Quite pleased

On 7th and 8th November I started an ultra with one goal in mind. Keep going as long as possible. My previous attempts in the past five years have all been disasterous. I go off too fast and stop within ten hours. This time I stayed on the track for 18 hours and covered more distance than at any time since 2020.

So what was the story? Well I had no intention of entering.  in fact I had no idea the race was on. 

Graeme Boxell,  an ever present crewing at Spartathlon told me  about it while we were in Greece. 

"Go on Rob, just come along,  it can't be that far from where you live"

He was right it was a few hours from  home on thre trains. Chrissy said it was fine for me  to do  as she plans she had plan for that weekend anyway . The only issue was engineering work on the local lines, but she took me to the Frankfurt airport from which I got a train the Mannheim and then a local traing from there to the local station in Ubstadt-Weiher. 

The race started at 18:00 on the Friday evening and I got there in plenty of time and made my way by foot to the start .  I met Graeme & Pete Johnson at the start.  These guys have a fine predigree of Ultras

Graeme here DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics

Pete here DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics and here DUV Ultra Marathon Statistics Yeah Pete has two enteries for some reason

I met Graeme while crewing multiple times ar Sparatatlon, and I have always enjoyed my interactions with him,  although they tend to brief as he crew the likes of Daysey who is always way ahead of the people I crew.

 

I first met Pete back in 2012 on my first Spartalong attempt in 2012 and then on my first successful GUCR.   Pete is a well known face on  the British Ultra scene and it was a please to meet  after so long

I traveled down in my running kit plus a pair of jeans and a hoody. When the race started, as I had decide to walk the race I didin't both removing the outer clotheing and just walked. Thew course was a simply mile loop that was well lit. 

Walking while everyone else was running is a bit odd and you have to make sure you are out of the way of the fast people.  one such was a new friend, Matthias Gall who I met at the Spartathlon Beer Mile(SPM).  He made laugh there was he was concenrd about the SBM entry requirements.  These ar only to bring five beers,  four for the race and one for me. heh I provide the trophy together with Matt Blacburn and my son...

At tenish I was,  for the first time  looking at my motivation book, which although I take  it to every race I forget to look at it.

This really kept me  going. Also I was using watered down Maurten powder, sharing a third of one packet per 500ml bottle per hour.  Does that make sense? Each pack is 83 grams and I put roughly 30g into a 500ml bottle.  I found that putting the water in first and then adding the powder after works better.  In  the past I put the power in and the add the water.  This results in the powder turning into a congealed  mess at the bottom of the bottle.  I also availed myself of the food on the refreshment table and had a few energy bars.

By threeish the number of people thinned out.  I was sending voice notes to Chrissy overnight just to report on how I was going and listening to them back I sound ok.

At 5:30 I was a tad cold and found Graeme "resting" This is normally where I am after eleven hours so  pleased with myself that I was still going. I had decide to take a cat nap like Graeme.  Surprisingly I notice now that I sat down at 05:33 and got up at 5:49.   Power nap or what?

At 07:20 it was daylight and my vision was a bit off.  I thought I saw a rotating windsock, that turned out to be a flag. I was cold but just flapped my arms about and soon warmed up.  

I kept going having the odd chat with people as they slowed for a walking break. At one  stage Pete walked for several laps and we had a good old mans chat about the start of the world.  

By mid day and eithgeighteen hours on the course I was still strong, but felt I had proved myself for this attempt.  Graeme and Pete said they would be getting a cab to the station so I made a decision to go with them. In the end that was a mistake  s the cab didn't arrive and the train journey was full of cancellations and delays. As Chrissy said, why stop at that time, keep going to 18:00.  My wife is rather irritating at times as she is always right.

I got home  and I had a very nice collection  of blisters.  three on one  foot,  two on the other.  personally I blame  Richard Fish, as I used some Drymax socks he gifted me  and if you look carefully the bastard gave me  two lefts.

I’ve always believed Ultras are not about beating someone else — it’s about being a little stronger, a little steadier, a little more resilient than I was before. Every ultra is a reminder that progress isn’t always dramatic. Sometimes it’s just showing up, logging the miles, and trusting that tomorrow you’ll be stronger for it. This run was one more brick in the wall of endurance I’ve been rebuilding for years after breaking bones in my lower limbs in the last few years. This run was exactly that: proof that consistency builds endurance, and endurance builds character.  

10 years have past

It is ten years since I finished Spartathlon for the one and only time. Since then, I’ve run it once more and crewed six times—the last two with Chrissy. The record for crewing is far better than running, with four finishers and two DNFs, compared to my running record of one finish and four DNFs. In truth, that one finish was at the very limit of my abilities. It took me three previous attempts to achieve it. Since then, I’ve broken bones in each of my legs and put on fifteen kilos. It is very doubtful I will ever qualify again—thus my focus on crewing, which I greatly enjoy.

