A new sporting event has been added to a popular festival.

The Keswick Mountain Festival organisers have announced that they will be adding the Rab Skiddaw Vertical, which will challenge runners with almost 1,000 metres of ascent in under nine kilometres, racing from the market square in Keswick to the summit of nearby Skiddaw.

The race will have a similar format to popular European-style vertical runs and is set to be a highlight of the first day of the festival, on Friday May 20.

Sponsored by UK based mountain and outdoor brand Rab, the KMF Rab Skiddaw Vertical is open to 200 participants in the first year, starting in waves in front of the iconic Moot Hall from 4:00pm.

On leaving the market square, runners will head into nearby Fitz Park and then out of Keswick and up to the top of Latrigg.

From there, their next target will be the south eastern flank of Skiddaw and a steep climb to subsidiary peak Little Man, before the final push to the finishing line on the main summit, completing a distance of 8.8km, with 997m of climbing.

After their race, Rab Skiddaw Vertical runners will make their own way back down to Keswick.

With camera feeds at key locations along the route, the race will be streamed to a big screen in the market square.

Flares will be set off on the summit to signal the arrival of the first runner, with answering flares in the town centre.

Places on the Rab Skiddaw Vertical can be booked on www.keswickmountainfestival.co.uk.

For full details of the 2022 festival, visit the website, www.facebook.com/KeswickMountainFestival and follow @keswickfestival on Twitter and Instagram.