Runner's World

034 RUNNERSWORLD.CO.UK JUNE 2018

trepidation and excitement as I watch

the sun go down then switch on my

headtorch knowing that a new world

awaits me one where my senses are

heightened as I become more focused

on my immediate surroundings not

what’s over the horizon. And of

course revelling in the knowledge

that while my friends and loved ones

sleep I’ve got this world to myself.

If running in darkness isn’t for you

try a race-the-sun challenge. I was

inspired by the Outrun the Sun

challenge where two relay teams

battled it out to run around Mont

Blanc before the sun set. But instead

of running around a mountain

I challenged my best friend Phil to

run with me across one connecting

the Atlantic Ocean with the Indian

Ocean via the spine of Cape Town’s

Table Mountain National Park in

South Africa. We stopped for lunch in

a gastropub took tons of photos had

a picnic climbed Table Mountain

descended by its treacherous trails

and finished off with a well-earned

pint on the beach. It was glorious

but you can race the sun anywhere

• from city limit to city limit across
  postcodes or from town to town
  along rivers or canals around local
  hills or along nearby trails.
  As a trail runner and wannabe
  fell runner I’ve long been fascinated
  by the Bob Graham Round [BGR].
  It’s one of the greatest running
  adventures in the UK but to run
  to 42 of the highest peaks in the Lake
  District within 24 hours is a bit steep
  for most of us. However as with
  many great challenges you can break
  it down to the core elements and
  build back up to an adventure tailored
  to your ability and location. The BGR
  is basically a peak-to-peak adventure
  and you can replicate that idea very
  easily even in a city as seen in our
  own Runner’s World London Peaks
  Relay. In March RW recruited a team
  of runners (including me) to run a
  150-mile relay route that included the
  highest points in each of London’s
  32 boroughs (see p36).
  If you live within striking distance
  of the coast you could try a sea-to-
  summit challenge. Pick a point on the
  coast then plot an interesting route
  that will take you to the highest point
  in the county. A classic example is
  Caernarfon to Snowdon the highest
  peak in Wales. If you don’t live near
  the coast you could adapt this idea
  to start at a lake or reservoir.
  Lateral thinking is the key. One
  New Year’s Eve I persuaded my
  girlfriend (now wife) to forgo a night
  of partying and accompany me in
  running the Monopoly Board – which
  turned into a 50km adventure. We
  still regard this as one of the best
  New Year’s Eves we’ve ever spent.

Those precious hours between
finishing work on Friday and being
back at our desks on Monday morning
offer the perfect opportunity to
squeeze in an adventure on a slightly
grander scale. Something that takes
more planning and a few more glasses
of wine to lubricate the grey matter as
you hover near the bonkers end of the
bonkers-possible continuum.
In every running adventure you
are your own race director. You
decide how long you’ll give yourself
to complete the challenge who you
would like to join you and what time
you set off. Many of my favourite
adventures have taken me through
the night. I love the potent cocktail of

An adventure between the first
flight out and last flight home.

GPS watch running backpack

map running shoes food/

water passport.

The run challenge must be

completed within a day. Costs

should be kept to a minimum

(less than the entry to a Tough

Mudder or similar event).

Skip the entry fees and

accommodation costs of a

destination race; just shell out

on a single-day return flight

that allows you to complete

an epic adventure in time to

catch the last flight home.

Choose a destination where

you don’t have to go far from

the airport to escape built-up

areas. And pack light travelling

in your kit with your running

pack as hand luggage. I once

tried to run around the island

of Jersey as a one-day flight

challenge reaching 26 miles

before I realised I was going to

miss my flight. I turned back

and had to sprint to the gate

at the airport. Though I ‘failed’

I had an awesome time and

made some friends.

If you can’t find a flight take

the same principle and apply

it to ferries and trains.

NATURE’S CALL

Tackle a sea-to-

summit challenge