My mood going in was only dampened by my contract being cancelled. In truth, that was a blessing. I had been at IKEA for far too long, and several of my colleagues were very bad for my mental health—not least my boss, who is somewhat of a sociopath, as illustrated by his defence of bullying co-workers that was pure gaslighting. Add to that his penchant for very odd pornography, which he had shipped to my home address and demanded I deliver to him—it was a relief not to have to deal with him ever again.

But that’s enough of me feeling sorry for myself. This year’s Spartathlon was the best yet for me. The people I meet every year are always welcoming and fun to be with. I see people with multiple finishes, like Ian Thomas, who has achieved ten consecutive finishes—with a tiny pang of jealousy. That said, the front-of-pack runners aren’t those I have much in common with, lovely people though they are.

We got Andy to the end after his DNF last year by force feeding him Baklava.  Well done chap

Andy on the finishing straight

I have enormous sympathy for those who DNF, as I know only too well what that feels like. Anyone who can commit to pushing themselves to the very limit, fail, and come back again—like Terry Tillotson—are people I identify with far more. Terry, if you’re reading this and need a crew for next year, let me know.

Nick Gkikas and his crew did really well, although he also didn’t finish. I’m extremely indebted to Nick and Nikki for helping with the issues involving Marsh Pullan and David Stuart at the end. As Nikki said: “What’s the point of speaking another language if you’re not gonna use it to help other people?” That really is the ethos of the British Spartathlon Team. Tim and Anna also struggled with injuries and were cut.

Nixk, Anna, Tim & Terry.  The real heroes

The race organisation was improved previous years highlighted by extremely well organised gala. For the first time that I can remember the organisers created desginated country tables. This avoided the rush to grab a table and was much appreciate.  I got to meet Mary and RuneLarsson who were multipile winners in the early days of the race.   Especially nice people. 

What else was of interest? Seeing the GPS guys who set up the trackers and monitor the race, Freya Tim and Richard is always interesting. They have some great ideas on how to cut down on the cheating of  runners receiving crew assistance out side of the designated crew checkpoint. I hope that their ideas gets implemented. 

Chatting with Vangelis (Race Director), Doukas (Race Marshal), and Panagiotis (Technical Director) is always enlightening. It’s nice to hear about the challenges from the organisers’ side of the race, and I hope to incorporate some of their feedback into advice for British runners next year—not least to ensure you’re prepared for all weather types, after the storm hit midway through the night

Doukas

The Beer Mile was even more of a success with more than a dozen participants taking part. Thanks to Matt Blackburn and Bob Hearn for their assistance in creating the trophy and allowing time for it. TheTurkish team where very helpful in assiting in clearing up after the race. 

I receive a lot of feedback from the women runners and others on the team for how the British Team can improve in that arena and we will certainly consider all of it in the coming months in time for next year.

One final word of thanks to this years BST sponsors, three of whom were at the race

Our sponsors (Butcombe Brewing, Oyster Wealth Management, Avani Solutions, TrackTrail, Camino Ultra/Looming.Tech, and Wingman Designs) fund our kit, website & more  Links here: https://britishspartathlonteam.org/2025/07/20/2025-welcome-bst-sponsors/

See you all next year. 

🏛️ Sparta for All: Why I’m Fighting for a More Inclusive Finish Line

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of tyranny is for good men to do nothing."

That quote has always stuck with me—in life, and in running.

I’ve had the privilege of standing at the start line in Athens five times, the Acropolis rising behind me as darkness was lifted over the city. And I’ve had the pain, joy, and honour of finishing the Spartathlon—feeling my body break, rebuild, and finally hallucinate at the feet of King Leonidas. It’s a moment I’ll never forget.

But here’s what I can’t forget either:
As I looked around at my fellow runners—at aid stations, on the course, and at the finish line—I didn’t see many people who looked that different from me. And I asked myself a difficult question: Why not?

---

The Hard Truth

Ultra running is hard. Spartathlon is harder. No one earns that finish line by accident. But access to that challenge isn’t equal. For too long, the sport has quietly kept its doors half shut, not deliberately—to those without the money, the network, the cultural encouragement, or the role models who show you what’s possible.

Since I started ultra running I’ve seen talent, grit, and potential in runners from all walks of life.  So why aren’t they at that start in Herodion Theatre at base of the Acropolis? Honestly, since my first attempt in 2012 and attendance every year, but one since, as either a runner or crew I have not seen many non white middle men from Britian on that start line.

That’s why I want to launch “Sparta for All”—a campaign to open the gates.

---

This Isn't About Lowering the Bar

Let me be crystal clear:
This isn’t about handouts. It’s not about quotas. It’s about removing invisible barriers that have nothing to do with someone’s ability to run 153 miles in the Greek heat. I am proud to say as one of the founders of the most recent incarnation of British Spartathlon Team, its ethos and aims has always been about 

• Sharing knowledge that’s often locked inside exclusive circles.

• Providing mentorship from runners who’ve been there.

