Trail running to explore the unbeaten path
Summarised, the Dragon’s Back Race was a week running the ‘spine’ of Wales in a week of particularly intense heat. This week-long adventure was interspersed with lasting memories and friendships forged in the shared enjoyment of the mountains of Wales (and the hardships we endured). The Dragon’s Back Race (Ras Cefn y Ddraig in Welsh) … Read more
The tag line of Ultra-Trail Snowdonia, part of the UTMB World Series of events, is “Beautiful beyond belief. Savage beyond reason“. And the events certainly live up to that claim. Eryri (Snowdonia) is one of the most beautiful locations in the UK. The terrain, from the mountains, to the bogs between can be cruel and … Read more
Last weekend I got to run the Preseli Beast. A 24 mile fell race with 4652 ft (1418 meters) of elevation, here in my local county of Pembrokeshire. I’ve posted about the Preseli Hills before in this blog post. They can be surprisingly challenging to run, but are a lot of fun. A few weeks … Read more
After a string of successful ultra marathons in 2022, and wanting to push myself further, I signed up for my biggest challenge yet. The Wild Horse 200 South Wales. The Wild Horse 200 is a 200 miles (a bit more really) continuous multi-day ultra marathon, and features around 10,000 meters (32,000 ft) of vertical elevation … Read more
With 2023’s races and events coming up further into the year, I found myself seeking a bit of a goal to strive toward in the month of January. Soon I happened on the Badwater 267 VR challenge. The running division is a virtual race across the 3 x official Badwater race course distances, where you … Read more
The North Coast 110km ultra was a spur of the moment booking for me. I found it, and signed up for it exactly one week before the event itself, on the last day that registrations were open. Talk about being trigger happy! Part of my decision to book this in was me looking (impulsively) for … Read more
The Llanelli half marathon was held on the 25th September this year. It’s a coastal course starting at the Parc Y Scarlets stadium, running out and back again. It runs partly along closed roads before hitting a hard packed mixed gravel and asphalt coastal path. Not the kind of trail and terrain I am used … Read more
The RIDUM 2022 was yet another brilliant ultra marathon by Pegasus Ultra Running. The course itself is roughly 30 miles (50km) and traverses the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway near Caerphilly, Wales. RIDUM 2022 Personal time goal Being 50 km in length, I knew I wanted to run this one faster than a typical 50 miler, but … Read more
A chased day of work on Friday followed by a two hour journey east to Builth Wells, just a little north of the Brecon Beacons National Park had me arriving at the start line of the EDDUM. A 50 mile ultra marathon along the Epynt Way, hosted by Pegasus Ultra Running. The EDDUM is 49.7 … Read more
The North CANUM ultra is a 50 mile race following two waterways in North Wales – the Llangollen and Montgomery canals. The route starts near the Berwyn range in the town of Llangollen, and finishes in Newtown. Although the route is quite flat, along the way you get to experience breathtaking views of the surrounding … Read more