Trail running to explore the unbeaten path
The PIGUM (which is an acronym for Porth I’r Gymru Ultra Marathon) is a 30 mile race with around 1700m (5500ft) elevation gain/loss, starting in the market town of Abergavenny, Wales. Porth I’r Gymru translates to “Gateway to Wales”. Last year I deferred this race due to scheduling issues, and this year I wasn’t originally … Read more
I recently entered and took part in the Wild West Ultra. A 64km (40 mile) race local to me here in Pembrokshire, West Wales. It was great to have something local to look forward to. And even better, no absurdly early wake up time on race morning, and I could do race-specific training quite easily … Read more
I booked UTS 100k soon after running the UTS 50 event last year. The mountaineous terrain in Eryri is very challenging, and the race promises a ‘brutal but beautiful’ experience. Both of those claims were delivered this year with another hot race weekend in the mountains. Race Profile The race is 104km in length, with … Read more
The Corris Round is the creation of (then) 12-year old Tom, who devised the route having been inspired by the Bob Graham Round during lockdown. It’s a route starting in the small village of Corris in Southern Eryri (Snowdonia, Wales) almost from his door step. Amazingly Tom and his Dad finished the round in about … Read more
As dawn broke on 2024, thinking about my goals around running, the air was thick with anticipation and the promise of adventure was strong. But at the same time, there was also an air of uncertainty about it for me. Last year was a good year in terms of ticking off some big items on … Read more
I just realised it’s been 3 months or so since I last wrote on my blog. Time has flown by this year already. I’ve had a busy start with work, family life, and of course running too. Now would be a good time to update my blog by posting a short trail running film I … Read more
I have spent many thousands of hours trail running. In those thousands of hours, I have fallen victim to my own stupidity on more than one occasion. This post will detail some of my personal (uncoventional) tips for trail runners. Don’t expect tips for enhancing your running performance or form. These are focused more on … Read more
One of my ‘stretch’ goals this year was to try and improve my 5K PB (personal best) time. The problem with this goal and where I live, is that it’s actually really hilly and difficult to find a flat stretch of road. (I actually love getting elevation work in usually!) A few weeks ago I … Read more
Recently, I embarked on a side quest to find shoes that are better able to deal with the extremely muddy and slippy trails we get here in the UK during the wetter months. I’ll share my findings and initial impressions of what I ended up going with – the Scarpa Spin ST shoes. Background – … Read more
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