Last updated: 27-Dec-16
By Luke Jarmey
We’re pleased to announce our top 10 reviews for August. Congratulations to Danny Shrimp (@dannyshrimp) who will receive a pack of 33Shake Chia Energy Gels.
Ultra Tour of the Peak District – England, UK
After a late night immersing himself in the British Women’s hockey gold medal glory, Danny jumped headfirst into his 2nd crack at the Ultra Tour of the Peak District. He describes conditions that could certainly be chalk to the cheese of the sweltering 2013 edition. Clearly not hampered by the ‘horizontal rain’, he describes a fantastic race and performance from himself. It seems that Marcus Scotney (@MarcusScotney) is quite the trainer!
In no particular order, here are our remaining top 9 reviews for August.
North Downs Way 100 (NDW 100) – England, UK
It is an absolute staple of the British ultra marathon calendar. The North Downs Way is an enormously popular 100-mile romp across the down land of Surrey and Kent.
Inspired by Dean Karnazes’ “Confessions of an All-Night Runner”, Kate Driskell (@totkat) tells us a bit about her ultra running background and how she popped her 100 mile cherry on the NDW 100.
This was also Sarah Cooke’s (@SarahCrunning) first 100 miler and it certainly seems like she had a blast. Her review consists of a beautifully detailed account of all the elements of an ultra marathon. A must read for anyone considering the race.
Unanimous praise for Centurion Running’s organisation and attention to detail is something we hear a lot of. Stewart Liesnham (@stewartliesnham) gives an indication as to why this may be the case in his personal account of the NDW 100
Alex Murphy (@alxmurphy) describes a moderately rolling first half to the race, with the terrain morphing into something slightly steeper for the second half. We particularly liked the sound of the finish line in his review, where he alluded to a community feel of cheering spectators and fellow competitors.
James Poole (@The_Poolester) describes the NDW 100 as the toughest of the Centurion 100 milers. But a must do, particularly for anyone licking their lips in anticipation for the UTMB, with a healthy 6 points on offer, or the Western States 100, with the race counting as a qualifier.
Devil O’ the Highlands Race – Scotland, UK
A 42-mile point-to-point race along the northern section of Scotland’s, West Highland Way footpath. The Devil O’ the Highlands Race provides a delectably sadistic array of technical terrain to draw the runners in and keep them on their toes.
Ryan Hogben (@runboyrun35) pens a compelling account of the race, jam packed with praise for the organisation of John Duncan aka Johnny Fling (@The_Fling). We particularly liked the official description of the final mile, ‘a sting in the tail’ and the ‘glorious feast kindly provided by John’s fantastic parents’. It all sounds simply delightful.
Lakeland 100 & 50 UTLD – England, UK
Coming in two distinct flavours, the Lakeland 100 & 50 races are a great way to sample a scrumptious slice of the Lake District.
Peter Wilkie (@MotherOD) talks about the ‘exceptional organisation, impeccable logistics, friendly unique feed stations, well thought through maps and route guidance’ of one of the biggest ultra running events in the UK. Offering a valuable opinion of the route itself, we urge anyone contemplating the race to give his review a thorough read.
Alistair Flowers (@alistairflowers) describes the 50 mile race as ‘definitely the best ultra experience I’ve had in terms of the course, the other runners, the volunteers and the organisation.’ Coupled with the extremely varied course, this is high praise indeed.
Stour Valley Path 100 Ultra Run (SVP100) – England, UK
In his review of the SVP100, Ian Hammett (@RunHammyRun) reminds us that there are some fantastic 100km events out there, as well as the coveted 100 milers. The route sounds like it has a solid mix of varying terrain and vegetation. But Ian warns that a GPS or good map reading skills should be packed in the kit bag.
