The next challenge is coming, it's called Big Alps Run. In 2011 I'm planning to run from Vienna to Nice over the top of the alps, again for charity. So I've started a new blog, which I'll update over the next year or so as this year's adventures and plans for the alps develop...
http://bigalpsrun.blogspot.com/
Wednesday 21 April 2010
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Talks
The challenge is winding down now... About £3500 has been raised, with a bit more to come in the next few weeks. I gave a couple of talks last week, one to my old Scout group (1st Great Ayton) and one to the Vasque Ultrarunning end-of-series party in the Lake District. Both went well and the Vasque one seemed to get a pretty good response! If anyone watched that one and wants to make a donation the links are here...
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_water
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_aids
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_nspcc
Thank you!
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_water
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_aids
www.justgiving.com/britishisleschallenge_nspcc
Thank you!
Friday 18 September 2009
It's been a while since I put anything on here, so here we go...
The charity donations for the challenge now stand at around £3,000, with a few hundred extra still to be collected, so whilst it's not quite £10,000 its a start...
The DVDs seem to have disappeared from Cotswold Outdoor and the local train station, so some people must have it!
The Dyson sold for over £200, so thanks again to the James Dyson Foundation for their support.
As well as completing the Fastnet (read all about it on www.wildspirit.biz), Paul and Wild Spirit have also been incredibly generous, and I know those who are coming on the skippered weekend in October are looking forward to it!
I've been running and riding, completing the Fred Whitton challenge in the Lakes for the first time (a bit wet but very much fun) a few weeks ago, and recently had my two best race finishes yet... 6th in the Roseberry Topping Fell Race (1.5 miles, north yorkshire), and 5th in the Pumlumon Challenge (27ish) in mid-Wales. Unfortunately navigational incidents lost me about 1 minute and 10 minutes and one place in each race, but nevermind!
The next big race is the Caesar's Camp 100 in October... I've just found out a certain Mr. Webb is doing this too, see you there Chris!
The charity donations for the challenge now stand at around £3,000, with a few hundred extra still to be collected, so whilst it's not quite £10,000 its a start...
The DVDs seem to have disappeared from Cotswold Outdoor and the local train station, so some people must have it!
The Dyson sold for over £200, so thanks again to the James Dyson Foundation for their support.
As well as completing the Fastnet (read all about it on www.wildspirit.biz), Paul and Wild Spirit have also been incredibly generous, and I know those who are coming on the skippered weekend in October are looking forward to it!
I've been running and riding, completing the Fred Whitton challenge in the Lakes for the first time (a bit wet but very much fun) a few weeks ago, and recently had my two best race finishes yet... 6th in the Roseberry Topping Fell Race (1.5 miles, north yorkshire), and 5th in the Pumlumon Challenge (27ish) in mid-Wales. Unfortunately navigational incidents lost me about 1 minute and 10 minutes and one place in each race, but nevermind!
The next big race is the Caesar's Camp 100 in October... I've just found out a certain Mr. Webb is doing this too, see you there Chris!
Wednesday 12 August 2009
Dyson for sale!
The very unique, brand new, signed by Sir James Dyson "Dyson DC25 Allfloors Ball" vacuum cleaner (not a hoover) is now for sale on eBay.co.uk.
Click here to have a look and place your bid for this unique machine!
Click here to have a look and place your bid for this unique machine!
Monday 10 August 2009
Wild Sprit in the Fastnet Race
A few days ago, Wild Spirit started the 2009 Fastnet race, along with hundreds of other yachts. I would like to thank the Wild Spirit Fastnet team for their generous donation to the Challenge, which will be split equally between the three charities and will appear online within the next week, and wish them the best of luck in the race.
The race can be followed online by clicking here http://fastnet.rorc.org/2009-fleet-tracking.html, Wild Spirit can be found in the IRC Class 3 A category, and their progress can be followed as the race progresses.
A weekend's sailing aboard the boat is also being auctioned for the challenge, which will be another boost to the fundraising and should be a great weekend for eight lucky people!
The race can be followed online by clicking here http://fastnet.rorc.org/2009-fleet-tracking.html, Wild Spirit can be found in the IRC Class 3 A category, and their progress can be followed as the race progresses.
A weekend's sailing aboard the boat is also being auctioned for the challenge, which will be another boost to the fundraising and should be a great weekend for eight lucky people!
Tuesday 4 August 2009
DVD available and the hardest race I have ever done...
As promised, I have produced a DVD of the challenge from photos and videos along the way. It's about half an hour long and I'm pleased to say it's available from the new Cotswold Outdoor store in Leeds (downstairs) for the total price of FREE! Hopefully it might encourage a donation or two... If anyone reading this would like a copy please send me a message, comment on this post, or hunt me down and rugby tackle me with your address and I will send you one for nowt.
