A new long-distance virtual running challenge is being launched this May.

Undeterred by lockdown restrictions, the event intends to help people across the UK explore the Lake District’s ‘hidden’ coastline and reconnect with coastal landscapes.

Run the Edge, a virtual fitness challenge, is part of the Connecting Cumbria’s Hidden Coast project, which highlights everything the coast has to offer and hopes to attract more Lake District visitors to explore nearby beaches, bays, paths and cliffs.

Throughout the month of May, ‘Run the Edge’ will give participants the chance to take a 10K challenge, a half marathon and finally a full marathon.

Along the way, runners can uncover tranquil beaches, Roman ruins, cliffs, rivers and sweeping valleys all leading up to England's highest peak, Scafell Pike.

The project hopes that it will inspire more people to visit an often-overlooked part of the Lake District - it's coastline, as restrictions continue to ease.

Originally planned as a mass-participation event, runners can complete the Run the Edge route by running (or walking) on a treadmill in their own local area or on the actual route if they are living or staying nearby.

From Saturday May 1, each participant will receive a weekly email with the challenge instructions that will test their endurance over a variety of distances, describing that week’s route and key points along the way.

The distances can each be broken down and completed over a full week.

Entries cost £18 for each runner and everyone receives a medal for taking part.