Category

Races and Runners

05/11/2021

Race Report: The quest to complete UTMB

The ultimate bucket list race for many trail runners is Ultra Trail Mont Blanc (UTMB). Officially 171km around the Mont Blanc peak covering France, Switzerland and Italy. You don’t just stumble on UTMB. Entering the race isn’t easy. I needed multiple ballot tries. You also have to make sure that you have the relevant ITRA points or Running Stones to qualify for ballot entry.  It was my first time in Chamonix during the UTMB week. Despite a smaller audience than usual, the atmosphere was electric. While carbo-loading in restaurants, you... Read More

04/11/2021

Ameen completes his first Ultra: Ultra Mirage 50 km in the Sahara Desert, Tunisia

My recent run at the Ultra mirage Event on 2nd October 2021 was in Tunisia. I successfully completed the 50 km (52 km to be precise ) in the Sahara desert.  It was a big personal achievement that I thoroughly prepared for. I can now officially call myself an ultra runner. Being an ex-pat, I had trained for this in extreme summer conditions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from June till September. To prepare, I got up early in the morning by 3 am on weekends to practice my long runs... Read More

05/10/2020

Ultra X 125 England Race Report

With excitement, I boarded on the train from London to Edale to take part in Ultra X 125 England. I adore ultraraces and being out in big sky landscapes. My last race was the Ecotrail Al Ula 84km race in Saudi Arabia on 8 February 2020. I was raving to go again! As government guidelines on races and social distancing rules kept changing, I was delighted that the race went ahead. Big kudos to Ultra X for pulling the race off. I can’t imagine the number of hurdles jumped by... Read More

22/06/2020

Interview with Ultra Runner: Jacqui Bell

Jacqui Bell, 25 years of age from Brisbane Australia. In 2020, Jacqui became the youngest person to run a multi-stage ultra on every continent in the world. Jacqui placed 1st in Iceland 250k, 2nd in the Grand Canyon 273k and 3rd in New Zealand 323km Alps 2 ocean event.  So we sat down for, a socially distanced, interview to find out more about Jacqui and how she started her running career. 1. How did you start with ultra-running? I ran my first 50k ultra at 20 as a personal challenge... Read More

Cappadocia race finish 31/10/2019

Cappadocia Ultra-Trail 2019 Review

When you expect little… you find magic The sole purpose I signed up to Cappadocia was the opportunity to bank 5 UTMB valuable points. (Yes, I’m one of those who has UTMB on my race bucket list.) What I discovered is that when you turn up to a race with no expectations, you can find something very special. Cappadocia is an Ultra-Trail World Tour® event, passing through high plateaus and valleys of Cappadocia. Cappadocia is a UNESCO world heritage site with natural wonders, unique rock formations and interesting historical heritage.... Read More

Marathon Des Sables medal winner 27/08/2019

Multi-Day Racing – It’s Not Complicated

This article was originally published on iancorless.org, it is reposted here with permission. It’s Not Complicated… Let’s get one thing clear, multi-day racing is simple, it is often over-complicated And creates too many questions and too much confusion. Let’s hark back to Patrick Bauer’s pioneering days and simplify the process, just like he did. Over the years I have interviewed and chatted with many runners in bivouac and after racing who have done just that, they had applied simple logic and worked out what would work for them.  Yes, they had... Read More

06/08/2019

A Report from Badwater 135

Badwater 135 brands itself as the world’s toughest ultra. Rebeca finds out why? The 135-mile (217 km) non-stop Badwater race from Death Valley to Mount Whitney, California is so popular that it is a project in itself to get into the race. Prospective runners must build their running CV by completing Badwater rubber-stamped 100 milers and ideally having crewed at Badwater 135 for one year. Badwater 135 is a road race. The start line is at Badwater Basin, Death Valley, which marks the lowest elevation in North America at 85m... Read More

Nicky Spinks on a mountain trail 11/07/2019

Interview with Ultra Runner Nicky Spinks

On 9 July, myRaceKit had the pleasure to catch-up with Nicky Spinks. myRaceKit supports Nicky’s Fell race Trigger (www.marsdentoedale.co.uk) which next takes place in January 2020. We also spoke about Nicky’s previous running experiences. Q: What races have you done so far in 2019? Nicky Spinks (NS): This year, I have run the Barkley Marathon in Tennessee and the double Paddy Buckley Round. Q: What are your future plans for the year and 2020? NS: I plan to tackle Tor des Géants in September. It is the first time I... Read More

photo of Lizzy Hawker on a mountain backdrop 25/06/2019

Why We Run

Young, Saudi writer Yara Althekair recounts one of the myRaceKit hosted evenings with Lizzy Hawker and Ian Corless. Read this inspirational text! It’s 6 pm on a Wednesday, and a keen audience gathers in London’s The Conduit to listen to Lizzy Hawker and Ian Corless talk about their experiences as runners, Lizzy as a competitive long-distance runner and Ian as an extreme sports photojournalist. Most, if not all, of the people in the room, were either runners themselves or interested in becoming runners. Whichever the case, the theme of the... Read More

07/05/2019

Training for… An Interview with Dan Lawson

This article was originally published on iancorless.com (It is reprinted with agreement due to our sponsorship of the Training For… Series). Dan Lawson is a respected runner who resides in Brighton, UK. For many, he became ‘known’ after his incredible run at the ‘Gran Union Canal Race’ in 2015 when he won with a new CR of 22-hours 15-minutes. Later that same year, Dan went to the iconic ‘Spartathlon’ and placed 2nd in 23:53:32. The stage was set, and Dan Lawson became the UK’s most prolific and respected long-distance runner.... Read More