Category: Race

The South Downs Way 100

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How do you condense the story of 100 miles into just a few hundred words? You don’t. Mix a G&T, this is a long one.

A few weeks later & I’m still not sure if I have the right words to accurately tell my SDW100 story. I sit here, trying to think of the words I need, not just to paint the picture of the physical journey from start line to finish line, but also the words to describe the emotional journey because this adventure was as much about the mental challenge of completing 100 miles as it was the physical. Continue reading →

South Downs Way 50: 2019

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With 5 miles to go I thought I’d blown it.

I had a goal time in my mind for the South Downs Way 50 but at the bottom of the final hill I just couldn’t see how I was going to do it. I was tired, my knees were in agony, my stomach was churning with every faltering movement. Every step was a painful effort & I still had what seemed like a mountain to climb. Continue reading →

Toronto Waterfront Marathon

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Toronto Waterfront Marathon, I did it! The marathon I didn’t think I’d be fit enough to start, I started AND I finished.

I could stop there, I don’t know if there’s a story in this race or not. There should have been the most amazing story had the best laid plans not gone AWOL but life has a habit of happening, and anyway this Toronto story was never just about a marathon, it was as much about the family as it was running. Continue reading →

The North Downs Way 50, mk II. How not to run 50 miles.

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In a grump mid-race I decided I wasn’t going to write about the North Downs Way 50 this year. It wasn’t going to plan, I saw no reason to remember it or to prolong the suffering. On reflection my run writing has always been about preserving my memories & there are definitely things from this race I want to remember, so here we go…

I’m sitting here a few days later, wearing the t-shirt, the massive shiny medal in front of me, looking at the happy, smiley, official race photos telling myself it was a good day, it wasn’t that bad, was it?

No, really, it was.

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Run well, run swiftly but remember to take in the view, The South Downs Way 50

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I started writing this post on Saturday evening, lying in bed drinking pink gin in a tin & eating crisps (don’t judge, I had just run 50 miles…!). Those words were very different to the words I write here. Sometimes a few days of reflection are needed to rationalise thoughts, feelings & emotions. I write for myself, no one else, & as much to remember my adventures as anything else. So here goes my South Downs Way 50 story, mark II… Continue reading →

The XNRG Humanity Direct Ultra, aka the 50km training run

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I *totally* get the irony of calling a 50km race a training run, but that is exactly what the XNRG Humanity Direct Ultra was. On the 10th March, four weeks before the SDW50, I lined up on the start line ready for my longest ‘training’ run & what would hopefully become my second longest run ever. Oh, it was also my ‘birthday’ run… What better way to celebrate turning 38 the next day than to run 50km! Continue reading →