trail: Legends Trail 250+ km

250 kilometers through the hills of the Belgian Ardennes, the mystic land of fairy tales and numerous legends, but don’t be mistaken, it will take all your physical and mental strength to finish this race.

The Legends Trail 250 (LT250) is a non-stop race of more than 250 kilometers/155 miles with around 10000D+ during winter time through the Ardennes, in the hilly south of Belgium. The race will start on the 28th of February 2025 at 6.00pm in Bernardfagne (Ferrières). Participants have around 65 hours to complete the course (depending on the final distance, the cut-off is calculated on a minimum average speed of 4km/h), which, depending on the conditions, is covered by snow and ice, or fully wet and muddy underfoot, whilst being concentrated on the difficult navigation and only having 4 checkpoints and being fully self-sufficient in between.

If you’d like to see more of Legends Trail and the other races organised by Legends Trails, have a look at the movie below. For ‘When Heroes Become Legends’, Astrid Claessen and Joost Mulders followed a couple participants during The Legends Slam, trying to finish all 4 races in one year.

Registration
Registration opens on March 22nd at 6.00pm.

There will be 120 places, assigned on a first come, first served basis. There will be no wait list in operation.

Registration fee is 275€.

Cancellations will be accepted till January 15th with a refund of 50% of your entry fee. Transferring your registration to another runner is possible till February 1st with an administration fee of 5€ (and under the assumption that Legends Trails doesn’t handle the financial transaction between runners).

In order to register, you need to have successfully finished a race of 100km or more. This will be checked and verified when applying for a place.

Timetable
Friday February 28:
10.00-16.30: Race registration
18.00: LT250 start
Monday March 3:
13.30: Cutoff time (can change depending on final distance)

Start & Finish
The race will start and finish in Bernardfagne, Allée de Bernardfagne 7, 4190 FERRIERES.

Checkpoints
During the course, there will be 4 fixed checkpoints where every participant has to check-in with a race official on arrival and on departure. Failure to do so might result in disqualification.

Cut-off times are calculated on an average speed of 4km/h, and will be strictly enforced at the checkpoints. You have to be out of the checkpoint at the cut-off time. Legends Trails can also decide on intermediate cut-off times on the course if circumstances would justify this. If that would be the case, you will be informed about these intermediate cut-off times when leaving the previous checkpoint. If the weather or other circumstances require course deviations, you will also be informed about this when leaving the previous checkpoint.

In each checkpoint, the following will be offered to you:

Your drop bag
Hot and cold drinks
One good hot meal per participant per checkpoint. We will have normal and vegan options. If you have special dietary requirements, please let us know UPFRONT and we’ll see if we can accommodate you in this.
Showers and toilets.
Option to sleep in your own sleeping system outside of the checkpoint (so NO indoor sleeping options for participants).
A medical team will be available (as long as they are not required for emergencies on the course). Please take into account that the medical team can become very busy with foot care, blister treatment and such, so it’s always a good idea to be able to take care of your own feet in order to avoid long waiting times.
Mandatory Kit
90% of the course is on trail. Trail shoes are advised. There are sections of the trail which can become very muddy in wet conditions. The weather in winter is extremely variable and can include anything from snow to heavy rain or bright sunshine. Be prepared for all conditions.

There will be kit checks prior, during and after the race. Runners must carry the following mandatory equipment at all times. A time penalty of minimum one hour will be imposed for any item found to be missing at any point on course.

Race number (worn visibly and easy to read at all times)
GPS Tracker provided by the organisation
Mobile phone with a battery charged and operable for the duration of the race (roaming service recommended, with Organizers’ numbers (given at registration)
Survival Bag (if you carry your bivy or tent with you during the race, you do not need a separate survival bag). A simple survival blanket is NOT acceptable.
Whistle
Running pack or belt able to store obligatory equipment
Bottle or hydration pack of at least 1,5 litre capacity and at least 1,5 litre of water or liquid (checked on leaving aid stations)
Enough food to last to the next checkpoint
Waterproof and windproof jacket (regardless of expected weather conditions)
Shoes appropriate for the surface
Elastic bandage
ID or passport
Headlamp with spare batteries
First aid kit including any regular medication that you take in enough quantities to last 4 days
Some money (you can use shops, bars or restaurants along the course, but please pay your bills)
Red light from dusk till dawn attached to your backpack/pack
Sleeping system (can be in drop bag): Tent/bivy, sleeping mat and sleeping bag
Strongly Recommended

Clothes appropriate for the weather conditions
Gloves or waterproof gloves
Microspikes (Kahtoola Microspikes or similar)
Safety goggles (Bollé Safety Goggles or similar)
Anti-chafing ointment (e.g. Vaseline, sudocream)
Hand warmers
Trekking poles
Change of clothes
GPS device with the route downloaded. Please ensure that your GPS is able to provide you with an UTM coordinate in case of emergency
Maps provided by Legends Trails
Course Markings
The course is not marked, but every participant will get detailed maps on 1:20000 scale.

The gpx of the course will be made available on the day of the start of the race.

Medical
There will be a dedicated team of race medics available throughout the duration of the race. If you suffer an injury or accident that warrants direct medical attention, the medics will be on hand to provide you with exactly that. Contact numbers and full details of what to do in an emergency will be given to you at race registration. Due to the nature of the course ie. some off road, the medics may take some time to reach you, or potentially be out of contact tending to other runners. In those instances you should contact the emergency services on 112. If you are injured but able to walk, please make your way to the nearest aid station where there will either be a medic, or an aid station captain will immediately get in touch with medical care should you require it/ arrange for transport out. If you suffer a severe injury or encounter someone in serious difficulty please call both 112 for emergency ambulance services and the course medics.