Categories
Running

Tour Monte Rosa

Four years ago I did the Tour de Mont Blanc, 167km, 12,500m ascent, with Shane and Heather Ohly.  Similar to the UTMB non-stop race, but we took it at a more leisurely running pace, spread over four days, staying in mountain huts.  A wonderful experience, great views and trails, but also very popular for walkers […]

Categories
Climbing

Gunks

“Safe Pippa!” I yell.  They guy next to me at the top of the crag detects my accent and quaint climbing calls (not the American “On belay!”).  “You don’t sound local?” he says.  “No, we are over from England.”  “Wow, have you climbing on the gritstone?”  I mumble something about not really liking god’s own […]

Categories
Climbing

Rock climbing on Pabbay

“I think this is the right place?”  We peer over the edge, contemplating a committing 90m free hanging abseil (so the guidebook says – our rope is 100m), onto a platform that you can’t see from above (hopefully non-tidal…), to do a three pitch E2, which some others did yesterday but said the bottom pitch […]

Categories
Mountain Marathon

OMM 2016, Galloway

“I don’t want to get to the finish in second place feeling like I could have tried harder.”  These words from Shane are ringing in my ears as we struggle up a long rising traverse, the last significant hill on day 2 of the Original Mountain Marathon 2016 in Galloway.  We alternate between “maximum shuffle” […]

Categories
Running

From mountains to marathons

Another runner eases past, making it seem effortless, whilst my trainers slap the tarmac, wasting what little energy I have left.  Crowds pass in a blur, not due to my speed but because tunnel vision takes over, just focussing on the road ahead.  That light spring in the step an hour ago seems a distant […]

Categories
Climbing

Climbing in Morocco

I reach up and my fingers feel around for the next hold.  There it is, a small but super sharp edge.  Foot up, rock over, stand up.  I look down to see the rope stretching lazily down to my last piece of gear, several feet away.  Confident in the positive holds I don’t even think […]

Categories
Mountain Marathon

OMM 2015, Tweedsmuir Hills

“I think I can jump that” says Shane, before sprinting down the bank and launching himself across the raging torrent, landing mostly on the far bank, legs pedaling wildly in the foaming water below.  We are at the OMM, it is day 1, it rained overnight, and has continued to do so for the first […]

Categories
Running

Tour de Mont Blanc

The Tour de Mont Blanc is a trail that circles the Mont Blanc massif (as the name suggests!).  Mont Blanc itself stands proud at 4,809m, with the TMB varying from 1000m in the lower valleys up to 2600m cols.  Along with Shane and Heather Ohly, we completed the TMB in early September 2015, as a […]

Categories
Running

Bob Graham Round

The short version:  I did the Bob Graham Round on 6th June in 18hr51.  It was very windy.  For the longer version, read on… What is it:  The Bob Graham Round is a circuit of 42 named peaks in the lake district, starting and finishing at Keswick Moot Hall.  The challenge is to complete it in 24 […]

Categories
Mountain Marathon Orienteering Running

Duncan’s 2014

The new year is always a good time to reflect on events gone by, achievements as well as disappointments, and start to make plans for the coming year.   So what of my 2014?  As far as training goes I did: 2471 km of orienteering + running.  That is the most I’ve ever run in a […]