Ultra News: March 2009
In an effort to add scope to the growing appeal (we hope) of MST we will aim to point you towards races and other interesting stuff from the Ultra-running scene. This month includes a couple of great articles on the Independent website, Jez Bragg and the Indo Ultra.
When Edward Payson Weston struck a bet with a friend on the 1860 US presidential election, part of the stake was a jar of peanuts. The outcome of the wager was anything but. Weston unwittingly invented an extreme sport that took the Victorian world by storm and is enjoying a renaissance today.
Sichel - You have to bow to his story
The angora rabbit man who eats up the miles
In his day job, William Sichel hand dyes knitting yarn from the wool of angora rabbits to produce thermal clothing, including underwear, on the Isle of Sanday in Orkney. His sporting life is not so conventional.
Saturday’s Wuthering Hike race was an absolute cracker, probably all the more enjoyable because it was the first time I have taken part. I’ve been meaning to run it for a couple of years now, but for one reason or another it hasn’t happened.
The Indo Ultra is a Multi Day race organised under the usual self-sufficiency rules: We give you water, you carry everything else. The event will be an exhilarating yet extremely tough challenge which will test you to your physical and mental limits. In keeping with our other events we will be keeping things ‘expedition style’ – low numbers, tough yet varied terrain and heaps of genuine cultural interaction.
One week to go until the Celtic 100k
The Celtic 100k will start at 8am in Salthill, Galway. The first finishers of the required 50-lap route from Seapoint to Threadneedle Road should be finished at 3pm. Incredibly, they will be running at sub-3 hour marathon pace for two-and-a-half consecutive marathons. This 100km race is the first world-ranking ultra event to be held in Ireland. It also incorporates the ‘Anglo Celtic Plate’, a Home Countries International competition between Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. In addition, the 2009 Celtic 100k decides the individual titles of the UK 100km Championships and the 100km Championships of Ireland.
