Blog posts, interviews, useful ideas and stories from ESTR and beyond.
Racing
In October 2024, Dan Richmond was a rugby player. He had never run a race. Two years on, he is the first winner of the Isle of Man Backyard Ultra, after…
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From the blog
Podcast
When Tony Varley first got into fell running on the Isle of Man, there were only three races. No club, no infrastructure, just Graham Davis asking if he wanted…
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Fell Running
Richie Stevenson swapped road cycling for fell running in the late 1970s, helped to establish Manx Fell Runners in 1982, joined its committee in 1991 and later…
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Ultra
I was meant to be in Greece right now, racing 250 kilometers with 15,000 meters of elevation gain. Instead, I'm sitting here having just run around the entire…
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Racing
Tom came to the Isle of Man to be a watchmaker. He did not come to run up mountains. Four and a half years later, he's not entirely sure what happened - but…
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Woman in Sport
Planning my adventures for 2026, I decided it was time to try a 50 mile race, stepping up from my longest of just over 30 miles. GB Ultra’s Pennine Barrier…
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Podcast
Two years ago, Mick Lee was a smoker, a self-described couch potato, and struggling to climb stairs at work because of COPD and asthma. After being told his…
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Ultra
Carrie came to ESTR for some structure and guidance after a race last year didn't go to plan. Since joining the group, she has gone from strength to strength -…
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Training
In early June, I'm running the 3 Summits Ultra in Greece - a 250 kilometre race that starts on the 3rd of June. It's just weeks away now, and my training block…
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Woman in Sport
This was the race that I billed as my swansong. I felt that with increasing age I could give up racing then knowing that I'd become a 'Spiner' and, as such…
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New beginnings
I’d wanted to do an ultra marathon for a while but my hand was forced when my husband bought me entry into the Arc of Attrition 50 for my 40th birthday. After…
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Ultra
In my coaching, I often talk about the journey like a cherry cake. Not just any cake, a massive, rich, gooey cherry cake, bursting with flavour. It’s dense…
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Woman in Sport
I have toyed many times with the idea of writing a blog about being a woman in sport. In my opinion, it seems as though that anyone adding their voice on…
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New beginnings
The new ESTR look and feel We've been planning to revamp our website for a while, and it's long overdue. Our old site no longer reflects how far we've come…
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