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By Karina Teahan
What is osteoporosis? Osteoporosis occurs when there is an imbalance between bone formation and bone reabsorption. It affects the skeleton and means that weaker bones predispose you to an increased risk of fracture.
By James Eacott
Plyometrics are high-velocity exercises where explosive movements are performed repeatedly - think skipping, jumping, clap press-ups, burpees, hopping and box jumps.
By Renee McGregor
There is no doubt that interest in nutrition has risen significantly in recent years, particularly with the advent of Instagram. It seems that never before has what we eat been of such importance.
LATEST REVIEW
By Seth Grotzke
Dynafit has created a go-to vest for anyone running in the mountains, and their special touches demonstrate that they are listening to the runners who are spending time in the elements.
OUR RATING
I took pat in the 100 miler in 2019. The reasons for a 1 star review are: 1. They didn’t assess the weather and sent people out in conditioned that were not suitable and did not do a mandatory equipment check. People were close to getting hypothermia at the checkpoints and many of us struggling ...
Review of the 2019 race. A great route along the Pennine Way through some beautiful, wild and impressive country. There's a fair amount of climbing as the trail crosses the Pennines twice, but the gradients are generally fairly gentle. Organisation is smooth and very low-key with a friendly, rela...
Did this as a first time ultra, and wow was it tough. Some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve ever witnessed, but please please follow the training plan or you won’t make the distance! The hills were absolutely humongous and kept coming, one after one until the end! Fantastically marshalled event ...
If Carlsberg did running races.......... Quite simply the best vfm event you can find. Great organization, great crew, great course (unless you love tarmac) with a fun low pressure, low key environment. Not only is it probably the cheapest 24hr event you can find but there's NO hidden charges for...
Hope 24 epitomises everything that is great about the trail running community. Great atmosphere in the event village and around the course. Some amazing runners turn up every year but it doesn’t matter if you run 5 or 125 miles - everyone is encouraging and supportive. The entry fee gives you ...
This was an amazing event, well organised but slightly over crowded. Our car was about a mile from the start which made it difficult to get to between laps, as we didnt have a tent so slept in the car and left supplies there too. Otherwise an amazing atmosphere. Lots of fun. Here is my video of t...
Such a great event ! Brilliantly organised, friendly feel and top weekend. Clean loos, great food and shopping options and beautiful , varied trail. We love it and our kids love it ! Thank you so much !
15th-16th June 2019 A fantastic friendly, inclusive and fun event. I did this as my first event and a solo entry. The course was technical with hills and trail based which was brilliant. The views were stunning and the atmosphere all around the course was brilliant. The support from other racers ...
By Luke Jarmey
Another splendid month of well crafted race and kit reviews from the community. Here’s our favourites and the top pick, Brett Blanchard who will receive a pack of 33Shake Chia Energy Gels.
By Susie Chan
Jack Denness is the UK Godfather of desert running. He’s the ultra runner you have probably never heard of, a pioneer in the sport at a time when it was so underground, so niche, that soft flasks for race vests were a mere twinkle in the eye of sports companies.
By Dan Stinton
“Do you want to do the Welsh 3000s?” said Imogen. “Yes, why not!” I replied. I soon start to wonder if I actually know what I’m signing myself up for. It’s a run isn’t it? In Wales with some mountains.
Did you know we can now list multiactivity, virtual and beach races? Read more
Since Cactus finished stage 3 of the Marathon Des Sables, he’s caused quite a stir on social media and had even managed to obtain his own tracker to allow his fans to keep an eye on his progress for the later stages of the race.
Four legs are better than two, right? It seems that the on-going Marathon Des Sables (MdS) has gained a rogue entrant when a dog decided to show us humans how to get through a multi-stage ultra. We also update you on the human entrants so far.
It’s been a great few days as my Twitter feed has taken on a new life during the Barkley Marathons.
Here you will find just about every ultra marathon and event happening around the world. Share your ultra marathon training tips and stories. Find out which is the best running gear in our kit reviews. Keep up with the latest ultra news and browse our runner offers.