• Providing sponsored kt for the runners and crew

What is missing and what the initial aim of “Sparta for All” will be

This campaign will:

• Contact the many British based Ultra running organisation that have a specific aim of promoting diversity like  

https://activeinclusionnetwork.com/

https://www.rundemcrew.com/ 

https://www.blacktrailrunners.run/ 

and indeed any other any one can suggest

• Find out what the barriers from their perspective are, coz the last think I want this to be is a white saviour narrative.

• Aim to do what we can to remove those barriers

Why It Matters

The Spartathlon taught me things no medal ever could. It taught me that pain is temporary, but purpose is lasting. That finishing isn’t just about strength—it’s about belief, community, and the willingness to suffer with meaning.

I want more people to experience that. I want more runners to know that they belong at the start line, even if they’ve never seen someone like them at the finish.

Because the fight against tyranny—whether in history, in politics, or in sport—isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s in the quiet choices we make. Like choosing to do something when we see that others are being left out.

This is me doing something.

Will you stand with me?
Sparta for All. Every Mile, Every Voice.

International Spartathlon Association response

 Further to my open letter to the ISA here I received the below response from a board member Panagiotis Bonelis

"Hi Rob,

The increase in participation fees for athletes from outside Greece this year happened simply because the cost of hotels in the Glyfada area of Attica has risen excessively.

However, if you break down the costs below, you’ll see that the pricing is fully justified.

The participation fee for all athletes is 450 euros.

So, the additional 800 euros charged to non-Greek athletes is broken down as follows:

133 euros per day x 6 days, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner, transportation, insurance coverage, and accommodation in Athens and Sparta.

You might ask: Why don’t you give international athletes the option to choose their own accommodation?

Simply because:

We want to preserve the ‘magic’ of having all teams and nationalities gathered in specific hotels for the SPARTATHLON. Don't forget that SPARTATHLON promotes friendship and cooperation among athletes. We are not an impersonal event.

They won’t find anything cheaper with the same level of hospitality and benefits.

See here prices for the exact period of 25-30 September only for Glyfada

2 Things have in mind 

1) We want to preserve the ‘magic’ of having all teams and nationalities gathered in specific hotels for the SPARTATHLON. Don't forget that SPARTATHLON promotes friendship and cooperation among athletes. We are not an impersonal event.

2) We are not a company and we are all volunteers.

We do not have any profit form what we do for SPARTATHLON.

We are a group of ROMANTIC PEOPLE who loves SPARTATHLON"

I have known Panagiotis Bonelis since my first adventures in Spartathlon and I know what a good egg he and indeed all the volunteers are. As some people know I don't do social media, but to say I'm disappointed with the lurid accusations about the ISA  that have been banded is some what of an understatement. As Ultra runners we should be better than that. 

An open letter to the International Spartathlon Association

It is with a heavy heart that I feel compelled to write this blog. I am writing this in a purely personal capacity and not under the aegis of any organization. I want to highlight how long I have been involved in  Spartathlon and how that contributes for my request to allow the international runners to apply for the SIMPLE PARTICIPATION package. 

I have been involved with Spartathlon since 2011. I had just completed my first big ultra, the  Ultrabalaton , which was at the time, a 212km race circumnavigating Lake Balaton  in the west of Hungary. My fellow runner, Mark Wooley told me I had qualified for Spartathlon. I was amazed. I had heard of this race back in the 1980s, but I had never thought that I would be able to qualify for it, let alone run it. 

Mark put me touch with a bunch of runners from the UK who were similarly interested.  I felt quite privileged to be in such illustrious company. Back in those days social media was not so poisonous, and I soon corresponded with the likes of Allan Rumbles, James Adams, James Elson and the great Mark Cockbain. 

I entered the 2012 edition of Spartathlon at a cost of €400. In those days it didn't over subscribe like now.  In fact, Stuart Shipley, who created that years British shirts, told me that in Noughties you could apply for Spartathlon in late summer as there were so many places available. 

I arrived in Gyfada and did my best, but DNF'd at only 70km.  I didn't even get to Hellas Can, but I made lifelong friends.  Lawerence Chownsmith who pulled at a similar point to name one.

By 2013 I met Nick Papageorge who had been on the original expedition in 1983 with John Foden, but we both failed

In 2014 I featured in a film with Nick, Mark and a nurse called Angela.  There was some numpty called Dean in it as well, I wonder what ever happened to him.

In 2015 I finally finished.  It was also the first year I did the kits for the British Spartathlon team. The previous year Mark Wooley had got an energy company to sponsor the kit, but we were told off for having a sponsor’s name on the kits.  I got around this by not only providing two runners tops in white, but also red crew tops on which we printed the sponsors logos.  Ever since then the British Spartathlon Team have had sponsored kits free of charge to runners and crews. I am pleased to see that other nations copied our idea.

In 2017 we did a memorial top for John Foden and encourage every other national team to do the same.

