Hi all,

I wanted to share some exciting news from our running community with you!

There’s some great events coming up, from the ultimate endurance challenge, Backyard Ultra in our very own Greater Manchester to sustainable trail races and a fantastic initiative breaking barriers into the world of ultrarunning.

I hope you find these announcements as exciting as I do!

All the Best,

Martha

1. Manchester Backyard Ultra – Saturday 30th November 2024

For any one who doesn’t know what a Backyard Ultra is, it is a race format where you run a 4.2 mile loop every hour on the hour for as long as you can. You can run as fast or as slow as you like provided that you are at the start line ready to start the next loop on the next hour. The winner is the last person standing, everybody else is a DNF! it’s a really fun format and a great way to test your limits or experience running a bit further than you have before within a safe environment. Lots of people enter just to go to a new PB – you don’t have to enter expecting to run an ultra. As a big fan of the format, I’m very happy with Greater Manchester is finally getting it’s own – and it’s based not far from us at Giant’s Seat. I’ve become an ambassador for the event as it’s local sustainable and low-key. Tickets go on sale next month and may sell quickly. If you’re interested, check it out via this link: https://manchesterbackyardultra.co.uk/tickets?ref=martha

2. Greener Miles Running. A lot of you will know that I am an ambassador for Greener Miles. They are based mainly in Northumberland so maybe not an option for many. But they have a race in June in the Lakes and some races close to Newcastle. They do races over a wide range of distances and quite a few different formats. They have sustainability at their heart, hence my involvement, so please check them out if you’re thinking of doing a trail event: https://greenermilesrunning.co.uk/upcoming-events

3. Last but not least, I just want to let people know about Into Ultra. This is a great new organisation which aims to help people get into ultrarunning who might otherwise be unable to afford it. They offer help with race places, coaching to prepare for a race, kit and courses like navigation. I’ve partnered with them to offer some coaching, and they have loads of different partners trying to help out. They do ask for some financial info but they don’t means-test or ask for evidence so it’s not too intrusive. If you think that you could benefit, or you know someone that could, please check them out and spread the word. It would be great to break down some barriers into the sport: https://intoultra.org.uk/home

Thanks – hope that some of this is useful.

See you soon,

Martha