Perfect conditions at the Armagh International Road Races

Whilst most of the UK battled with freezing temperatures, snow and ice, the city of Armagh in Northern Ireland was treated to perfect running conditions last night. The PUMA Armagh International Road Races took place on a relatively warm, drizzly and still evening and so the runners and spectators were out in force to celebrate running at its best. This annual event attracts runners from all over the world to join local runners, testing their endurance and speed around the 1km loop that makes up the Mall. The children race over distances from 400m to 2400m, the men and women race over 3km with an elite men's race of 5km.

It is clear to see that the sport of running is at the heart of this city and the name Armagh is derived from its running history.

Legend says that Macha was the wife of Chronn son of Adhnaman who made the mistake of boasting about what a fantastic runner his wife was. He claimed she could run faster than the horses of Conchubhar, King of Ulster. On the pain of instant death for this perceived insult to the king, Macha was forced, despite being pregnant, to make good her husband's boast and had to run against the king's horses. According to the story she won easily, but so great was the effort required that on crossing the line she gave birth to a son and daughter and died almost immediately afterwards. The children became known as the Twins of Macha, or in Irish, Eamhain Macha, from which came eventually the anglicised placename, Armagh.

Last night the spectators witnessed more great feats of athleticism with both the men's and women's course records coming tantalisingly close to being broken. Lizzie Adams, from Hallamshire won the women's race after battling all the way with Sarah Porter from the USA. Lizzie broke away on the last lap to cross the line in 9:16.43 and Sarah followed behind in 9:24.90. Lizzie's current runbritain handicap score stands at 1.1 and is edging closer and closer to scratch.

Photo courtesy of Liam McArdle www.LiamMcArdle.com

The men's race also saw the victor break away on the last lap. James Wilkinson from Leeds was running in a big group that contained Jonny Mellor and James Walsh along with Americans, Michael Crouch, Landon Peacock and Brian Harvey. The top four all broke 14 minutes and James won in 13:54.97 which is sure to bring his runbritain handicap score down from MINUS 3.8 where is currently stands.

Photo courtesy of Liam McArdle www.LiamMcArdle.com

Sponsors, PUMA, were delighted with the result. For the first time in six years of supporting this high quality race, runners from Team Puma were first across the line in both the men's and women's events.

The men's and women's records still stand at 13:54 (David Nightingale, 2009) and 9:15 (Kate Reed, 2006) respectively.

Results can be seen here.

Sponsors announced for Greater Manchester Marathon

With just over 2 months to go until the Greater Manchester Marathon, the first marathon to take place in the area in a decade, organisers are pleased to announce partners and supporters for the iconic 2012 race.

Places have been selling fast with nearly 7,000 runners so far registered to take on the 26.2 mile route through Trafford, the sporting heart of Greater Manchester, on Sunday 29^th April 2012. The race starts and finishes in Longford Park, Stretford, welcoming elite runners as well as anyone wanting to take on a personal challenge. The race limit is 8,000 runners and those wishing to take part and be on the start line should sign up quickly.

Sponsoring partners announced this week include Brooks Sports, Up and Running, Gatorade, Garmin, Virgin Money Giving, Marathon-Photos, HSS Hire, Myers Lister Price Solicitors and Trafford Council.  

Supporters involved with the Greater Manchester Marathon 2012 announced so far include Moving Comfort, Clif Bar and Breathe Unity.

Simon Hill, MD of Xtra Mile Events commented: ‘We are very proud to welcome such strong partners on board to support the Greater Manchester Marathon. This is a historical event in its own right and I am pleased that we have partners and supporters on board who share our belief and passion and will grow this race with us over the years to come. A huge thank you to everyone involved!’

The marathon route is one of the world’s flattest and fastest, taking runners past the Imperial War Museum, the new Media City, Trafford Park and Dunham Massey. Entry fees are £44 for affiliated runners and £46 for non affiliated runners.

For the 2012 Greater Manchester Marathon in Trafford the event has forged relationships with five key local charities (Henshaws Society for the Blind, The Christie Charitable Fund, Manchester United Foundation, 102 Capital FM Help a Child, and Shoot for the Moon) and two national charities (Cancer Research UK and Marie Curie Cancer Care).   Many runners are also raising funds for numerous other charities of their choosing.

Go to www.greatermanchestermarathon.com for further details and to secure your place now.

Brighton Marathon goes green

In a revolutionary move, the Grounded Events Company, organisers of the Brighton Marathon, have decided to send out their Final Instruction Packs electronically this year.

