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SVP100 2024
The SVP100 is a 103-kilometer trail race that follows the Stour Valley Path in Suffolk, located in eastern England. This undulating course features roughly 1,000 meters of elevation gain and consists of approximately 90% trail. This race is organised by Matthew Hearne at https://svp100.co.uk. This year’s attempt follows two previous…
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Serpent trail 100k
The Serpent trail 100k is organised by Freedom Racing and is set in a beautiful part of the South Downs national park, near Petersfield in England. The race takes it’s name from the shape of the course as it snakes it’s way from Haslemere, through the South Downs national park,…
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London to Brighton 100k
The London to Brighton Challenge, organised by Action Challenge, is a demanding 100 km foot race that starts in Richmon, London and ends in Brighton. With an elevation gain of approximately 1500 metres, the course features a mix of road and trail. Notably, there is significantly more road compared to…
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Brighton backyard ultra 2024
This race came out of the blue. I discovered it by chance when I was running in Stanmer woods and saw a sign stapled to a tree advertising it. Participating in this race was risky as it meant leaving only two weeks to recover until my next race, London to…
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My gear for the Marathon des Sables 2024
The Marathon des Sables is a 250 km, multi-stage, self-sufficient foot race in the Sahara desert. This means I am required to carry all of my gear and food for the entire 6 stages over 7 days. The only things that the race organisers provide is water and a Bivouac,…
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The endurance Flapjack recipe
150g butter 125g peanut butter 165g dark soft brown sugar 100g clear honey 50g almonds 50g hazelnuts 50g cashews 100g dried fruit 200g porridge oats Total calories: 4,870 calories When planning my nutrition for the Marathon des Sables (MDS) I wanted to choose foods that were high in calories and…
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The sweat test
Everyone knows to rehydrate when exercising but many don’t consider the amount of sweat and sodium they lose (sodium is the key electrolyte lost in sweat). Cramp is every athlete’s nightmare and can ruin a race. The exact cause of cramp is debatable, but dehydration and loss of sodium is…
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North Downs Ridge 50k
The North Downs Ridge is a 50 km trail race that consists of two out-and-back routes along the North downs and the nearby town of Dorking, Surrey. This race was my first in 2024 and was intended as an easy, warm up, long run before I take on the Marathon…
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My running goals 2024
This year I want to focus on consistency, especially in race completions and injury prevention. I want to focus less on competing and more on completing a race. Last year I did not start (DNS) or did not finish (DNF) 4 out of 7 races; meaning I only completed 43%…
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The MdS Expo. in London 2023
In April 2024 I will compete in the Marathon des Sables (MdS), a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race in the Sahara Desert, dubbed ‘the toughest foot race on earth’. In preparation, I attended the MdS expo in October 2023, in London. There was a range of presentations and…
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Failure: Building blocks to success
It’s January and many people are setting their new year’s resolutions. Gym memberships increase and diets are modified as people vow to be fitter, healthier and stronger. Yet, how many will stick with them or are they setting themselves up to fail? Failure is often viewed as a negative but…
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Are running events inclusive?
Gender disparity and the lack of female representation is unfortunately all too evident in ultramarathon running. In 2018, only 16% of participants in ultramarathon races were female (Runners World). It’s a traditionally white, male sport and this was exemplified when a photo from Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc (UTMB) went viral. Sophie…
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Hope for Children and Marathon des Sables
When I initially signed up to run the Marathon des Sables (MdS), it was for purely selfish reasons. I wanted to test my mental and physical capabilities of running a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race in the Sahara Desert. I had not intended to raise money for a…
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Why I’m running the ‘toughest race in the world’
In April 2024 I will undertake my most challenging ultramarathon race to date. The Marathon des Sables (MdS) is a six-day, 250 km (160 mile) ultramarathon race held every year in the Sahara Desert, in southern Morocco. It was the brainchild of French concert promoter Patrick Bauer. In 1984 he…
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South Downs Way 100k
The South Dows Way 100k is a challenging point-to-point race that takes participants from Arundel to Eastbourne, covering the picturesque and historic South Downs footpath in Sussex, England. I had an 8 week training block to prepare for this race which went very well. I consistenly trained for 5 days…
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Chris runs ultras 