The Lakeland 100 was a hard race, but one of the most enjoyable I have ever done. The atmosphere at the start and finish was fantastic, everyone wanting to help each other and make sure as many people as possible completed either the 51 or 103 mile courses ("just to make sure" apparently...). In the end, the drop out rate for the 100 was 70%, with about 40 of 130ish finishing. I started at 7:30 on Friday evening with a group of friends, 7 people in total. By the time we finished at 10:30 on Sunday morning (38hrs 56mins) there were two of us, myself and Nigel Coates.
The weather on Friday night was nasty, wind and lots of rain. Saturday morning took a while to clear but most of the day was ok. More rain and wind Saturday night caused many of the drop-outs (I was too busy halucinating and thinking I was in a computer game), then Sunday wasn't too bad. As always with Ultras there were highs when I could see no reason not to finish, and lows when I wanted to give up at the next checkpoint. I have never run for this length of time before (a previous 100 in 2006 took around 28hrs), but the time or placing (joint 34th - although the results say 37th by one second!) didn't seem important. The experience, location and route were enough, and the race was an experience I won't forget (although there are large sections I can't remember). Andy Rankin won in an incredible time of 22 hours something. That's for 103 miles, over 20,000ft of climb, rough lakes terrain and carrying kit.
So in summary, an epic, brilliant race, and thanks Nigel. Surely the hardest running race in the UK???
The Lakeland 100 was a hard race, but one of the most enjoyable I have ever done. The atmosphere at the start and finish was fantastic, everyone wanting to help each other and make sure as many people as possible completed either the 51 or 103 mile courses ("just to make sure" apparently...). In the end, the drop out rate for the 100 was 70%, with about 40 of 130ish finishing. I started at 7:30 on Friday evening with a group of friends, 7 people in total. By the time we finished at 10:30 on Sunday morning (38hrs 56mins) there were two of us, myself and Nigel Coates.
The weather on Friday night was nasty, wind and lots of rain. Saturday morning took a while to clear but most of the day was ok. More rain and wind Saturday night caused many of the drop-outs (I was too busy halucinating and thinking I was in a computer game), then Sunday wasn't too bad. As always with Ultras there were highs when I could see no reason not to finish, and lows when I wanted to give up at the next checkpoint. I have never run for this length of time before (a previous 100 in 2006 took around 28hrs), but the time or placing (joint 34th - although the results say 37th by one second!) didn't seem important. The experience, location and route were enough, and the race was an experience I won't forget (although there are large sections I can't remember). Andy Rankin won in an incredible time of 22 hours something. That's for 103 miles, over 20,000ft of climb, rough lakes terrain and carrying kit.
So in summary, an epic, brilliant race, and thanks Nigel. Surely the hardest running race in the UK???
Monday 27 July 2009
A sport-tastic weekend!
I quite like this blog, so I'm going to keep writing ramblings on here until I run out of things to say...
This country has been busy achieving in the field of sporting endevour this weekend, with Lewis Hamilton returning to the podium after a disastrous first half of the F1 season, Mark Cavendish destroying the competition to win on the Champs-Elysees and Bradley Wiggins finishing 4th in the Tour de France.
The main arena of athletic excellence this weekend however, was of course the Pudsey 10k. It was hard! As I said before I wasn't sure whether the challenge would have made me fitter or just knackered, and it seems to have done both. I was certainly stronger, and quicker than a lot of people up the hills and down rocky descents, but on the flat I was rubbish. I had hoped for under 40 minutes, but ended up with 42:27. I'm not sure what place that is yet, maybe around 30th-ish.
Lakeland 100 is now only a few days away. This will be the equal longest distance race I have ever done (unless I get lost), and probably the longest time at around 30 hours. I'm not really sure what will happen, but it's going to be interesting!
This country has been busy achieving in the field of sporting endevour this weekend, with Lewis Hamilton returning to the podium after a disastrous first half of the F1 season, Mark Cavendish destroying the competition to win on the Champs-Elysees and Bradley Wiggins finishing 4th in the Tour de France.
The main arena of athletic excellence this weekend however, was of course the Pudsey 10k. It was hard! As I said before I wasn't sure whether the challenge would have made me fitter or just knackered, and it seems to have done both. I was certainly stronger, and quicker than a lot of people up the hills and down rocky descents, but on the flat I was rubbish. I had hoped for under 40 minutes, but ended up with 42:27. I'm not sure what place that is yet, maybe around 30th-ish.
Lakeland 100 is now only a few days away. This will be the equal longest distance race I have ever done (unless I get lost), and probably the longest time at around 30 hours. I'm not really sure what will happen, but it's going to be interesting!
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