Dirty Double weekend at Helvellyn & Ullswater
27th October 2017
(0) Leave a commentShattered and smiling. Sweating buckets as I struggled to effortlessly ran over the top of the climb between Silver Crag and Birk Fell. My son well and truly disappeared into the distance. And I was loving it!!! This is the ‘Dirty Double’ weekend of Helvellyn and Ullswater Lakeland Trail runs. First time I’d done it for 5 […] Keep reading »
Scorpion Stings family in the Lakes
9th May 2017 (0) Leave a commentIt’s rare an entire family will be stung by a scorpion. At Staveley, all four of the McCarthy’s endured the “Sting in the Tail”. And what a day it was! All four of us taking part in a Lakeland Trails event for the first time. The kids have really got into running as a previous […] Keep reading »
Thank you kids, thank you Harriers, thank you parkrun
12th March 2017 (0) Leave a commentNever could we have imagined the influence #parkrun would have on our already active kids. First, Louis (15) wanted to try and complete a 5k run. So I took him to Heaton Parkrun – running with him was amazing. On completing it his reaction was “God at times I felt I was dying then!…Can we […] Keep reading »
I Run, Therefore I Am
4th October 2015 (1) Leave a commentRecently I’ve been contemplating why I run and what it gives me. Why? Well when you miss something you appreciate it all the more. Having missed out on the last two Lakeland Trails events (Keswick and Coniston), I felt very frustrated at my ongoing struggle with #LymeDisease and the inevitable ups and downs my body goes through. In […] Keep reading »
Race Director Interview: Graham Patten
14th September 2015 (0) Leave a commentIn our latest interview, we meet Graham Patten: Race Director, BGR member, all-round trail lover! Graham, you’re probably best known for the Lakeland Trails. What is the ethos behind these? I started the Lakeland Trails in 2004 out of sheer frustration – I’d been moaning for years that our area of the world (the Lake District) didn’t […] Keep reading »
Pushing beyond: My very first Ultra experience
26th June 2015 (0) Leave a commentI asked my body the question… and it responded with an emphatic “YES!“… There are so many ways I could describe my first ever Ultra. My experience is shared below. It’s not a race report, it’s about what I learned up to and during the day. The Build Up Friday lunchtime thoughts started wondering to […] Keep reading »
Coniston cracker! That’s trail marathon day
9th June 2015 (0) Leave a commentThis weekend saw a group of us heading up to Coniston for the Lakeland Trails marathon and half marathon. Rated by Runners World as most scenic marathon in the UK, this course is awesome. I was entered for the half marathon which itself offers awe-inspiring vistas, rapid descents through woodland, camaraderie, and plenty of climbs 🙂 […] Keep reading »
Staveley ‘Sting in the Tail’
10th May 2015 (0) Leave a commentSaturday represented another exciting return to #trailrunning, with the Lakeland Trails Staveley 17km. It’s a stunning and challenging course, set in the Kentmere valley. The infamous ‘Sting in the Tail’ that is Reston Scar, at around 15.5km, is a killer. But Read with the confidence gained from completing Hawkshead, I was really looking forward to this. The […] Keep reading »
Run Like The Wind? Read Like A Demon…again…and again
10th May 2015 (0) Leave a commentOver a month ago I promised to review Like The Wind magazine. The trouble was I took ages getting through it – dj read this review to find out why… For a start, the word “magazine” barely does this publication justice. I greatly enjoy subscriptions to Trail Running magazine and Cycling Active Magazine – both […] Keep reading »
