I grew up in the Yorkshire Dales, one of the most beautiful areas of England. The Yorkshire Dales are famous for many things but especially for the Three Peaks Race. The Three Peaks Race is one of the longest, long-distance road races in the UK, going over three mountains - Ingleborough, Whernside and Pen-y-ghent - for more than 24 miles. In early 2009, the 55th Annual Three Peaks Race will occur, and people from all over the world will descend on the small villages of Yorkshire to participate in the race.

The race begins at Horton-in Ribblesdale. I remember going with my Dad one year when I was a little kid to see the runners set off. Thousands of runners were lined up in colorful running shorts and vests, and when they set off, it was like a herd of cattle running down the street. Apparently, the first Three Peaks race attracted only six runners. Now, it attracts a few thousand (there is a sign up ceiling of 600 though, so if you want to run in it, get your registration in early).

In Three Peaks Race history, the race is always run on a Sunday. Although in 2008, it was on a Saturday for the first time, so it will be interesting to see if they stick with the very successful Saturday race or move it back to a Sunday in 2009.

The men's record for completion of the race is 2 hours, 46 minutes and 3 seconds, which is pretty amazing for a race that is run in some areas more than 2,500 feet above sea level. Talk about thin air!

Interestingly, in 2001, the Three Peaks Race was actually cancelled because of foot-and-mouth disease among the cattle on the Yorkshire fells. Luckily, the local authorities managed to get this disease under control and hopefully it won't happen again.

Most of the runners in the Three Peaks Race are men. It's an incredibly grueling fell (mountain) race, which seems to put off a lot of women. You're running uphill for a lot of the race, over fields, mud and hills littered with rocks and, in some places, with steep drop-offs down to a nasty death below. If you love a difficult challenge though, you'll love the Three Peaks Race. You'll feel like you died when you've finished it, but a few beers in the pub afterwards will soon revive you!