In his paean to the sport, Feet in the Clouds, Richard Askwith explains pithily: “You run up the fell; you run down again.” Simple it may be; easy it is not. Unlike trail running, which generally stic

I’ve been thinking about this climb for months. If I can just get up it, I’ll feel I’ve broken the back of this brutal bike leg. But talking of broken backs, mine is straining. Like fudge doughnuts, s

Let your running loose

I have a terrible habit of signing up for races I’m wholly unsuitable for. First there was the fatbike challenge in the Arctic Circle in midwinter – a chilly affair that saw me trudging through the sn

Alarm. Darkness. Hotel blackout blinds open. Still darkness. Shower in oversize shower room with dinner plate shower head. Do teeth in both his and hers sinks. Find base layer in fitted wardrobe. Wond

Fitness racing is all the rage right now, but nothing offers quite the challenge posed by a backyard ultra, which tests both body and spirit in equal measure