Ultra Running

I pulled out of the TdG after 110km, 7,885m of vertical gain and 31 hours and 55 minutes on the clock, one third of the way around. I am feeling very upset and emotional this morning and writing a race report is partly my way of processing the emotions of these events – so apologies … Continue reading Tor de Geants, 2023 – Did Not Finish (DNF)

I liked the idea of starting in Alagna (Italy) at 1,192m and running up the 6th highest peak in the Alps, Signalkuppe at 4,554m and back down again, cover 35km and 3,362m of vertical gain. I was running with Frank Persyn who is the first to admit that his body was not really designed for … Continue reading Monterosa Sky Marathon, 2023

2023 is likely to be my last year of ultra running (although Catie does not believe this) and I wanted to finish with some of the most demanding and iconic events. The event I had wanted to do was the fearsome Madeira Island Ultra Trail but it was over-subscribed  so I opted for the relatively … Continue reading Cami di Cavalls 185 km Trail Race Menorca, 2023

It was a two-year process to reach the start line of the Ultra Trail de Mont Blanc (UTMB) with qualification at Val D’Ran in 2021 and then a further year of training. The UTMB is effectively the (unofficial) World Championships of trail running and sits alongside Kona (Ironman) in terms of prestige. The race is … Continue reading UTMB Race Report, 2022

Always saying yes to really hard things is something I believe in, so when elite Canadian Ski Mo and trail runner Michelle asked if I would step in at the last minute for the three-stage trail race in the mountains of Areches-Beaufort in France, of course I said yes. A week prior to the race … Continue reading Pierra Menta ETE 2022

The truth is that I was not really that motivated to participate in the PDG, especially as I had already completed it twice. Duncan had originally proposed the idea of competing in the event with Frank Persyn (who had not completed the race on his first attempt due to a runaway ski) and targeting a … Continue reading PDG 2022 Race Report – failure and shame (mine), honour and courage (not mine)

I completed the Marathon des Sables (MDS) in 2018 and said I would only do it again if someone I cared about wanted to race. Catie decided she wanted to race so we both signed up. Shortly after she developed hip issues and was told by the specialist that “you can do it but it … Continue reading Marathon des Sables, 2022

There were 974 starters ahead of me for the 168km ultra-trail race in Val D’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees and the course would climb 10,600m of vertical. I had positioned myself at the very back of the pack, I was literally the very last to start. The field set off at what I thought was … Continue reading Val D’Aran 164km and 10,000m ultra trail race

So let’s get the excuses out of the way right from the start – I had been “off school” for 10 days with a terrible head cold and had done nothing other than lie in bed and eat and get heavy before recovering sufficiently to go mountaineering for two days and then I had two … Continue reading ChaChaCha 64km ultra trail race, 3900m vertical