E93. Beautiful but Brutal | Jungle Ultra 2024 with Ben Harrison, Jemma Harding and Mark Reilly

It's time to talk about the Montane Summer Spine Race 2024! Those who attended this year's race will know it looked a lot like a winter one. Conditions were extremely difficult and the athletes who did well this June can quite rightly say they completed a race as tough in its own way as any January edition. Among those brave runners were Chris Cope and Mel Sykes. Chris and Mel arrived at the start line of this year's Summer Spine Race and Summer Spine Challenger South respectively, with a slightly higher mountain to climb than most people around them. Chris has type 1 diabetes which he has managed, to great success, since his teens. Mel was returning to the Pennine Way for the second year in a row having experienced a very serious incident between races, an incident described by Mel herself as finding out 'her brain was falling out'. In this episode both Chris and Mel chat with Will about their experiences out on the Pennine Way and about the conditions they overcame in order to achieve Spine Race success.

The Jungle Ultra is Beyond the Ultimate's 5 day, 230km journey deep into the rainforests of Peru. Runners arrive in the historic city of Cusco, are escorted over the rugged Andes Mountains, and begin their journey in the Manu National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. The area is beautiful but the terrain and the climate alone give this event a reputation for arguably being the toughest race on the BTU roster. Stage 4 in particular is notorious as possibly the hardest stage of any BTU race. In this episode, Will catches up with the winner Ben Harrison plus two more Jungle legends in the form of Jemma Harding and Mark Reilly. The trio recount the highlights, the challenges and their tips for success in such extreme environments. Mark was running for Reverse Rett, a charity looking to cure Rett Syndrome, a severe neurological disorder which effects his daughter. Learn more here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mark-reilly Jemma was running for Rock2Recovery, a charity that supports the armed forces, veteran, those working in the emergency services, and all their families who are affected by stress. Learn more here: https://sportsgiving.co.uk/sponsor/activity/a-5-day-230km-ultra-marathon-through-the-amazon-jungle/jemma-harding Congratulations to Noora Hintsa, the winning Female athlete at Jungle Ultra 2024. Noora was unfortunately ill at the time of recording but we will feature her in a future episode!

The Knoydart Peninsula is a serious contender for the most beautiful spot in the UK. Remote and tranquil, it's nestled in the West Highlands of Scotland, surrounded on one side by sea-lochs and stunning views across to the Isle of Skye, and on the other by a series of rugged Scottish mountains. The scenery is as beautiful as it is difficult to move through. It's just as well there's a beautiful view to reward the runners at the top of every one of those monster climbs.  In this episode, Will talks to three runners who recently completed the Highland Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's three-day, 125-km race around that beautiful corner of Scotland. Among the trio of guests are our two winners, both of whom came into this event with very little experience of races of this kind. There is plenty of useful advice and inspiring positivity from all of these guests so settle back and let them tell you how they came to conquer the Highland Ultra against the odds. If you've signed up for a similar challenge, if you have a mountain in your sights or a massive race to prepare for, and you are starting to worry that you may have bitten off more than you can chew, then listen to this episode and you'll feel like you can do anything. Aum was running in support of Richstone Family Centre - an organisation dedicated to treating and preventing child abuse and trauma. Entries for Highland Ultra 2025 are now open. Learn more and enter HERE.

We're back in Arctic Sweden for the 2nd episode in a row, but this time we're exploring the Ice Ultra, a 5-day race across the ice and snow of Swedish Lapland. There are no skis or sledges here, but snowshoes and backpacks. Competitors carry everything but their sleeping bags and camp clothes on their backs throughout, so your ability to select and manage the right kit is a big factor in whether you end up a finisher or a shivery DNF. In this episode, Will speaks to the 2 winners of the race, and another runner who maximised their time on the course a little more, and digs into the choices they made that carried them across the snow. Those runners are 1st male and overall winner Alex O'Shea, a record breaking Irish athlete more commonly known as the Running Fireman, 1st female Tarryn Gordon-Bennett of South Africa,  and Sia Kindberg who ranks among the most infectiously positive people to chat on this podcast. Whether you're planning a cold adventure of your own and are looking for detailed advice, or you're curious about what running 230km in the Arctic might feel like, this is the episode for you. Support Sia's charity page here: https://www.mycause.com.au/p/313604/on-an-ultra-mission-to-rebuild-my-childhood-school-ban-bua-yang-thailand If you're interested in taking on the Ice Ultra you can learn more and enter here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/ice-ultra/