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Hi guys So, with less than three weeks to go until my first ultra, I'm steadily learning lessons and giving huge thought to all the variables, in an attempt to arrive at the race with a strategy that will see me through. The articles linked to on this site are great, and the most important thing for me to get my head around is pacing. I did my final long run yesterday. 31 miles at a 'total' pace (so, with stops) of 8'47"/mile. Now, it is very clear to me that to be successful over 52-53 miles, I HAVE to slow down A LOT from the running pace that gave me that overall pace, and I'm learning lots by reading on here etc. BUT... What I have NO feel for is how long to stop for. My plan is to stop at all of the checkpoints (six, I think) at least, and impromptu extra stops as needed. But how long to stop for? On my training runs the stops are only the duration of the 'stop-reason' e.g. a quick wee, a stretch, quickly buying a bottle of water etc, so typically 2-4 minutes max. each time. In my ultra, will I 'benefit' from planning to stop for longer, and if so, what should I 'do' there? Stretch? Sit down? Put my feet up? Obviously I'll spend time eating etc, but it's really whether my race will go better if I 'make' myself stop for longer than I usually would... I realise that everyone is different in terms of the breaks their bodies need, but any general guidance on this specific query would be massively appreciated! Thanks! Ben x
Hi all. I turn 40 next summer -2020- and want to celebrate it with an ultramarathon. I’ve done a few half marathons and trail 10ks. I usually train CrossFit and powerlifting. I’ve a powerlifting comp this July. Any advice for a newbie or am I thinking too far in advance?
Billed as 'the UK's answer to UTMB', UTS100 and UTS50 burst onto the ultra scene last year. You know a 100 miler is tough when the winner finishes in 34 hours 5 minutes and is more than 5 hours ahead of any other finisher. This was Marcis Gubats who smashed the event last year. There was a DNF rate of 71.7%, and only one female finished - Jamie Aaron in 41:23:16. The 50 mile event had a DNF rate of only 22.3%, but it was still a toughie. Bear in mind all entrants were experienced mountain runners. The winners were Oliver Thorogood (11:30:25) and Nicky Spinks (13:49:30). It says something when a race attracts names like Marcis Gubats and Nicky Spinks on its first year. There seem to have been a few tweaks this year - the cut-off for UTS100 has changed from 48 hours to 50 hours. However, the route was 103 miles last year and is 106 miles this year, so this may not affect the completion rate. The cut-off for UTS50 has changed from 36 hours to 34 hours, potentially making it tougher. UTS100 starts at 1pm on Friday 10th May with an ascent of Snowdon. It consists of 2 lopps of approximately 53 miles each and the total ascent is 32,800 feet. UTS50 runners will complete the second and more southerly loop of the 100 course. They will run 53 miles and climb 16,730 feet. They start at 5am on Saturday. These events are two of the toughest UK mountain races and it will be interesting to see if last year's records can be beaten.
The Devil's Challenge is another of XNRG's extremely popular multi-day races. It takes place over the Bank Holiday weekend, with around 150 runners aiming to complete the 97-mile route over the three days. Runners will set off from Winchester on Saturday morning and hope to arrive at the other end of the South Downs Way - Eastbourne - on Monday. There are fully catered overnight stops on Saturday and Sunday. These will include guest-speakers. This year's speakers are Anna-Marie Watson (whose achievements include 7th female at UTMB 2017, a win at Half MdS Fuerteventura 2017 and 2nd place at MdS 2015) and Health and Fitness Coach Victoria Rawlinson. Victoria will be speaking about sleep - an important topic for ultra runners. The South Downs Way offers chalk cliffs, beautiful scenery, sea-views and picturesque villages. Runners will climb 3815 metres over the three days and gain valuable experience in multi-stage racing. Both of our runner reviewers awarded the event 5 stars. Good luck to everyone involved.
