Next Event

Posted by martyn99 on

Working on organising a fund raiser in my local village. 

The aim is to raise £1,900 to get a Community Public Access Defibrillator fitted somewhere in the village of Castle Donington.

Click on the “Donington Dash” tab for more information.

Brighton Barefoot 2012 Results

Posted by martyn99 on

First off I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who helped out with Brighton Barefoot 2012.  Big or small the event would not happen without you. 

So, thank you to – Lucy Macklin and Mr Band for marshalling.  Thanks to The Naked Ape and Vivobarefoot for their contributions to the goodie bags. 

To Ethan and Natalia for supplying first and second prizes in the 5km event and for taking the warm up session.  Joe and Anthony for general help and chatting to runners about how to do a barefoot marathon or ultra run.  Brighton and Hove City Council, Argus, Brighton Active (Ash), Timewise for supplying the race clock.  Lastly to my wife Lizzy for putting up with me over the last four months whilst I have over run the house with 5k flags, posters, arrows etc etc . 

We arrived at Stanmer Park at 0600 and started to mark out the course.  For your information, from now on when I say “wet” read as “cold, wet, muddy and cold”. 

It took two and a bit hours in the “wet” to lay out the 5km race and 1km fun run.  It was about 9am when Joe and Anthony turned up to help (and eat my breakfast).  9.30am the first of the runners started to arrive.  Everything went according to plan and the 1km fun run got under way at 1030am.  A lot of those that had entered the 5km decided to do the fun run as well, just to keep warm. 

Ethan and Natalia from Vivobarefoot got everyone involved in keeping warm with a series of exercises and stretches.  Joe and Anthony chatted with barefooters about marathons and assisted those that were not quite barefoot yet. 

Did I mention it was wet? 

The course – - – 1100am The 5km main event got under way.  From the pavilion, up the field and back, repeating the 1km route and then off round the park.  Runners followed the fence line of the park to the church, turned right and climbed the first of the hills.  On meeting the fence line it was another right turn along the outside of the woods to the first gate.  Through the gate and follow the obvious trail to the man-made pond at the far end of the wood.         A U-turn round the pond and through the first really muddy bit.  Along the back of the woods to another gate, it was like a swamp at this point.  Diagonal left from here and in to the second wood.  Emerging from the wood gave the runners a good view across the parkland, a right turn to circle around another wood and time to have a go at tackling a steep, “wet”, grassy downhill.  A left at the bottom and the start of another big climb to the top of the park.  After reaching the top of the hill the runners were able to see the finish and follow a downhill route, snaking its way across the field before coming to a “wet” finish line.

A map of the run can be seen here – http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/87655107/

 Results are below

 Total entries this year was 50.  That’s 10 more than 2011.

14 Runners who had registered online did not arrive.

36 ran in the 5km on the day.

8 of those who did run joined on the day.

Run Number

Name

Time

Place

94

Simon Thorne

22.23

1

61

Jonathon Burrell

22.38

2

92

Andrew Stone

22.39

3

82

Duncan Bayn

24.06

4

76

Billy Hodgson

24.10

5

67

Oliver Wickham

24.25

6

98

Jay Eden

24.51

7

86

Anthony Band

24.57

8

87

Ethan

25.48

9

97

Mark Dean

26.11

10

80

Tony Kelly

26.21

11

63

Nedko Cholakov

26.43

12

79

Philip Clemo

26.43

13

77

Steve Cleverley

27.22

14

81

Tara Shananhan

27.35

15

88

Adam Hutchinson

27.40

16

55

Catherine Kent

27.50

17

96

Andre Dekanski

28.07

18

93

Tim Gay

28.53

19

56

Anthony Prior

29.39

20

83

Dominic Barette

30.01

21

58

Steve Kent

30.34

22

59

Ben Hammond

30.34

23

62

D W Andrew

30.34

24

89

Natalia Wojnar

31.10

25

57

Jo Prior

31.18

26

73

Louise Hewison

31.34

27

72

Hannah Sunderland

33.53

28

53

Robin J H Dearle

35.25

29

69

Colin Turrell-Brown

36.42

30

54

Victoria Heaysman

40.00

31

68

Katya Cleere

40.29

32

95

Juliette Thorne

42.10

33

66

Emma Jeffrey

44.28

34

70

Andrew Clark

44.28

35

99

Bea Valiant

57.43

36

The day before the day before

Posted by martyn99 on

So its Friday May 4th 2012. The day before the day before International Barefoot Running Day (IBRD) on Sunday 6th.

05:30 I got up this morning. Checked and double checked my packing list, made sure I have everything. Left home at 07:00 to drive 57 miles to collect the race clock from www.timewise-events.co.uk Terry at Timewise is a nice guy and always explains how everything works. Plus he invoices us after the event, which is nice.

Made it to Stanmer Park for 12:15. Got the key for the height barrier and the code for the pavilion. Walked the course and found out that due to fences, locked gates and fallen trees. The planned route is 0.5km short. Over to plan B. Where did I put plan B?

