Extreme running

November 28, 2017

Raid Des Bogomiles

Raid Des Bogomiles: Do I get the prize for the most amusing race name? You have to admit that coming from a country where the word ‘boggin’ is common parlance and where you frequently run through miles of bog it has a certain amusement value.

Did the Grand Raid Des Bogomiles, (one of three races held within the Grand Raid Des Cathars), provide miles of bog? No, but there was an ascent up vertical mud slide which left me fairly boggin.

March 7, 2017

Oven to Freezer – a double Marathon Experience – the freezer

From Namibia (see previous blog post) back to Frankfurt, then on to Beijing (the coldest and most unfriendly airport I have ever set foot in) and a final short hop to Ulaanbataar: departing Namibia on Sunday night and arriving in Ulaanbataar on Tuesday, yes, Tuesday afternoon, losing 7 hours on the way.

March 1, 2017

Oven to Freezer – a double Marathon Experience – the oven

Our adventure started on a wet January morning as we flew from Glasgow to Frankfurt where we hooked up with David Scott (Sandbaggers) the organiser and the rest of the group before the overnight flight to Windhoek the capital of Namibia.

December 22, 2014

The Volcano Marathon part 3 – Marathon day (20k – 42k)

Had I been thinking straight or even thinking at all I would have realised that things were about to get a lot tougher, but blissfully oblivious I trotted along quite happily, continuing to admire the surrounding. A long gentle climb, a nice downhill and we then turned right off the track to follow another one into a valley, where we got our first sighting of Alpacas and donkeys. What more could you ask for: volcanoes, desert, alpacas and donkeys.

The 2nd instalment of my volcano marathon experience.

Title photo: Mike King. Copyright www.volcanomarathon.com

November 7, 2014

It’s November and it’s groundhog day

Hmm, I seem to have been here before?

It is early November and  there is a bed with a pile of kit laid out;  a pile assorted electronics; a folder with itineraries; insurance docs passport and currency out and a large empty  holdall on the floor.  The intended destination: Chile.

April 14, 2014

The full Helly – kitting out the Antarctic Odyssey

There is a sentiment that is much used in Scotland: that there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing decisions. There was no room for bad choices or decisions when it came to kitting myself out for the Antarctic Odyssey. Helly Hansen stepped up to the challenge and agreed to sponsor my kit