Badwater Salton Sea is the second race in the 2019 Badwater Ultra Cup. This year, 16 runners are attempting the Cup - Badwater Cape Fear, Badwater Salton Sea and Badwater 135. In total, 110 runners are expected on the start line on Sunday. They make up 43 teams of either 2 or 3 people. Teams have to run together throughout the event. They will set off at 6:30 local time (2:30pm UK time) on Sunday and have up to 28 hours to complete the 81-mile route. This means most will finish on Monday. The start line is on the shores of Salton Sea in Salton City, California. Salton Sea is a lake known for its high salt levels and it is 243 feet below sea level. The race finishes on the summit of Palomar Mountain, which stands at 5500 feet above sea level. Along their journey, the runners will traverse the deserts and mountains of Southern California and climb a total of more than 9000 feet. The route is a mixture of road and trails, and 8 miles are run through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The fastest team in 2018 completed the route in 15 hours and 36 minutes. We'll be watching to see if any teams top that this year. Good luck to everyone involved!
The 57th Fellsman takes place this weekend. Runners will set off from Ingleton at 8:30am on Saturday, and they have until 3:30pm on Sunday to reach Threshfield - a route of around 61 miles across the Yorkshire Dales. The majority of the route is not a set course - runners must find their own route between the checkpoints. The majority is run on private land - these are not footpaths marked on a map, so navigation skills are a must. As most of the route is off-limits for the rest of the year, it cannot legally be recced prior to the race. This is a traditional fell race and certainly a challenge. The terrain can be boggy and is often remote, and the total elevation is around 11,000 feet. For safety, participants must run in groups of four during hours of darkness. Anyone not already in a group will be held at a checkpoint until a group can be formed by the marshals. They will be awarded waiting time for this. Groups must stay together until otherwise instructed by marshals once it is daylight. Despite the obvious difficulty of this event, all nine of our runner reviewers awarded it 5 stars. RunUltra's Web Administrator, Kate, is running this year. Her blog gives you some idea of the extensive kit list required to undertake this event: https://peaksprincess.com/2019/04/19/my-last-will-and-testiment-before-fellsman/ Good luck to Kate and all of this year's entrants.
The Highland Fling Race is one of the biggest UK ultras with 1000 successful ballot entrants and an average of around 800 runners taking part each year. The 53 mile event hosts the Scottish Ultra Trail Championships with Scottish Championship medals awarded to the top 3: men, women, vet men, vet women, male teams and female teams (provided they are members of Scottish Athletics). The route covers the southern section of the West Highland Way from Milngavie (near Glasgow) to Tyndrum. The West Highland Way is Scotland's oldest official long distance footpath at around 95 miles. The remaining 42 miles from Tyndrum to Fort William form the Devil O' The Highlands Ultra in August. There is also the full West Highland Way Race covering all 95 miles in June. The Highland Fling route takes runners through the breathtaking Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park. The scenery is stunning, and the views are well worth the 7500 feet of climbing. Although there is a more technical section of around 7 miles along the lochside, the remainder of the route is runnable, and the event attracts both seasoned and new ultra runners. The cut-off is 15 hours. Last year's winners were Kyle Greig (7:06:58) and Rachel Normand (8:22:23). It looks like there may be some light rain on Saturday, but that is unlikely to hold back this year's runners. Good luck everyone.
Around 300 runners will be spending Good Friday running 50 miles from Manchester to Liverpool along the Trans-Pennine Trail and banks of the River Mersey. The route reverses the popular Liverpool to Manchester Ultra (L2M Ultra) from previous years. GB Ultras events are some of the most visited pages on our listings site, and our 10 runner reviewers were full of praise for the L2M event. Runners set off from near Manchester United's Football Ground at 6am and have until 7pm to finish the route. The event is part of the GB Ultras 50 Mile Grand Slam. Given the 4-day weekend (for many), they will have plenty of time to recover and enjoy their Easter Eggs. The event is sold out, and we expect that a number of our members are running. Good luck to all involved!
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