Reviews

This race is most definitely beauty and the beast. The race started at 9.45am, which didn’t mean a crazy early start thankfully. We all milled around deliberating if trail or running shoes were best, shorts or leggings, sleeves or vest. This time of year, you just never know. However, we were blessed with lovely sunshine the whole way round

Travelling up by train on the Thursday to get to our Airbnb accommodation was a great idea, much better than travelling with maddening crowds on the Friday/Saturday and we were able to acclimatise to the big city way of life. Thus, allowing us to get to the Expo early on the Friday, and down time for steak and beer in the evening. Leaving the Saturday for restful stroll before the big day......................

Signed up for this as part of preparation for Falmouth half. Spoke to a few people who said flat. Well I beg to disagree. Not mountainous hilly like Looe but that first 5 miles of the out and back is mostly uphill. Not uphill like you have to walk it but constant.

This is something I thought I would ever be writing 😂 Running Eden marathon has never been on my radar, I’ve been happy marshalling all these year, but this year I decided to see it from the other side. The start is downhill and it was difficult to keep to the plan, not to go too fast, but to make use of the downhill road bit to try and stay on track for the cut off times, then we turned on to the track, this is not my preferred terrain but it wasn’t too wet underfoot so was able to keep ticking along, there is a slight uphill and some steps but managed this and kept moving forward,

105 miles. 21,000+ feet of elevation. Through the Lake District. Over 3 days and 2 nights. It was every bit of difficult as I had expected and then so much more... in fact I'll try and convey why this was the hardest race I've ever done!

On the 11th July four intrepid STARCies ventured west for the St Ives Bay 10k. The race had been billed as a testing all off-road beach and dunes 10k, so after battling the traffic we were all excited for the challenges ahead. The rain held off and although a bit blustery at times, the sun shone on the assembled 123 eager participants.

It was a great night to take part in the inaugural outing for this race which offered a little bit of everything and hopefully will take it’s place next year amongst other great races in the MTRS.
Around 50 of us gathered in Menabilly car park on what was thankfully a cooler evening than of late with high cloud and a gentle breeze. It was exciting to be running a race along a new course without that knowledge of what you were about to face. Are hills easier if you don’t know how bad they are?

So yesterday I embarked on a 16 mile coastal run. This was in preparation for the 20 mile Red Rat in a month. The Rat distances are on difficult terrain, and so I figured, this 16 miles shouldn't be too bad, I've done hills, I've got this. I WAS SO WRONG! 😂

A beautiful day in Hampshire.
As for everyone else running around the country it was hot and muggy. Which would make this even more extreme! We had been warned to expect a hill climb or two. But did not appreciate how brutal this course would be. Starting off across a flat field the speedies took flight. I kept my usual gentle pace to get settled, hoping I could keep going and not be walking too soon. The second quarter mile and a short hill starts to thin out the pack. Into the woods and a narrow path sorts out the stags from the Bambie’s. It was too much, I as a Bambi, need a little walk.

I am writing this after hearing of people’s experiences of tail runners. Most of you in the group have never run with a tail runner so are unaware of just how important this role is. I still remember my first Grand Prix run which was Storm Force 10. I was quite scared as a 68 year old running her first real “race” at a distance I had never run before (as part of my London Marathon training). I willingly hung about at the end to have the reassurance of company who knew what they were doing. Her name was Juliet and she was amazing.

Driving down to the start line in Rock at 6.20am the temperature gauge was already reading 18°C which was a sign of things to come for the day.

There were over 60 runners listed to take on this coastal marathon which goes from Rock to Boscastle, following the SW Coast Path and passing through some beautiful fishing villages and incredible parts of coastline. After a kit check and being issued our GPS trackers inside HQ (a chapel) we gathered to hear the normal safety briefing which felt very much like a sermon with the big cross on the wall behind the Race Director!

So my 70.3 has come and gone - A very hot day, but with a solid block of training for the full distance behind me, I knew I could finish. Then comes the dreaded weeks of man flu, tooth infection and thoughts suddenly turned to withdrawing! My expectations going into this race was wishful thinking of going under 7 hours but I was pleased to finish in 7.30.

Cousin Jack Ultra 2023 – 35 mile out and back from St Ives to Cape Cornwall
Bys Vyken’s events are brilliant and challenging; the Cousin Jacks are no exception to this. For anyone who wants a taste of how tough the Cornish coast path can be then look no further than this event!

27th January 2023: I have woken up on the morning of the after very little sleep, the day is finally here, today I am going to try and run 100 miles! The Arc of Attrition......

Have you ever considered using poles either for walking or running? We did and we are so glad we carried out plenty of reviews. Our choice of the Harrier Helvellyn Carbon Poles was not unfounded, and we were certainly not disappointed……

After a year of road races, it seemed like a good idea to mix it up a little and to get a trail race in the bank in the form of Bys Vyken Events - Fordh Sen Mighal.

STARC launches new website

The question: why do I do this race every year?
The answer: for the hoody
Not the answer: because it's an easy race

Ronhill Shakedry Gore-Tex waterproof running jacket

Add to your running water for electrolytes and carbs. If you find gels upset your stomach, could be worth a try.