The Queen of the Suburbs Ultra Hailed a Success
Over 200 runners take part in 50-kilometre run across Ealing
Runners setting off from Gunnersbury Park
March 27, 2024
The first ever Queen of the Suburbs Ultra has been hailed a success by its organisers after over 250 runners took part this Saturday (23 March).
The inaugural 50-kilometre ultramarathon was run and walked mostly along trails, footpaths, parks and the towpaths of Ealing and the surrounding area. A shorter 25-kilometre option was also available.
The route started in Gunnersbury Park and took in the sights of Ealing, such as Horsenden Hill, the Northala Fields mounds, Hanwell Viaduct and the Grand Union Canal, finishing at Dickens Yard in Central Ealing.
Participants officially completed the course by touching the Smile Monument (also known as the Ealing Rock) at the entrance to Dickens Yard.
The route took entrants through the centre of Ealing
Many of the entrants were from Ealing including Jay Kaye, a member of the Ealing Eagles Running Club who was taking part in his first ever ultramarathon. “It was a lovely trail route through parts of Ealing I had never previously explored, the route was clearly marked and easy to navigate throughout,” he said. “The Queen of the Suburbs Ultra was a great adventure and the perfect way to experience my first ultramarathon.”
Other runners came from across London and the southeast with competitors also from Jersey and Washington DC.
Runners said they got to saw parts of the area they had never visted before
Tasha Thompson, founder of running community Black Girls Do Run said, “If all running events were placed onto a crown, The Queen of the Suburbs Ultra was the missing jewel.”
Tasha volunteered at the registration desk early in the morning before taking part in the 25k run. “It was well thought out, well organised, and a joy to be a volunteer and a participant,” she added.
One of the successful athletes receiving her medal from a volunteer
The event was organised by local running charity We Run Ealing, the community arm of the award-winning Ealing Half Marathon.
Over 60 volunteers supported the event undertaking roles such as registering participants at the start, managing checkpoints and aid stations and handing out medals at the finish. Volunteers were also responsible for marking out the entire route with pink
ribbons the day before to help the participants navigate their way around the course.
Ealing’s Running Mayor Tom Kerry commented, “After four years in the making we were delighted to be able to deliver our first Queen of the Suburbs Ultra. Thanks to the runners, volunteers and all those who helped make it such a great success. The greenways and blueways of Ealing were a perfect canvas for the event and all the on-the-day smiles were inspirational. We’ll continue to create and deliver more running opportunities for our community, and we hope to be back with a second edition, so watch this space!”
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