In 2022 we went legit and founded the BST Community Interest Company, of which I am still a Director. 

One of the guiding principles of the BST is the spirit of inclusiveness that we took from the ethos of Spartathlon.  It even says on the BST website that to join the BST you only need to send a picture of you holding a British Passport, you don't even need to have one. We have had Americans, Italians and South Africans in the team. 

The British crews will help anyone on the road to Sparta with no fear or favour. I love the inclusiveness and everyone helping each other without the need for recognition or reward. 

Many of the British Team and indeed other international runners have booked their own accommodation for themselves and their crews. This is a bit sad as they miss out on the camaraderie  of all the runners and crews in the same accommodation. But due to the rising costs shown below it is understandable   It also saves the International Spartathlon Association the administration and costs of arranging  that accommodation.

This is the history of the "EXTRA" package cost (mandatory for ALL runners) since 2012:

2012   400 € 

2013    400 € 

2014     450 €

2015     500 €

2016     520 €

2017     520 €

2018     600 €

2019     600 €

2020     600 €

2021     600 €

2022     700 €

2023     800 €

2024     950 €

2025     1250 €.  

Thus, I am disappointed that the International Spartathlon Association have introduced higher pricing for non-Greek runners. I fear this will discourage participation in what is, in my humble opinion the best race in the world. To enter from abroad an international runners must pay the mandatory EXTRA package at a cost of €1250  It's a lot, and by far the biggest increase in Spartathlon’ s history.  That seems to be against the ethos of the race that Greek runners can apply for the SIMPLE PARTICIPATION package for €450 and the international runners have to pay an additional €800 for the EXTRA package

I respectfully appeal to the International Spartathlon Association to allow international runners to also be  able to apply for the SIMPLE PARTICIPATION package.

You are not as fit or as recovered as you think.

13/12

I flew out on the Friday before the race and wrote to myself on the flight to Barcelona that 

"The   race   is   tomorrow   and   I am  flying   now.   I   have   put   off writing anything for a while,   although I am not sure  why. Training dropped off three weeks ago instend of the intended one week taper. Unfortunately , I got his by my first cold in years. in the week before a race I tend to just do walking   and yoga. Chrissy and Nadia looked after me well, with plenty of  care, sympathy and comfort  foods. I recommend Nadia's Chicken soup. The previous week I was in Dortmund for a team meeting and  was so mentally tired I just rested. I think  that I am well rested and just need to focus on the race. The strategy is to maintain 8km per hour, tactically is to take a Maurten gel and a bottle of Maurten carb drink per   hour.  The direction   changes once every three hours which well break things up nicely."

Sounds great doesn't it? I even got one of the emergency exit seats with plenty of leg room

As Tyson used to say, "Everyone has a plan until they are hit in the mouth"

 

The flight and the taxi to hotel went well, then it all start to fall apart.  There was a Whatsapp group of mainly British runners and I foolishly assumed we were all in the same hotel.  Therefore I assumed we could have a pre race meal.  Nah....if you want that you need to organise better. Daysey was wandering about and Gill Thomas had gone to the poolbar which was closed. In the end Ian & Gill Thomas and myself spent a while wandering around a Spainish shopping centre before going to a Subway. GPS don't really work indoors and the digital guide were all offline.  Have you tried asking where Subway is in Spain.  They all think you are looking for the undergound trains.  I blame American cultural imperialism.  I aint never had a Subway before, so that at least was an experience.  Personally I would have prefered Tapas or a paella, but I am always happy to go with the crowd. Well unless they are Nazis and there is a lot of them about now. 

The next morning we all had breakfast and then got a taxi to the racetrack at around tenish.  The tables were first come first served. After getting my number I looked around and saw the Great Danny Hawkins.  I first met Danny in 2021 where he stormed to a sub 27hour finish at Spartathlon. Also there was Wendy Whertey who I last saw at the last Spartathlon. They were both supporting Mark Felton on his first 24hour. So we had a good little set up for the British team.  Then the Irish turned up, Anto and Anne and a couple of other runners.  A couple of other familar faces arrived,  Jon and Shirley Steele,  I have seen them in absolutely ages.

I was thinking this will go well.  The weather was ok, no wind or rain forescats.  I had my kit organised in my suitcase, so well organised that Danny commented on my bags of kit for each of the four six hours, plus bags for cold weather. I also had my food organised and Gill volunteered to preparing my  water bottles out.  

There was the usual annoying annoucer babbling away all the time.  You can give some  people microphne and they really won't shut the fuck up. 

The race started and I settled into my slow and steady pace.  I got told off for being to close to the inside and slowing the speedy runners down.  I moved out to land two and three and was not really in the way.  then of course some of the walkers were annoying me...it is what it is and one just has to go around them. 

I  had a few nice chats with the fellow UK and Irish runners  and the first turn around at three hours arrived with me noticing. the sun started setting and the temparture started dropping.  I added layers, but it didn't seem to help.  I had a super warm top in my kit as will as bin liners, but  I just didn't get them out and put them on. Lesson 1 use the warm clothes that you bring! 

