Races, reviews and other stuff

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...

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)...

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...