Beyond the Ultimate Ice Ultra by Jon Shield I hate tapering, something just doesn’t feel right when I’m doing very little before a race. The excitement and anticipation consume me. I’m obsessive. Finally, it’s happening. I’m on my way to Manchester airport having had an hour’s sleep ahead of a long day travelling. Three flights …
Ultra running is a lonely sport. And the longer the race is, the less likely you are to encounter many other people. But that’s ok because that’s probably one of the aspects you like about it. But training, day in and day out, can get monotonous. Especially when you are doing the big miles. Running …
make friends while training – the benefit of social runs Read More »
In the midst of the covid-19 lockdowns, I was running more than ever as a way to stay sane and to commute to and from working at a hospital in London. I had run a few marathons before and was eyeing up several ultramarathons, but hadn’t been confident enough to enter one yet. I then …
Humans love free stuff. If you’ve ever walked around an exhibition hall, you’ll see this in motion – people filling their pockets with branded stress balls and pens, queueing round the block for a scoop of free ice cream. Just because it’s there. As runners we’re no different. This lust to receive something every time we race …
There’s something really aesthetically pleasing about crossing a mountain range from sea to sea, and this uniqueness always brings me back to the Pyrenees. They are the perfect European mountain range, just hitting altitudes high enough to hold some glaciers and have alpine terrain whilst being less serious than The Alps. The Haute Route Pyrenees …
Running on the Border Line: A Haute Route Pyrenees Record Attempt Read More »
My body screamed at me to stop, but I kept looking at my watch checking my splits; after 202 miles through the most technical and treacherous terrain, the last 7 miles to the finish line of the 209 mile Bigfoot 200 mile race was on the road, but I was scared. I was scared to …
Last updated: 01-Aug-21 By Dan Stinton As several people hike past me along Gatescarth Pass, I start to wonder what has happened to my legs. They seem to have lost the ability to transport my body at any kind of pace uphill. The sweat starts stinging my eyes and I’m questioning my ability to finish. …
“Getting the band back together” The 2021 Montane Lakeland 50 & 100 Read More »
Last updated: 27-Jul-21 By Nicolette Griffioen Perhaps the most frequently asked question of ultra running is simply “What is an ultra?”. This Google search returns an astonishing number of results – close on two billion – and also advises on several other common, related searches. These include “What is considered an ultra?”, “What do you …
By Dan Stinton Winding through Colorado’s San Juan Mountains, the Hardrock 100 has certainly earned its name. The average finish time of over 40 hours, which is longer than the cut-off time of many similar length races, accounts for the rugged terrain, the 33,050ft (10,073m) of accent and the high altitude throughout the course. The …
Hardrock 100: Course record for Francois D’haene and Sabrina Stanley win Read More »
By Kate Allen Q. How much fun did you have planning the Cape Town Trail Marathon route? Do you enjoy pouring over a map and planning the course? A. Yes it was lots of fun. For me it was about planning and setting a logical route so there wasn’t too much map work. I had …
