Trail running to explore the unbeaten path
Soon after we planned a trip to South Africa to stay with family in Knysna, and with the idea of leaving the cold and rainy Winter behind in Wales, I began to dream of exploring the mountains in the Western Cape, and specifically tackling the 13 Peaks Challenge. Finding out about the 13 Peaks Challenge … Read more
We’re lucky to have a treadmill at home. It’s simple – speed and incline controls, going up to a maximum of 15% gradient, and not many other features. It’s not a smart treadmill. In other words it’s not able connect to smart devices or integrate with online platforms such as Zwift or Strava. I find … Read more
Long time, no update. I feels like an age since I last wrote on my blog. I’ve struggled to find time among work and life in general. I now find myself ‘reset’ in a way, after having arrived in Sunny South Africa for a 2-3 month stay visiting family. This year I have a bunch … Read more
Earlier this month I had a slightly unplanned race appear on my radar, the Hateful 8 “Loopy Winter Edition” race. The race is put on by Mad Running Junkies, led by the wonderful Kev. Kevin is a great figure in the local ultra/running community here in Wales, especially in the South. He has participated in … Read more
I booked in to the Yr Wyddfa Ultra 100 Mile race on a bit of a whim after failing to fully complete the Swiss Alps 100 mile race in Summer. I was still yearning to fully complete the 100 mile distance on a tough course this year. (The last time I had run 100 miles+ … Read more
My journey to the Swiss Alps 100 race started when I applied to enter UTMB through the lottery system. I didn’t get a place, but had pre-booked a hotel in Courmayeur, Italy just-in-case. When it was clear I wasn’t doing UTMB, I looked for other similiar races, and found the Swiss Alps 100 race. I … Read more
The PIGUM (which is an acronym for Porth I’r Gymru Ultra Marathon) is a 30 mile race with around 1700m (5500ft) elevation gain/loss, starting in the market town of Abergavenny, Wales. Porth I’r Gymru translates to “Gateway to Wales”. Last year I deferred this race due to scheduling issues, and this year I wasn’t originally … Read more
I recently entered and took part in the Wild West Ultra. A 64km (40 mile) race local to me here in Pembrokshire, West Wales. It was great to have something local to look forward to. And even better, no absurdly early wake up time on race morning, and I could do race-specific training quite easily … Read more
I booked UTS 100k soon after running the UTS 50 event last year. The mountaineous terrain in Eryri is very challenging, and the race promises a ‘brutal but beautiful’ experience. Both of those claims were delivered this year with another hot race weekend in the mountains. Race Profile The race is 104km in length, with … Read more
The Corris Round is the creation of (then) 12-year old Tom, who devised the route having been inspired by the Bob Graham Round during lockdown. It’s a route starting in the small village of Corris in Southern Eryri (Snowdonia, Wales) almost from his door step. Amazingly Tom and his Dad finished the round in about … Read more