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Failure is the golden opportunity to learn and grow. Without failure we can never know where our true limit is and never get to completely understand what we are really all about. This is precisely how it was with me for my first two attempts at Spartathlon, during which, for different reasons I failed to make it to the finish. In my first attempt I made it to the 115 km point, not even half way, where a race official pulled me out because I was outside the time barriers...
Read the full article >> |
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Taming the Beast.
A lo Bestia – A mountain adventure.
Last November the Andalucian government / Medio Ambiente department announced that a new walking route, the GR-240 Sulayr, was ready and waiting !!! Great, a 300km lap of Sierra Nevada in 19 stages, the longest GR in Europe and something worth attempting ... except, most walkers don't have 3 weeks to spare and the guide book, apart from being rarer than rocking horse s....t, is only available in Spanish and it would appear that much of the route requires extra walking each day to reach a village. Refuges are few and far between, camping isn't allowed and there is very little water available.
Read full article >>
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Eletewater - a simple solution for optimum hydration.
Most people are familiar with the numerous sports drinks on the market but the main problem with these is that many are powder based. Powder is difficult to carry, especially during a multi stage desert race, it is bulky and heavy and not easy to mix correctly, especially during for instance, a sand storm ! |
A better alternative is to carry pure electrolyte tablets, smaller and lighter, as they don’t include carbohydrates. The tablets such as NUUN or ZYM are excellent but being flavoured this doesn’t go down too well day after day when you crave more savoury foods or are just sick of having to drink sweet, flavoured water which for some people can cause bloating and stomach cramps. Read full article >>
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Al Andalus Ultra Trail 2009 - Now open for entries
Next year sees the first Al Andalus Ultra Trail an even better version of the successful Marathon of Spain which we promoted in 2007.
This time the race will begin and end in Loja, a town which is keen to promote its excellent sports facilities which include a new running track / stadium. Al Andalus Ultra Trail will cover 250km of mountain and desert terrain over 5 stages within the Poniente Granadino region south west of Granada.
Full details on www.alandalusultratrail.com |
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Desert Runner Training Camps
Desert and other similar " hostile terrain " ultra running events are increasing in popularity.
The MdS in Morocco is always oversubscribed with the next chance to enter 2012 ( for UK entrants ) but there are similar events in Mali, Jordan, Namibia, Gobi Desert, Atacama
desert, Egypt, Libya and even in Andalucia where the heat and tough mountain terrain
ensure
a very tough challenge.
More Details >> |
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** Special Offer : **
To Fellrunners Association and Trail Running Association members.
Book your Trail running tour with Nirvana Europe Ltd and raise money for your sport !!!
For every person booking with Nirvana Europe they donate 5 pounds to the Association and 5 pounds to your own club . . . as well as giving you a great deal.
Call 0191 293 6592 for further information or visit www.nirvanaeurope.com |
The Ronda 101 - mud, floods and perseverance.
Back in 2003 I competed in the 8th edition of an event called the Ronda 101. This is a huge event promoted very efficiently by the Tercio de la Legion which has its barracks near Ronda. The weather was as usual hot and over 4500 participated in the run/walk of 101km and the concurrent events for mountain bikers and duathletes which were over 125km...
Read the full article >> |
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In 2007 the Marathon of Spain was born. 250km in 5 stages on the very tough mountain
trails of the Poniente Granadino region of Andalucia. Adding to the difficulty, the high temperatures
of July saw only the toughest finish. ( see report on site, Birth of a Classic ). |
NUUN pronounced NOON.
Perfect hydration in tablet form. Just add water for a complex electrolyte drink in seconds.
Portable – 1small tube = 12 tablets = 6 litres.
Balanced – Perfect electrolyte level for the product to be absorbed quickly providing the optimal salt balance to prevent cramping and maximise hydration.
Refreshing – Light flavour, no need to water down the mix because the flavour is too strong, (which defeats the purpose of using them). Now available in 4 pleasant flavours.
This is not an energy drink, there is no carbohydrate. You make your own carb choice. Also no sugar, ( the carb ) is big and bulky, leaving out sugar keeps the tablets smaller.
Being a tablet and not powder means no measuring with scoops, no mess, no waste etc., one tablet to 500ml is perfect. ( Very important in this generally hot climate ).
For more technical and general information see www.nuun.com
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The Marathon of Spain 2007 - Birth of a Classic.
It is always nice to see an idea become reality and for me it was very special to see the Marathon of Spain, after months of hard work, become an actual event and for it to be considered by all competitors as " perfect " was an added cherry on the cake. |
Back in 2003 when I lived in the Axarquia I had the idea of an event that would link a selection of villages, a move over the mountains to the Poniente Granadino region ended the Axarquia plan but the idea was still there. Read the full report >> |
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The Maroma Mountain Challenge.
Over the past 6 years I have run and walked all over the Sierra Almijara, Tejeda and Alhama planning routes for my trail running and adventure racing clients and I have built up quite a collection of excellent routes. My idea of the " Challenge " was to link a selection of the routes to make one big, achievable circuit.
Read more about the Maroma Challenge >> |
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Runners are prone to injury and 66% will experience a running related injury in the next 12 months. Running on land in excess of 56 km ( 36 miles ) per week increases the chance of injury by more than 55%. Injury prevention is an important ingredient in any training programme. For this reason we now include AquaRunning advice and tuition as part of our training weeks.
For more information on AquaRunning please see our " Running Repairs " article >> |
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Poniente Granadino, Andalucia, Spain. |
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