I have now managed to clock up a total of 140km. The last 50km really put the shoe to the test on the dusty high trails of the Annapurna region in Nepal, from Birethanti through Gorepani, Tatopani and on to Beni. The trails were steep ascents and descents on rocky, uneven steps, hot and dusty 4×4 tracks and local mountain trails. This is definitely the type of terrain that the shoe excels in. They felt remarkably stable, and had excellent grip. They were cool in the heat, and the sole is looking surprisingly new without any detectable wear and tear. The shoe let in a lot of dirt, but nothing big enough to cause rubbing or blisters. So far I am impressed and thinking of the next place to put them through their paces.
We are delighted to announce the launch of our 2012 Overseas Just Events. We think we offer an exciting range of events from a London to Paris bike ride to a trek and rafting trip in Costa Rica or a charity desert trek in Sahara. We hope there’s something here for you.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE PT-1000 ROAD AND TRAIL RUNNING SHOE
So far I have covered 90km with equal mix of road and trail running. This also includes the extremely wet and muddy South Devon Costal Marathon in February. First impressions are very good. It appears to be a very robust shoe, perfect for racking up the mileage in training. I love the idea that these shoes are built to last as I always get very attached to good running shoes and often mourn my loss when they disintegrate after a couple of months splashing through the soggy trails of Devon and Somerset
For a robust hard wearing shoe, they are comparatively light and the first thing I noticed is how comfortable and stable they are to run in. Personally I would say that they are better suited to the roads, rather than the winter trails I use. Dry and hard trails would be no problem, but they tread doesn’t cope well with wet, slippy and muddy hills, but you can’t expect a shoe to do everything, and they are a very good all rounder. They are definitely my new choice for racking up the training miles, before putting on a more specialist shoe for grip in muddy trail races. So far so good, and looking forward to putting them thoroughly to the test over the coming year. Next stop this month is the hot dusty trails of Nepal to see how they cope with an adventure race. I imagine that they will do much better in this environment.
If you’re about to embark on an overseas challenge or are planning too, we have some excellent tips from a group of trekkers who have recenlty returned back from Nepal.
Top Tips
bring lots of loo paper
ear plugs in case your tent buddy snores
train lots – up and downhill especially on your thighs
fleece liner for sleeping bag, it’s very chilly at night
Why not set yourself a challenge for 2011? We all set New Year’s resolutions some we keep some we don’t but why not go the extra mile and set yourself a challenge that will not only get you fit but also raise funds for a charity close to your heart.
As Christmas rapidly approaches, getting seemingly whiter and whiter as the snow continues to fall and the roads into Thorncombe become more and more difficult to drive, we just wanted to drop you a quick end of year message to firstly thank you a very Happy Christmas and the very best for the New Year.
We have lots on interesting projects planned for 2011 and once you have let all the turkey and mince pies settle you might want to look at our challenges and decide on a new years resolution to get rid of those few excess pounds.
ATD’s mission to raise millions for various charities each year whilst getting fit and having a great time in the process!
Here is raising our glasses to sleds on the roof, red-nosed reindeers and a fun and stimulating 2011!
Emma Ryan – UK Events Coordinator and Mark Howlett – Flights Manager – took on the mighty OMM last month. They have written up about their experiences and the lessons they learnt!
EMMA – Eyeing up the Shetland ponies quietly munching away at the start line I quickly assessed which one would carry me the fastest to the first check point and beyond. Alas, it was not meant to be and at 9.04 on the dot we were called to the line, thrust a map and set off (clueless, naive and on two feet) into the sparklingly sunny yet still very wet and boggy Dartmoor. We quickly came across our first surprise when, after about 5 minutes, Mark found that he didn’t have any drinking water left in his platypus. Evidently he hadn’t noticed that he had drunk the 2l rations, packed with electrolyte energy mix, between 5.30am and 9.00 am! (Emma – I have to get this bit in now as I don’t know what Mark has written about me!)
MARK – How could something that started off so easily, go so wrong? Emma and I had entered the fun run class of the OMM ( 45km over 2 days on Dartmoor ) without me fully thinking through what we were taking on. Fortunately I was protected by my patented ‘ Cloak of Naivety ‘ which stopped me from worrying about navigating such a distance over Dartmoor at the end of October. How hard could it be?
Our charity challenges are not just about the destination they are about so much more. Here a participant on our recent multi activity charity challenge in Nepal, tells us what motivated him to take up the challenge and why he believes its important to go that extra mile.
Ryan took part in the Namibia Ultra marathon this May - a 126km race to be completed in just 24 hours – our most extreme event!
The race is across the vast expanse of desert, through the endless space of gravel plains framed by distant ridges and mountains, past dramatic upheavals of granite inselbergs and all under the clearest of blue skies during the day and a full moon during the night. Not only that you will be completely self reliant from the start of the marathon til the end, and will need to carry all your food and equipment on their backs. Water stations and medical tents will be provided at 21km intervals along the route. And to top it all off temperatures are in the region of min 5ºc / max 36 ºc but could be more extreme!
Our friends at Running Monkey have kindly added a superb write up from novice ultra runner who took part in his first ultra marathon with Across the Divide. Simon Bright had never run an ultra before he set himself the challenge of taking part in the Iceland Laugavegur Ultra Marathon - read how Simon got on here.
I have now managed to clock up a total of 140km. The last 50km really put the shoe to the test on the dusty high trails of the Annapurna region in Nepal, from Birethanti through Gorepani, Tatopani and on to Beni. The trails were steep ascents and descents on rocky, uneven steps, hot and dusty 4×4 tracks and local mountain trails. This is definitely the type of terrain that the shoe excels in. They felt remarkably stable, and had excellent grip. They were cool in the heat, and the sole is looking surprisingly new without any detectable wear and tear. The shoe let in a lot of dirt, but nothing big enough to cause rubbing or blisters. So far I am impressed and thinking of the next place to put them through their paces.
