Determined women intend to go ahead with this year’s Race for Life runs in Carlisle, despite half the track still being flooded.

The event, which has this year introduced a 5K Pretty Muddy course in addition to its 5K and 10K runs, should have taken place around Bitts Park and the Sheepmount. 

However, more than four-and-a-half months after Storm Desmond struck, Carlisle City Council has revealed that the Sheepmount is still months away from being suitable for any kind of sporting activity.

A council spokeswoman said: “The impact of the floods on the indoor and outdoor facilities across the Sheepmount complex was extensive, and we are still working on a full assessment on the extent of damage and our reinstatement options.

“The extent of the damage to the rest of the athletics facilities and to the pavilion is extensive. The site will be out of action as an athletics venue for several months at least.”

Despite this, Cancer Research UK, organisers of the women-only annual fundraiser, vowed that the Carlisle event would go ahead.

Angela Wilson, Race for Life Carlisle event manager, said: “Due to the flooding at Sheepmount Stadium, we have had to change the Carlisle Race for Life course a little bit this year, but our 5k, 10k and new Pretty Muddy 5k obstacle course will still be going ahead.

“Participants will arrive at the same car parks as last year but now instead of running around Sheepmount Stadium they will run through Bitts Park and around Swifts Golf Course.

“We’ve had more 1,800 ladies sign up already and all those who have signed up will be informed of the changes to the route as soon as possible. These new details are also now available on our website.”

She added: “We were determined that the floods wouldn’t stop us bringing Race for Life to Carlisle, where we always have a fantastic response from ladies and supporters.”

The event is the only one held in the north and west of the county.

The Carlisle City Council spokeswoman said that the grass football pitches at the Sheepmount may require “substantial groundwork”.

“We will not be able to be complete this work during this football season,” she said.“We will keep all clubs informed of progress and hope to have the facility operational as soon as we can, but this will be dependent on the extent of damage to the drainage systems.”

It is not all bad news for the city however. Carlisle’s Stony Holme Golf Course is the latest city venue to reopen following the floods.

Seventeen holes are open again, on winter greens.

Tom Rice, partnership manager for GLL which manages the course on behalf of the city council, said: “We’d like to thank our golfers for their patience whilst the course has been under repair.

“Our team at Stony Holme are looking forward to welcoming them back. We still have some way to go to get the clubhouse operational, but it was important to get the golfers back out on the course as soon as possible.”

The course will be open initially from 8am to 6pm each day. The clubhouse remains closed, so reception is in a temporary building and there are limited changing facilities.

To contact the club, call 07767 888612.

The Sands Centre is also now fully operational following the reopening of the squash courts on Monday 18/4 .

And four tennis courts at Bitts Park are now open for instructor-led tennis sessions, with a wider opening to the general public expected within the next few weeks.