At six hours I was starting to feel a niggle at the top of my right foot. At this point I had planned to change clothes, but I simply forgot.  Lesson 2 Change clothes on schedule!

At eight hours the niggle became a pain and I struggled to run.  I forced myself to sprint half a lap an jog the rest.  I was hoping the pain would go away. some time I find my body gives up telling me there is something wrong and pain single just disappers. No such luck this time.

I treated it with volteren, again this didn't work.  I was thinking the shoes was too tight and the laces where causing the issue, but perhaps it was the change in the foot structure after breaking my ankle last year. Either way I had a fresh pair of shoes in my suitcase.  Lesson 3 if you don't change shoes you won't know if that helps.

I moaned at Danny about the foot and he responsed with "it is a good job you are a tough old bastard then" I just didn't feel it though.^No idea where that inner core of toughness has gone. I seem to be  softer than a marshmellow at the moment.

By ten hours I was really done.  I kept trying to go so at least I would get a twelve hour time. but no metter I just couldn't get going.  It was really annoying and I just sat around shivering like the fat old man that I am. 

I took a trip to the airport with Daysey who like Ian had a great race and managed to get my flight switched so got home early. 

I have resolved to focus on 50km races and fast to shift the 10-15kg to get down to a proper race weight

  

  

Only three weeks to go.

It is only three weeks to go. There this week will be the hardest and then I can relax a bit. Things are settling down and I am seeing my  garmin reporting that I am peaking in terms of training. I will do more high aerobic this week and next just to getting used to pushing hard for longer periods.

I have ordered more of the murten gels bars and drinks and have ensured that I have enough bottles to speed the pickups. 

I will put the clothing, floor and racing plan together in time for the next up date. 

Two good weeks

 The last few weeks have been good training wise.  The two endureance runs (40km on  3rd & 20km on 10th)  went well, with no noticable drops in speed.  The food I used was 500ml of Maurten drink per 10km  and Maurten gels & bars. I felt annoy about 20km into the 40km run, but Chrissy got me going again.  Yesterday I did 20km at race pace, which given the ascent of 311m  the course was pretty well done. Barcelona will be on a a flat 400m track. 

I didn't run the first three days or swim of last week due to the travel to Berlin and having to do an interview with PeopleCert. But everything was done. All of the interval sessions (1minute*10, 3minute*10 & 8minute*5) plus the hill session show signs of improvement. The only thing I am worried about is that my weight has plateaued at 80kgs. I will try a fast to getting it going again. 

Another good week

I did most of the plan, and only dropped the 10km tempo, this I will remove from the following weeks to ensure a running rest day per week. I am now adding the short pilates and yoga sessions.  The weight is looking good as well with another kilo dropped.  Last Monday, I was 82.2kg with a fat % of 29.8 or 24.5kgs,  This week I am 81.1kg with a fat % of 29.2 or 23,6kgs. I have added the bin bag to the running training as well. For all runs I will wear a 25litre bin bag over a t shirt. This ensures the weight lose will continue. I am tracking not only my weight and fat%, but also muscle and water content. I want to ensure that the thing that is having the most effected by the training is fat loss. On Sunday my Rory was 24km or 60laps of my field.  Next Sunday I am going for 100 laps or 40kms.  The following week I will do an overnight run. 

Are numbers important?

I have had good week training. Three weight session, three interval sessions, a long run, a 2km swim and some yoga good week. I have a great feeling in my legs and I am looking forward to an incremental increase this week. I have started pushing harder and not doing just junk kms. 

The weight is stable but the fat percentage is going down. When I started at the end of September I had a weight of 86.4kg with a fat of 32.9 % or 28,4kgs. This is now a weight of 82,2kg fat of 29.8 or 24.5kgs. That difference is nearly four bags of sugar. I even look thinner in the mirror. 

The key is to not let up and concentrate on consistency over the next eight weeks. What is the plan? Well here it is. 

Per week we have a HIIT session, 2km of swimming, three weight sessions, a three interval sessions, a Cooper test, a tempo run,a 5km Hill rep session and a longer more relaxed run on Sunday. Five short, no more than half an hour, yoga and pilates to stretch and recover 

I am convinced that this will get me to the start line in Barcelona in an extremely fit state. 

Benchmarking

I have committed to running the Barcelona 24hour race in  nine weeks time. This is a tough ask, but I can focus on loosing weight via water fasting and building speed via the Cockbain method.  In the last week I have done strength training three times, swam a kilometer and ran on five days,  including two interval sessions, a hill rep session and finally a 10km race on Sunday.

Regarding the race, my first since the fiasco of the 2023 marathon, a little background is needed. Some five years ago Chrissy and I met Sherry at a wedding. She said she always wanted to go running in the woods around our house, but was worried about running alone. From then on we ran on and off. in  the Taunus. Obviously having broken my leg at the beginning of the year we have not met up for sometime. Then last weekend we had a conversation that went something like this 

Sherry: Morning ⛅️ shall we attempt a run tomorrow?