“To my knowledge, this is a first for a race of this kind in Europe,” said managing director, Tom Naylor.

“We pride ourselves on being a young, vibrant and forward thinking company and we are constantly looking at ways to improve the marathon and the runners’ race experience.

“Running is now a popular growth industry within the area and we feel a responsibility to the environment and awareness of the importance of reducing our carbon footprint.”

Cllr Bill Randall, Leader of Brighton and Hove City Council, said: “I fully endorse the Brighton Marathon’s decision to send out their Final Instruction Packs electronically.

“With more runners than ever competing this year, sending out 18,000, 28-page packs through the post was, quite simply, an unsustainable drain on our ever dwindling natural resources.  

“Brighton and Hove City Council encourages every household and enterprise to focus on protecting the environment in as many ways as possible to help us realise our ambition to make our city the greenest in the UK.

 “Given the added bonus that running encourages a healthy lifestyle, it seems entirely appropriate that the organisers of the Brighton Marathon should seek a sensible alternative to unnecessary waste.”

The Final Instructions Pack is a 28-page, A4 brochure with a print run of 18,000. Making it available electronically will reduce the company’s carbon footprint by 4.6 tonnes, the equivalent to:

Around a third of the average UK citizen's entire carbon footprint for a year

450 people driving the length of the marathon in an average petrol car

64,788 cups of tea

7.5 trips to New York from London

(Calculated by DEFRA carbon life-cycle guide)

Runners register for the Brighton Marathon online which means they all have access to the internet. A high proportion also move house during the year, meaning printed packs often go astray. Sending out the packs online makes the process not only greener but more efficient.

The third Brighton Marathon takes place on Sunday April 15^th.

Use your intuition and "wing it"

Many of you may be using our Training Wizard to help plan your programme. The Training Wizard enables you to plan your training around the rest of your life. Flexibility is the key. Matt Fitzgerald, the author of RUN The Mind-Body Method of Running by Feel, spoke to us about the pros and cons of following rigid training plans.

He believes that training plans are very useful for anyone who is a novice to running as, by following a training plan you will learn the basic ingredients to put into the recipe that will make your goals achievable. However, as you become more experienced you should try "winging it", using your intuition and tailoring your training more to suit your needs. The Training Wizard allows you to "wing it" within a structure. Matt likened this to music. If an orchestral ensemble play classical music the structure is quite rigid. If they were to play a jazz piece the structure would still need to be there but there would be room to ad lib, improvise or play with the timing slightly. We should embrace the jazz but respect the classical!

BUFF^® to sponsor Enduroman UK for 3rd year

The Enduroman UK is the largest gathering of ultra-triathletes on the planet. It is a 10-day extravaganza incorporating 8 separate races. An ‘Enduroman’ distance is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon run; During the 10 days there is a Half, Full, Double, Triple, Quintuple and Deca Enduroman race as well as a 100 mile ultra marathon.

·The Triple is the longest continuous event- triathletes have to swim 7.2 miles, cycle 336 miles then run 78 miles (a triple marathon).

· The Deca is the blue ribbon event; each day for 10 days, triathletes complete a full Enduroman race. Finishers of the Deca will have completed 24 miles of swimming, 1120 miles of cycling and 262 miles of swimming. Out of the 20 Deca starters in 2011, only 3 triathletes finished Day 10.

In 2011, athletes experienced extremes of weather with some suffering from heat exhaustion on Day 1, and  hyperthermia on day 10 coupled with some of the worst weather ever recorded in for the month of June.

It is imperative that Enduroman athletes are fully prepared for the challenges ahead including cycling on open roads in the New Forest in pitch darkness in middle of the night and jumping into an ice-cold lake the following morning. To do this, they must possess the correct equipment to them on their journey.

Steve Haywood, Event Director said, “Enduroman are extremely proud and delighted to announce that Buff®, the headwear and apparel brand will continue its support and sponsorship of The Enduroman UK in 2012. The Original Buff® has proved to be the ‘must have’ piece of equipment and is used by every competitor. It’s amazing to see the versatility of these items as athletes use their Buff® headwear to prevent chaffing around their necks, under their wetsuits, as a warm head cover for exiting the lake, around their necks to minimise exposure during the bike ride, for protection from the sun’s harm
on their faces whilst on the run stage as well as the more usual sweat bands and hair ties.”

This year’s the sponsorship is extended to include the provision of technical tshirts which will almost certainly be tested to the limit.