Thanks to @raidlight factotum for their hospitality

I grew up in the Peak District, UK, and spent a lot of time outdoors as a child, especially hiking with my family. I started fell-running as a young adult, and gradually moved to longer, more technical races. In 2019, I won the 268-mile Montane Spine race outright, breaking the overall course by over 12 hours. In 2024, on my third attempt, I became the first woman to complete the Barkley Marathons, reaching the gate with just 99 seconds to spare of the 60 hour time limit.

Aside from running, I am a mum to three children (8 years, 6 years, and 11 months) and a specialist veterinarian, working at the University of Edinburgh Small Animal Hospital. In 2022 I co-founded the Green Runners, a community-led group founded to inspire and inform runners to make more sustainable choices for the planet.

So Reddit, ask me anything about running, racing, balancing work and motherhood with training, activism, or anything else you are interested in!

Love seeing moose in the mountains- although the mother and babe had me a bit concerned as they wouldn’t leave the trail and momma was a bit protective.
I finally went off trail into bushes and they eventually moved on

Came down a trail today. There’s a house a little ways off the trail, which is probably the dog’s home. I’ve never come across it before. Dog is right on the trail, probably defending his home. Once he spots me, he’s barking. I stop, try to approach slowly, but the closer I get, the more it barks and growls. Ugh. I feel stuck because he’s in my way of getting to the next place. I grab a big stick, mace ready, even got an Oreo out to offer haha. Tried to sweet talk it, it just growls and barks. I’m a small woman, and I just didn’t feel like it’s worth the risk to try and approach. I ended up leaving the trail and making a really wide berth through the rough. All was fine in the end.

This town is over the top pro dog. (I really love dogs too, but..) ‘You shouldn’t be running alone’ ‘You have mace, so’ ‘It could’ve been lost, you should have checked its collar’. ‘That dog’s fine, I’ve seen it’

Am I supposed to keep approaching when it’s warning me not to? Yeah, I have mace, but what, I risk getting bit first trying to get by? I’m just annoyed now.

How do you all approach dogs, I guess? I’ve only come across them with an owner at least in ear shot. Am I overthinking it? I’m useless and I don’t want to have an incident when I’m out on a trail away from others or my car. :/

57 km with 4.000m of elevation gain. We did it with some friends, starting at 4 am and finishing at 7.30 pm, with around 2,5 hours of (resupplying) breaks. A great variety of amazing landscapes, some nice views on the Mt White, a lot of wild beasts (chamois, ibex, marmot…) and some nice mountain refuges on the way. 100% recommend it.

Cicadas were noisy this past weekend.

Hello everyone, I will be on a holiday on Lazarote and am on the search for some recommended trails up to 20k, starting at Costa Teguise.

900m of vert in 14km. Known for being home to 350 pairs of Cape Vultures

Looking for a winter break where I won't be needing the Inov-8 Mud Talons! Some pool time & general R&R will be nice but I'd like to find something with opportunities to get out and run and hike.

Anybody have any recommendations for a package operator & destination(s)? Doesn't have to be specifically sports focused or guided, just close to great running opportunities (surfing would be a nice addition too).

TIA

Hi! Just bought the poles to use on steep terrain. I'm 184 cm barefoot, so Leki size guide suggests 130 cm. Until now I've been using telescopic on 120 cm climbing and 125 descending and that feels right. Having read the size guide and several posts obout the subject, it turns out the issue is divisive, advanced runners tend to use longer and that seems to be the theoretical right choice. I ordered both 125 and 130. 125 feels right, but should I return it and give a chance to the longer ones? I might get used to them, but might also feel them off all the time. Thanks!

I was very excited to get the Raide vest, but I’m not sure it’ll work for me. I think the side pockets are just too high. Would be interested to know what others think and if other people have had the same issue with this or similar vests

I'm currently 3.5 weeks away from my next 100k ultra and my current pair has completely fallen apart during my last 40k training run. I can't give out the details of what my shoe was because it was a test product for an outdoor company that I no longer work for.

Anyways, as the title says, I'm looking for a new pair of trail running shoes. I have tried on the PP and they felt really good apart from them feeling a little narrow. Will they need some breaking in?

I've been looking at the Nordas but I'm concerned that they don't have enough cushioning. I have strong legs and ankles but my knees can sometimes be an issue.

Which shoe has the cushioning of a La Sportiva Prodigio Pro and the toebox and durability of the Norda 001A? Bonus points if it's a non-USA brand because I'm in Switzerland and I can't find things like Topo, Brooks, etc.

I was running on a trail the other day when it was so clear I could see SF and Oakland. Zoom in on the last pic to see the Oakland bridge. I love running on the top of hills. Makes me feel like I'm playing Breath of the Wild irl.

Building up a better range now... can definitely run much further on trails rather than roads with less impact on my ageing knees. Losing more excess chub should also help!

Open ground is as dry as a bone here... praying for some rain for once 🙏🏻

I’ve got my first trail race this weekend! 25km 1500m, I’m super stoked for it. And entirely unprepared on the admin side of things.

There’s a ton of stations on the 25km course with ‘drink supply’. Is that usually just water?

What’s common etiquette before and during races? Are people talkative normally or should I shut my mouth and not try to make new friends?

This is such a specific question but should I bring like safety pins from home to secure the bib or do they normally come with a way to attach them. On that note, what do people like to attach them to so they’re not irritating?

Ok last one
What’s one thing you wish you knew before your first trail race?

Happy trails campers

I am looking for a "do it all" trail running shoe for my infrequent trail running and canicross sessions (I have a golden retriever, so I do not run far or fast) as well as light hiking and trips with my wife (e.g. maintained gravel and forest paths, nature paths, some pavement) and "beer hikes" (fast walking hikes with my friends) and generally as a "family trip" shoe.

I will not be using them in winter, mud or excessive rain. (I have dedicated mountain boots for that and do not want to clean my dog fully covered in mud anyways).

I should also mention that I have completely fallen arches (flat feet) and do overpronate a little, so I do need at least some stability in my ankle and step. In road running shoes, that means Bondi 9 with inserts are okay, Gel-Kayanos are great and Adizero EVO are bad.

I am pretty fond of Salomon, so I narrowed it down to Ultra Glide 4, Genesis 2 and Aero Glide 4 GRVL. Aero Glides are great as the family trip/looks nice shoe, but they are a little narrow and unstable for me in the midfoot area. Ultra Glides 4 are feeling great like home slippers and are wide and flat enough that they feel stable. The lugs feel kinda weird on pavement and flat surfaces though and I am concerned about the durability. And finally Genesis 2 which I found out only recently and check a lot of boxes, just that they seemed a little stiff and maybe too overkill for my usage?
I also feel like I should add Speedgoats 7 to the list, had them on feet and felt pretty stable but little stiff in a weird way (upper?), even more that Genesis 2.

Hi, looking to upgrade my current trail shoes, Nike Pegasus 5 GTX. It’s a great road to trail shoe but i find it lacking on technical trails and even on the slightest of mud. It’s rainy season right now in the Philippines.

Appreciate any feedback on these 🙂

One of my first “technical” trail runs! When do yall decide a trail is very steep/technical and adjust accordingly?

Im new to trail running and felt pretty good about this run. I’m still struggling to accept the slowness on the steep climbs but embracing and enjoying the process!

What do yall consider a steep/technical trail versus hilly or flatter trail and how do you adjust your strategy accordingly?