Rob: We are off to Gemünden to see a friend finish a 100 mile race

Rob: Next week maybe

Sherry: Next week is the Kurparklauf maybe you fancy that 😀

Rob: Distance?

Sherry: There’s a 5km and a 10 km, it’s 2 and 4 times around the park, not super exciting but I can’t motivate myself to run alone so races and friends are the way to go right now 🤣

Rob: Which one are you doing? I can't see that you are registeres and I know you Sherry. If you don’t commit now you will find an excuse not to do it on the day. Register now and I will do it with you. Do it. DO IT NOW!

Sherry: Hahaha ok fine, so the 10 km? It’s not too early and quite close to my home

On the Sunday morning Chrissy and I drove down to Bad Homburg and met Sherry.  The Kurpark is very pretty and especially so on an Autumn morning.  The start was a little chaotic but as soon as the hooter went I rushed off. I started way to fast and did the first kilometer in 5:21.   The course was quite undulating so that didn't help to maintain a consistant pace,  but I settled down and looked at maintaining a 5:30-6:00 /km pace. During the second lap I felt a twing in my left hamstring, but realised that was just a warming up and nothing to worry about,  even though part of me  told me  to quit.  I slowed over the second half, but ended with an average of 5:45/km  over the whole race. I was quite please the final time was 57.22. 

Sherry unfortunately felt bad and her hip started hurting after 5km.  The last time  she  had the same feeling she end up with back problems, so took the safe option.  We met Sherry and her Mom  after the race which was nice as her Mom is where Sherry' humor comes from.  In the end a successful day.  

I mentioned the race to my friend James and we had the following exchange

James: That is mega impressive and a massive step forward

Rob:Steady on chap. Hardly mega...

James:It is. You’ve had a massive fracture. Every step on the road to rehab is important.

As I said to Chrissy afterwards, if I can do something it can't be  that hard. Sometime I don't realise what I can do is a bit different from others.

As well as the running my weight is showing signs of improvement, down over 5kgs since the beginning of October. I want to get under 80kgs this week which is roughly and 3 kgs. This is achievabl via fasting and training.  I will commit to running  six days and swimming 3km as well as the three weight session.

Until next week.

  

2022-2024: Years of not training

2022 to 2024 have not been good years for my running and weight. I cover less and less distance at a reduced speed and my weight stayed resolutly above 85kg about 15-20kg heavier than I should be.

I did only six races in that period.

• 2022 Frankfurt Marathon
• 2023 50km in Rodgau 
• 2023 Sparta 24hour 
• 2023 Lepzig 100km
• 2023 Frankfurt Marathon

The 2023 Sparti 24hour really symbolised the how everything has gone. The race was on a weekend starting at 17:00. I booked a direct flight Frankfurt to Athens leaving on the Friday. The plan was to meet two of my Spartathlon friends(Ian & James) in Athens and drive to Sparti on the Friday night giving us plenty of time to get prepared in. 

Lufthansa had other ideas. By failing to pay their staff enough, they triggered a strike of ground crew. This resulted in a cancellation of flights. After much toing and froing I managed to get an early Saturday morning flight. This was delayed and I arrived in Sparti nearly three hours after the start of the race. 

The people at Ultras are always nice. I think there is something intrinsic about Ultra running that means you have to be good with yourself and others in order to be able to compete. 

I received messages on my journey that someone called Bill would help me to checking. Bill was lovely and got me going. The first three hours was fine, but then my pace started dropping, despite running with a good friend Martin Illott. 

I was crewing myself and that always makes things harder. A crew makes you more displined and prepares all your nurtition and gives you a good slap. You need to be Mark Cockbain to keep going on your own.  I got several messages from my sister Anne and a few others to keep going but it was a struggle. 

Several other British runners quit early on, but I kept slugging away for 14hours until my knee locked up.  I think they do that when you are trying to keep going with 20kgs more weight than you should have.  My doctor was less than impressed when I told her why my knee was so swollen.

I tried the Leipzig 100km but quit after 50km.  I really want to quit early on, but as my freind Jan was there I needed to cover ore distancethan him. 

Then the Frankfurt marathon was a shit show in the rain and my worst ever time over that distance. That said, despite being so heavy and the weather so bloody awful, my mental strength is so much better, as I kept going in the rain.

On top it all I  broken my fibula in January 2024 on top of a broken metatarsal in July 2022 resulting in 12 screws, 14 stiches and yet another 8-10 weeks of no running. 

The only real highlights is baskin in the glory of others by crewing in Spartathlon each year. I really do enjoy crewing.  Looking after Alastair Higgins in 2023 and then Andrew McKillop this year was a pleasure. Gary Seary crewed Alastair with me and did all of the driving. he introduced me to the glory of disco and the talent that was Teddy Pendergrass.  This year was another crewing highlight as my wife Chrissy was able to come to Spratehlon for the first time and we had a lovely time together.     