Its 18:00 now. I have walked the course twice. Reckon I have it sorted. Will check it again tomorrow.

The going is soft to good at the moment. Pray for dryness.

Later :-)

Almost Time

Posted by martyn99 on

Its almost time for the second Brighton Barefoot. Last year The Barefoot Runners Society created International Barefoot Running Day. Some how I got the job of organising the UK part of this event.

This year its back again. Slight change from last year (please spread the word). Due to a fire and the destruction of a sports pavilion, the start and course has had to move.
As you enter Stanmer Park from the Lews Road, we will be set up on the field to the RIGHT. We will have our black van, same as last year. Just don’t go to the left, we won’t be there.

At this point in time we have around 30 runners in the 5k event. We would love to beat last years figures and get over 40. Prizes up for grabs include 1 on 1 coaching session, Vivobarefoot shoes, money off vouchers for Vibram Five Fingers, copy of born to run – signed by barefoot ted, toe socks and paleo food.

Enter on line at www.fastandfresh.co.uk for £10.00 online entry closes at 6pm on 2nd May. Entry on the day will be £12.00 and we won’t be able to guarantee you a goodie bag – but you could still win.

Kick off the shoes. Return to nature and run like you were born to.

Run a 5km, barefoot! Who me?

Posted by martyn99 on

The Barefoot Runners Society organise this event called International Barefoot Running Day or IBRD for short.
The idea is that all across the world at 11am in your time zone, there will be a race that you can enter. The only rule that you won’t find in any other race is
“NO trainers”.
This is strictly minimalist shoe or barefoot only.

IBRD is to help boost the profile of barefoot running, as they say “one odd look at a time”.

Last year was the first time for this event and I only had 2 months notice to organise it. 40 runners did the 5km last year. I would like to see at least that again this year.
Vivobarefoot – the shoe people have offered a 1 to 1 coaching session as a prize + maybe a pair of shoes (waiting confirmation). Local personal trainers Joe Addison and Anthony Band will be on hand for warm-ups and to answer your questions. The Naked Ape, Paleo food company are supplying snacks for the day and offering all runners 10% off all online orders with a discount code.

So, loose the shoes or put on the minimal ones and come and try the most ancient means of transport, your own two feet.
What you got to loose?

www.fastandfresh.co.uk to enter.

Missing in Mexico

Posted by martyn99 on

Caballo Blanco came to be known to most of us through the book “Born to Run”.

You may have heard by now that Caballo Blanco (the white horse) has gone missing in a forest in Mexico. Although search teams are fearing the worst as time goes on. I can’t help but wonder if this is just another disappearing act. After all his character in the book would often disappear for days at a time.

I hope this is the case.

Maybe, he has just had enough of being in the lime light and the nomadic wandering spirit was just too strong to resist any longer.

Like countless other people “Born to Run” inspired me to take my running and approach to running in a totally new direction. Left to my own devices I would have continued to buy more and more expensive trainers, in the vain hope of solving my problems. Not knowing that I could be making things worse.

“Born to Run” was sort of an accident. It was sort of string of happenings that bought the book to the cult status it holds today. That status could not exist without the characters in it, or without the imagery in conjures up. The idea of this white horse running hundreds of miles and only being spotted like a ghost now and again when it stopped to use the internet makes us all smile inside. Maybe we all wish we could be that free.

Caballo Blanco where ever you are, you are free now.

Coming Up

Posted by martyn99 on

We are going to be busy bees for a couple of weeks.  London, Brighton and Birmingham will all be our homes for a while, as we take Fast and Fresh on a tour of some of the biggest and most varied events in the country.  Please pop along and join us.  Everything you need to know is on the links below.

The Vitality Show – http://www.vitalitylive.co.uk/vitality-show/exhibitor-stands/fast_and_fresh/

Brighton Barefoot 5km and fun run.  Join the UK leg of International Barefoot Running Day – http://www.fastandfresh.co.uk/page19.htm

The Martial Arts Show - http://www.themartialartsshow.com/index.php  Combined with The Mixed Martial Arts Show – http://www.themmashowlive.com/index.php This is one ticket for access to two awsome events.

 

Brighton 2012

Posted by martyn99 on

I have got my KSO’s on and I am ready to go.

How about you?

This years Brighton Barefoot is all set for 6th May 2012 in Stanmer Park, Brighton.
The 1k fun run is set for 1030 and is free. You just need to register via the contact form at www.fastandfresh.co.uk or you won’t be able to win a prize.

For the more competitive there is the 5k event. Starting at 1100 and costs £10.00. Go to www.fastandfresh.co.uk

You could win a 1on1 coaching session with a Vivobarefoot coach or a signed copy of “Born To Run”. All runners will receive a code for 10% off when they shop online at www.thenakedape.co.uk

All the press releases, posters, emails, Face Books and Tweets have gone out this week.
Let’s make it massive and progress it up to a 10k next year.

See you there.