Pip hare

2 min read

British yachtswoman, sailing coach and public speaker Pip Hare relies on her running to maintain fitness for solo ocean racing

WHY I RUN

Pip and her friend Charles are the only two-person team to have taken on the Three Peaks Yacht Race

Why I run

Running is a core part of my fitness training regime for competing in solo ocean racing. It’s great for building cardio endurance, it can be done anywhere in the world, and training sessions can be adapted to suit time frames, objectives and how I’m feeling. But it’s more than that; running allows me to switch off my brain, to explore different places and to feel my body/brain connection.

How did you get into running?

I was living on a sailing boat and it’s a confined area, so you don’t walk many steps in a day. I started running as a way to make sure my legs got a workout every day.

What do you remember about your first race?

The Valencia Marathon in 2007. I had downloaded a training programme from the internet and stuck to it rigidly for 20 weeks, building up from 5K distance. I didn’t know what to expect at the start and I found it strange running in a big crowd. I finished in under four hours which was my goal and I felt so delighted.

Which race are you most proud of?

It’s a bit niche… it’s a combined running and sailing race called the Three Peaks Yacht Race. The course is amazing: you start in West Wales, sail your boat to Caernarfon, run from the pier to the top of Snowdon and back, then sail to Whitehaven, cycle to Blacksail Pass in the Lake District and then run up Scafell and back to the boat. Then you sail to Corpach at the entrance to the Caledonian Canal and run from there to the top of Ben Nevis a nd back to finish. The race is nearly 50 years old and traditionally done by teams of five, with two dedicated runners who sleep and recover on the sailing legs. In 2007, with my great friend Charles Hill (who is an accomplished fell runner), we became the only people in history to attempt this race as a team of two. We ran and sailed all the legs, it took four days, and we each had around 10

This article is from...

Women's Running Magazine

25 January 2024

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