I have really learnt that I need to loose weight and get back the pace Mark Cockbain gave me.  As much as I love Robbie Britton and James Ellis' attempts to get me fit the only person who got me performing well was Mark. The only way I have lost weight is by fasting. 

So now I am committed to a month of fasting and a ten week block of training twice a day, six days a week until Baracelona 24hour race on 14-15th December. The aim is the following 

1) Get weight under 70kgs.

2) 10km time to under 50 minutes.

3) Marathon time under 4 hours.   

I am fairly confident my mental strength is fine.  I know what to do for nutrition, so I just need to stay focused on achieving the goals above and I will be  on for 180km and Spartathlon qualifier. Get that and I shall return to running heaven for the tenth anniversary of my one and only finish.

Getting back to it.

This year after crewing at Spartathlon and completing the Frankfurt marathon I have been re-energized and really want to get back to top fitness. I even went back and updated my race log of races and found to my surprise that I have entered 78 races and only DNF 12. These area mixture of marathons and ultras and covered a total distance of 7020 km.  

I feel it is important to note that running, although a solitary activity, is a matter of nonhierarchical teamwork. I wrote about the need to ditch the hierarchy here and I believe this is the future of work. Regarding running, one cannot train without the support of others. I could not have achieved the amount I have, without the support and assistance of my family and friends. The best thing on last Sunday's marathon was four kilometers from the end when I head the cry of "Rob" and saw Chrissy who had come down to see the end. She videoed the meeting and although I don't seem it, just seeing her lifted my spirits. Her support over the years has been amazing. Anyone that can put up with my mood swings over the years is really special. 

The last ten years of helping to run the British Spartathlon Team (BST), where each year we ensure all British runners and their crew have sponsored team shirts free charge, really does show that we can make a difference. It is a combined effort, with each performing to the best of their abilities and no real leader. Russell does the shirts; James does the advertising; Dave does the website. It is a good example of a nonhierarchical team and I like to think of us as an anarcho-syndicalist committee. 

Although it is a long time since I have qualified for the race, I have kept involved and helped ensure that the ethos of the British crew being there, being visible and ready to help all runners is something that I am particularly proud of. 

At Spartathlon, the Sparta Photography Club provide an excellent free service publishing all the photos on Flickr here. My favourite photo from this year, outranking this one of me with my friend Kostis, the former President of the International Spartathlon Association, is the one below it, as it shows the non-hierarchical team ethos I am referring to.

This was taken at the 80km HellasCan support point, showing part the British Spartathlon team crew. There are five members of the BST team there, all the act of helping each other. From the left Jonni is in the green and black shirt on the left have done 80km of 246km. His sister Sasha, in the white vest can be seen trying to attract my attention, as I post a photo of Jonni on the BST twitter. Sue is at the table with Jonni and her husband's Mark equipment searching for the specialized ultra-nutrition. Nathan and Jamie are in crew shirts with their backs to us as they wait for their runner Allan Anderson to, come in. As the twenty or so runners all take different times to reach this checkpoint, we all muck in. To quote the great Bill Shankley "The socialism I believe in is everyone working for each other, everyone having a share of the rewards. It's the way I see football, the way I see life."  

This leads me to my next point and rather the point of this blog.  Being a child of punk, I have always been somewhat, in the modern parlance, "woke" although I predate not only woke but also political correctness. It was " ideological sound" in my day. I have lost count of the amount of protest marches I went on in the 70s &80s and volunteered for the Miners groups and Terence Higgins trust back then.  Nowadays I merely wear rainbow laces and the more eagle eye will be able to spot them in the video above. 

It has always irked me that the British Spartathlon tends to be older white males. We, however, have a history of LGBTQ representation, but not many women or non-white runners. Thus, one of our goals for next year is to increase the diversity in the team. Being one of those old white males I have no expertise in the area and am at bit of loss as how to increase this engagement. If there any of my followers who know something about increasing diversity engagement, please do get in touch and teach this old dog some new tricks. 

 #fitness #ultrarunning #marathon #marathonrunner #mentalhealth #bame #lgbtq #diversity #team #teamwork #teambuilding 

Went well

I ran the Rodgau 50km and it went well. Rodgau is a season opener for the German ultra running community. There were some big names there including the reigning German 24hr men's champion Florian Reus. I always enjoy this race 10 laps of a 5km route. Sometimes the last km gets rather muddy, but this year it stayed quite firm.

My friend Jan flew over from the UK to attempt his first ultra and was so confident of his speed that he predicted he would lap me before the last lap. Being twenty five years younger and a darn sight faster, I thought that this was a fair prediction.

Chrissy drove us to the start and we collected our numbers and made our way to the refreshment point start.  We set up a double camping chair and I had 10 bottles of Mountain fuel in  old Powerade bottles.  I find these bottles the right size and weight to carry and sip from.  