The Montane Arctic Spine is a non-stop, 293 mile (472 km) foot race along the Kungsleden Trail in Arctic Sweden. This race captures the full self-sufficient, expedition-style feel of the Spine Race as we know it, but transported into the bitter cold of the Arctic. This year's event was the first ever edition of this race which is the first of it's kind. Athletes pull all of their kit behind them on pulks as they carve their way along the trail on backcountry skis, or snowshoes. Conditions were extremely tough with temperatures dipping below -30°c on the first day and not rising above that point throughout the rest of the race. Snow was deep enough in places that our pioneering entrants had to plough their own route through the terrain. After 48hrs of racing only 2 athletes remained. Both went on to put in outstanding performances and both were well deserving recipients of the first-ever Arctic Spine Race finishers medals. Those athletes were Ed Sellon and Kev Leahy who was crowned our winner. in this episode you'll hear about their experiences in the Arctic, and a wealth of tips on how to survive whilst racing in this environment. If you're interested in entering the event in 2025 then click the following link and register your interest today: www.thespinerace.com/race/arctic/arctic-spine In the episode we refer to a playlist of music that Kev was listening too out there in the snow. You can find that here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/60rLcr908ONMoXrvLJ9rIa?si=10ea5bc0facd460b          

In this special 'extra' episode Will chats with Jenny Hall who has just returned from completing Desert Ultra 2023, her first ever ultra-distance event. Jenny is the Marketing Manager at BTU/Spine Race and she signed up to the Desert Ultra less than a year ago having never taken part in an event like it. In that short time, Jenny turned herself into a succesfrul ultra-runner and grabbed a finisher's medal under incredibly tough conditions in Namibia this November. This interview represents a unique opportunity in that Will went through almost the same journey a few years ago, going from a standing start to finishing the Ice Ultra in less than 12 months. In this episode the pair discuss Jenny's experiences in Namibia and also mine into what you can expect if you sign up for a massive challenge of your own. In this thorough and frank conversation, the pair cover the challenges involved from fitting in training, researching kit, understanding nutrition, completing the race itself, and also managing the emotional come-down that hits some people afterwards. If this episode helps a single runner to find the confidence to work towards their own epic adventure, or to overcome their own imposter syndrome then Will and Jenny will both be happy...  

250kms over 5 days in the oldest desert on earth in temperatures of 50°c and higher. That's the challenge that faced the athletes who travelled with BTU out to Namibia just a few weeks ago for Desert Ultra 2023. The Desert Ultra is the longest race in the Global Race Series and this year's edition was the hottest race BTU has ever hosted. In this episode, you'll hear from race director Adam Kimble about why he's so happy to consider the Namib his second home, from our race winners Steve Williams and Ellie Milnes, and later in the episode an extremely inspiring interview with Andy Delderfield whose preparations for this race took place whilst he also underwent treatment for cancer. We know his journey inspires us and we're certain you will feel the same. Keep your ears open for another shorter episode coming out very soon featuring BTU's very own Jenny Hall who was also out in Namibia finishing her first-ever ultra marathon. Timestamps as follows: Adam Kimble: 7:40 Ellie Milnes: 41:00 Steve Williams: 1:25:15 Andy Delderfield: 1:58:00 Enter the #DesertUltra: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/desert-ultra/

