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Having organised a team fundraising event last year I was on the look out for a more personal challenge and somehow reasoned that running 100 km would be a good idea. I'm also a big fan of the Northumberland countryside so decided that the St Oswalds Ultra, on 17th Sept, was the one for me.

The race starts on Holy Island just after dawn and crosses the causeway (hopefully the tide will be out) before heading south along the Northumbrian coast, passing various castles and fishing villages. Upon reaching Warkworth the route turns inland and heads up the Coquet Valley to the finish in Rothbury.

The race distance is 100 km, or 62.5 miles (approx. 2 and a half marathons), and is mostly on trails. I'm a keen runner and have done various mountain and trail runs in the past but never anything approaching this distance so it's going to be a real physical and mental challenge. So having your support will really make a big difference to my chances of finishing.

Training this year has so far consisted of a few half-marathons and a debut in the London marathon, but it'll be ramping up over the next months with some brutal weekends (back-to-back 5 hour runs with full pack) and warmup events (a 50 mile off-road mountain bike race and the Man vs Lakes off-road obstacle marathon race).

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