I wore: 

• Nike Air Pegasus trail shoes,  
• Sealskin double skin trail socks, 
• Dri-Fit Stride Hybrid 5in 2in1 Running Shorts, these like the sock are particularly good as the inner lining rides with your body and prevents chafing, 
• Some old running tops.  
• A buff
• Gloves that went on and off during the race

I liberally plastered by under carriage with Vaseline and taped my nipples. 

We set off promptly at 10:00am and Chrissy went of to do the weekly shop. The weather as ok.  not too cold or windy for the end of January.  I noticed that I was going a little too quickly over the first 5 laps at under 30minutes a lap. By this time  my rather full stomach needed emptying . After this point I settled on a target of thirty five minutes.per lap. 

During the race a fellow runner said to me that it was not done to have a tattoo of a woman on my leg.  I pointed out that was no woman, but Pheidippides, a symbol that I had finished Spartathlon. He had never heard of the race.  Imagine being an ultra runner and not knowing of Spartathlon.  The shame!

On  the sixth lap I saw Jan sitting in our double chair looking rather sheepish.  I went to collect my bottle and he said to me  

"I couldn't be bothered any more after 30km"

"Fair enough,"

"You're not going to have a go at me?"

"Jan, I could only do that if I had never a quit a race as you have done, and I have DNF'ed more times than I like  to mention"" 

I believe he had low blood sugar because he was not eating enough. 

I suggested he put the space blanket on and called Chrissy so that he could rest in the car and keep warm.

At 40km, and only two laps to go I saw Chrissy at the start that we go through ten times

She encourage me as always and I really appreciate her support! I saw her again as I went through the start of the last lap and she said she would call Jan to watch me  finish.  Unfortunately I was too quick and met them as they came back from the chair.  As I was among the last to finish there was not many there. We did, however,  manage to congratulate two eighteen year olds who had finished their first ultra. That is quite impressive.

As Jan quit after 30km, I reckon I lapped  him four times. we meet some of our former work colleagues that evening and had a jolly good drink that night.  as I think I deserved the celebration. 

My next race is on 18th February, the Sparta City twenty four hour. Link here.

My goal is to get one of the two longer qualifiers for Spartathlon, either the hundred miles in twenty one hours or 180km in twenty four.  

This requires me to run around eight kilometers an hour and this race has set me  up nicely for that. I think the trick is to maintain a slower pace in the beginning.  As the route is one kilometer long, pacing should be quite simple. Run quicker down the street away from the statue and return a bit slower on the slight incline

I will wear pretty much the same gear, changing tops once every four hours, so that I fill fresher each time.  I will use the Powerade bottles with Mountain fuel and drink one per hour.  I plan on bringing a lot of warm tops for the evening and a space blanket just in case it drops to very cold.  I will also bring some cheeses and rice. Mainly, I will rely on the food provided by the race.  Another important not is not to dawdle too long getting changed or eating.  Relentless Forward Motion or RFM is the key.

In terms of things going wrong I have a hand written book of motivational quotes that I will look at each hour.  I know that no matter how bad I feel I will feel better after thirty minutes or so.  It is a matter of walking down the steps to the darkest monster infested steps and having the strength to walk out the other side.  

I shall make two checklists prior to the race 

1) Kit list 

2) Things to do to keep head straight list

Don't wish me luck as , to paraphrase the words of the great John Foden

"If you have prepared properly you won't need it and if you haven't it won't help"

Update 

I ran with Fatih last night.  We talked about the race and he came up with some suggestions

• Run slow for the first hour and really focus on warming up 
• Every hour have a walking break 
• Ensure you have Red Bull or similar caffeine drinks for the night section 

Week 21

Mentally getting better, due running and weight a little better. I need to stop punishing myself for not reaching unrealistic goals. Let's set better goals and reach those.

Week I don't know....

Ever get that feeling,  no matter what you that you are still depressed?

You try and modify things and nothing changes?

Or seek advice and no one really listens to you? 

You explain things in detail about how you experience an aspect of your life and every one tells you to do the same thing again and again. 

You tell them "I have tried that and that does not work."  But still they insist on you trying the same thing over and over again.

I just wish someone would have the time and respect to 

FUCKIN LISTEN TO ME, ABSORB WHAT I SAY, THINKING ABOUT WHAT THAT MEANS  AND MODIFY THEIR RESPONSE ACCORDINGLY

.........................

INSTEAD OF JUST PARROTING THE SAME OLD SHIT,

Week Eleven

 Weight high  Back at the flat and running to and fro

Week Ten

 weight stuck, plus birthday week 

Week Nine

 Weight still stuck. Did nearly 70km. Will be  in the flat and can run more and avoid snacks

Week Eight

 Weight is not moving.  Did nearly 60km. Need to build in rest weeks every 4th week and more intense runs.  did a copper test and got 2.55km. Which is good. Monthly total nearly 200km