with very rough terrain, sometimes needing three points of contact in the case of loose rock. Therefore these events are NOT for the faint hearted.  Please be aware that some sections of the route traverse high and remote mountainous terrain and sometimes in very variable weather, so we ask that competitors feel at ease with these conditions in order to complete the course. The routes cross large expanses of uneven, boggy, and rough terrain that do not follow worn paths or trails which you may be used to running in the UK, Alps, or at other trail running events. 

Mandatory Kit List 

Must be worn:

• Short or long sleeve base layer top 
• Shorts or tights
• Mountain/ Trail running shoes – must have suitable tread

Must be worn or carried:

• Waterproof jacket with taped seams
• Waterproof trousers with taped seams*
• Spare Long Sleeved Base Layer Top*
• Hat or buff
• Gloves
• Head Torch*
• Survival Bag. Click here for video explanation.
• Whistle
• Mobile Phone
• Map of the route (given at registration)
• First aid kit with a minimum of - wound bandage, 4 x adhesive plasters, 4 x safety pins, antiseptic wipes/cream, and any personal medication you require.
• A water reservoir/flask with a minimum capacity of 1 litre
• A reusable cup/mug* There will be no plastic cups at the check points
• Nutrition/Food for the duration of the race
• Suitable running race Vest, Race Pack/ Backpack

*These items are not required on the Mountain Trail 10km

Participants should be sufficient in the event of injury, and in the event you should need to walk to the nearest check point or start/finish locations. The race crew will reserve the right to ask for additional warm clothing to be worn or carried if the weather conditions demand so. In the communication leading up to race day, and the safety briefings on the day, you will be notified of any additional requirements. Due to the nature of the terrain, participants will need to carry their own food and drink for long sections of the course. It is the participants responsibility to arrive prepared. If you have any questions please contact sarah@atjanfestival.com

There will be a baggage drop available for warm clothes at the finish line of each race. We ask participants to limit this to one rucksack / small bag per person. The bag can be dropped off at the shuttle service on the morning of the race. If you would like to use this service, please make sure you’ve booked the ‘Return Coach Transfer’ option at the checkout. If you haven’t yet done this, you can log in to your Easol account here to add the option.

All courses are route marked with event flags. You will not need to navigate and must follow the route marking flags at all times. GPX files will be available to download, but competitors are asked to use the flag markings in the first instance. Please appreciate that there are always differences between gpx files depending on what software you are using and data may show up differently on different devices. For safety reasons, competitors should always follow the route markings as these are more accurate.

The Ultra-Trail Faroe Islands will have 6 checkpoints, 4 of these will be aid stations and offer food + hydration.

The Átjan Mountain Marathon will have 5 checkpoints, 4 of these will be aid stations and offer food and hydration. 

The Átjan Mountain Half Marathon will have 1 midway checkpoint, but due to the remote section of the course, this will not have food or hydration.

There is no aid station  on the Átjan Trail 10km but there will be support on the route.

Given the remote section of the routes, runners must aim to be self-sufficient between aid stations. There are fresh mountain streams to fill up with water throughout the course.

Runners must aim to be self sufficient in nutrition, hydration, clothing and equipment.

There will be cut off times for at checkpoint. These are in place for the safety of runners and event crew. The cut off times at the checkpoints are fairly lenient in time (i.e we allow for slower runners to reach them) but will be strictly enforced if runners look like they are unable to continue. Precise cut off times will be released in Spring 2022.

You must change the name of the booking to transfer your ticket to someone else, because names on tickets must match I.Ds at the entrance to the venues.

To do this, the person you are selling the ticket to will need to get set up with an Easol account here https://myeasol.com/

Once this is done, please email hello@lovetrails.com to inform them of the name and e-mail address of the person you would like to transfer your booking to. There is a £10 admin fee to change a name on a ticket.

Distances can be changed up until the deadline of 5th June 2022. This is subject to the number of entries per distance. If a race distance is full, we can add you to a waiting list and we'll let you know if a place becomes available. Please email sarah@atjanfestival.com using the subject RACE DISTANCE CHANGE and include your full name, email, and the distance you’d like to change to :)