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Them Swiss do big mountains!

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Swiss Peaks 100k (it’s only 60 odd miles) https://swisspeaks.ch/?lang=en The big 50! Time for a catch up and race report to document my recent adventures. Following my slightly early exit from the Winter Spine Challenger race and the frozen wasteland of the Pennine Way, I began running again and got in some half decent fitness for a cycling trip to Spain with a few mates. The trip went well, the weather was good and I didn’t have too many hangovers. I quite like cycling, on decent roads away from the nob heads who are desperately trying to run you over. However, I’m not a fan of the regular attire that goes with it, not very flattering to say the least! Always feels as though you are wearing a nappy and if you don’t keep your belly tucked in, you look like you’re trying to smuggle a cushion! The roads in Spain are so much better too, not like the roads here that resemble the surface of the moon. I began ramping up my running training after Spain and began working out some structured st...
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Shoe review

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Scarpa Golden Gate ATR   Very chuffed with my new shoes so I thought I’d pen a quick review. When I  saw the Scarpa Golden Gate ATR shoes online at a very reasonable price, I thought, sod it let’s give em a go. I’ve got a few other models from Scarpa and we’ve been good friends on the trails ever since.  Apparently, they’re a ‘door to trail shoe’ which means they are a good fit for multiple surfaces. From my recent experiences, they’re pretty well at home in the mountains too (the mountains of Salford are perfect). The sole is quite thick with not much drop and while running in them, they feel like HOKAS but with a more firm cushioning. I do like HOKAS, but they do feel spongy and for some strange reason, my knees just don’t like em, hence my punt at buying the Golden Gates. The grip on the Scarpas looks good, pretty deep lugs and works well on grass and mud, it’ll be interesting to see how they work on wet rock (won’t be long till it’s pissing down every week again)...
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Montane Spine Challenger North 2025 - race report

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Tis the season to watch dots! Whether you’re a competitor on the start line, or a seasoned ‘dot watcher’ January is always the silly season for Spine Race fans (June also nowadays). As the last few hardy souls make their way towards the end of their epic challenges, I’m feet up and recovering from all the training and the race itself. My adventure was cut short sadly once I arrived at Alston, some 75 miles into the event. Another feckin DNF and my second on this event in particular. But as I’m writing, I feel at ease with my attempt and I did all I could to get ready and the race plan was going well. Manky feet and comfy socks As you will be aware if you have read my previous blog covering my adventures in Austria, I managed to finish the epic event but my feet were trashed, think trench foot on steroids! I’ll spare you any images but the sight of them even made me feel nauseous. The skin on both soles basically peeled off… Anyway, once I’d fully recovered I began training, nothing str...
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A trip to Austria (KAT 100 miles by UTMB)

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Introduction Well, it’s been a few days now since I got back from my recent trip to Austria to partake in a rather tough mountain jog in the stunning Alps and it’s time to jot down my thoughts. I can just about walk again and I’m catching up on my sleep. The KAT 100 by UTMB is a 100 mile foot race in the Austrian Alps, a total ascent of just under 10000 meters with a time limit of 48 hours. Sounds easy, finish in under 48 hours? I can do that… Check the website for more details  https://kat.utmb.world/ I managed to take a picture of the course profile, looks pointy! Training for the big adventure  Since the UTS 100k in May, (checkout my previous blog) I had a quick break and then knuckled down into my mountain training for the trip. The things I had learned in the UTS were imprinted in my mind and even then, I knew that they would help me out during the next race. I didn’t have a long time left but as long as I could build up steadily and stay injury free, I’d be ok. Following...
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