Will and the team at BTU have recently returned from Kenya where the For Rangers Ultra was taking place. This is an absolutely unique event that offers runners the opportunity to run in East Africa’s beautiful scenery in open wildlife conservancies teaming with iconic wildlife. If the race itself weren’t awesome enough, all profits go to projects that support the welfare of wildlife rangers and so far almost £600k has been raised.   The 5-day, 220km race puts runners face-to-face with Kenya’s beautiful wildlife, an immense privilege and something almost never done on foot. Beyond that, it is an opportunity for the rangers to meet and interact with the runners who are pushing themselves through this ordeal to raise funds for them, and to hear directly what the life of a ranger is like.   In this episode we chat to Edward Ndiritu, the head of Lewa Conservancy's Anti-Poaching Unit about what the funds are used for, then with Race Director Kris King for an insight into what juggling 70 runners and uptown 200 rangers at a time is like. We then spend some time with our winners Lou Cole and James Hassan before, finally, we talk to seasoned race medic and ultra-runner Chris Hewitt who gives his unique view of the race as a medic and as a finisher. Time Stamps as follows: Edward Ndiritu - 0:12:05 Kris King - 0:16:55 Lou Cole - 0:53:10 James Hassan - 01:34:10 Chris Hewitt - 02:06:16 You can find Chris’ excellent race blog here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/for-rangers-ultra-we-arrive-as-strangers Learn more and enter For Rangers Ultra 2024: bit.ly/ForRangersUltra

In this brand new episode, Will Roberts chats to Jon Shield and Kristina Madsen. Hear all about how they went about winning the recent Mountain Ultra, Beyond the Ultimate's inaugural race through the remote and beautiful Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan. You'll also hear from Race Director Kris King about his experience of creating and directing one of the toughest races in the BTU Global Race Series. This race saw a first batch of pioneering runners take on 200km of technical trail with more than 10,500m of climbing over 5 gruelling days, all against the stunning backdrop of the breath-taking Tian Shan Mountain Range. Our winners will talk you through their time among those stunning peaks. For anybody considering the Mountain Ultra - this is a must-listen. You'll hear some excellent advice on how best to prepare and plan for an adventure among the summits. You'll also sample the winning mindsets of these two exceptionally driven runners as they reflect on the massive goals they've reached in their relatively short careers in ultra-running so far. Enter Mountain Ultra 2024 here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/mountain-ultra/ *Please note - Jon Shield's audio is occasionally lower quality due to signal problems when recording. Time Stamps: Kris King: 0:08:29 Jon Shield: 0:40:29 Kristina Madsen: 1:25:55

Knoydart is a perfect backdrop for the Highland Ultra in so many ways. As well as being the ideal place to build a course for a 3-day, 125km race, full of technical climbs, breath-taking views and tranquillity, it is home to a positive and inspiring group of people working together to improve their community and the environment around them. We are proud to support that work through the Highland Ultra and also to be able to give these fantastic people a chance to talk to you via this podcast. In this episode, we will talk to the winners of the 2023 race in April. Lauren Gregory, Axel Jannson and Fredrik Pettersen speak about their training, their experiences on the course, what did and didn't work as they prepared for this race and, in the case of our duo of Scandinavian winners, their unconventional route to the podium. We then go into interviews with Lorna Schofield of the Knoydart Forest Trust and Finlay Greig of the Knoydart Ranger Service where we unpack some of the massive conservation projects being undertaken by members of the Knoydart Community and how the Highland Ultra supports them through donations from race fees, trees planted for t-shirts, and more. Enter Highland Ultra 2024 here: https://www.beyondtheultimate.co.uk/race/highland-ultra Learn more about the Knoydart Forest Trust and the Rangers from the links below: Knoydart Forest Trust: https://www.knoydartforesttrust.org Knoydart Ranger Service: https://knoydart.org/ranger Time Stamps Axel Jansson: 14:45 Fredrik Pettersen: 34:55 Lauren Gregory: 1:05:55 Lorna Schofield: 1:47:50 Finlay Greig: 2:07:55 Adam Kimble: 2:40:30