Find out how it is to be an 'Accidental Runner' and follow Chris Anderson's first marathon. A fascinating insight into the physical and mental strains of your first marathon.

For more information: The Accidental Runner

When design engineers and technicians are detailed by those upstairs in companies to develop a new product they must rub their hands in glee. When they are told to update a successful product they need to tread that fine line between pushing envelopes and exercising caution. Such must have been the case when the team at Salomon took a look at the Speed Cross 2.

For more information: Full review at Salomon Running

Tom Owens‘ rise to the top of UK fell and mountain running has been a controlled ascent. After many years of ‘knocking at the door’ the unassuming Shettleston runner has this year found his mountain wings and carried all before him…

A strong winter, after another very good 2010 which saw him win the Trans Alps race with Andy Symonds for a second time, left Tom with some great form and ready for his best ever season in 2011. After wins at the Carnethy 5, the British Champs race at the Mourne Peaks, and his outstanding win at the legendary 3 Peaks race, Tom was ready to head off to Europe and the US for a summer of mountain trail and multi-day stage racing as part of the Salomon International Team.

He continued his great UK form with a superb second place at Zegama, just seconds behind Kilian Jornet and earlier this month took a convincing win at the big German 4 stage race across the Alps – the 4 Trails.

I caught up with Tom as he heads into the second part of his season.

For more information: Full interview at Salomon Running

Salomon Trail Team UK and GB team member Nick Swinburn is confident of team success at this Sunday’s European Mountain Running Champs in Turkey, and having viewed the course he feels that he is ready to perform well on an individual level too…

Similar to Andi Jones’ thoughts, the North-East based young athlete feels that due to their experience the GB men should be confident against some strong opposition.

Nick explains:

The main competition will probably be from Turkey, Italy and France, but I think we have a strong mens team as well with everyone having run in World and European mountain champs in previous years; Steve Vernon (Euros 2005 9th; Worlds 2008 13th), Adam Osbourne (Euros 2009 34th, Worlds 2009 34th) and Andi Jones (Euros 2007 11th, Worlds 2003 4th).

I’m looking forward to the race as the last few weeks of training have gone quite well. I did the course as a junior 5 years ago and had a decent race, though we walked the last 4k of the course yesterday and its funny how you forget all the steep bits.

There's a good 400m flat section to the finish for some overtaking of there's anything left in the legs after 1300m of climb.

At Salomon the belief is that the outdoors are a place for inspiration, discovery and enjoyment - and as part of that trail running is an activity that helps place the runner in that environment.

Salomon also think that life is not all about competition, but also about being the best you can and challenging yourself in the outdoors. As a long-time 'athlete' I consider myself more of a 'soul runner' these days, and find running at one with nature the most rewarding of all my running experiences, so I think I fit into this category.

Of course we have some of the very best endurance athletes in the world as part of the Salomon International Team, and our very own Salomon Trail Team in the UK. But we also support some very different individuals, who we consider as ambassadors for the brand.

One such runner is Mark Hines www.markhines.org. Those of you who follow ultra running will have heard of Mark. His achievements in such events as the Yukon Arctic Ultra Trail have been phenomenal, and as a speaker and writer Mark has developed a great following for his humble attitude and great achievements.

Another couple of ultra athletes are the Accelerace Challenge crew. Ross and Chris are attempting to travel over 2200 miles from London to Calenzana at the north end of the GR20 on Corsica, via mountain bike, kayak and trail and mountain running in just 14 days - culminating with a 3-day, 112 mile trail running over the GR20! The guys have also just completed a grueling 50 mile run across Snowdonia too, watch it here http://vimeo.com/23493075

Malcolm McLoughlin, is running for Pearl (www.runningforpearl.com. On July 4th 2011 Malcolm will start running from Mizen Head (Co.Cork) to Malin Head (Co. Donegal) in Ireland, a colossal 587 kms.

Malcolm states: "Running for Pearl came about in late 2009 as my daughter Pearl was diagnosed with Autism on July 21st 2009. The idea was to combine endurance events with Autism awareness in the hope of making sense of this handicap, not just for ourselves but for other families too." You can follow his blog here too www.runningforpearl.blogspot.com

These guys are just a few people that we support with Salomon product. We do not wish to buy their faith, we merely want to help them on their journeys and gather their feedback after they have achieved some of these amazing goals.

They exemplify the spirit of Salomon, and alongside the array of elites athlete are also testimony that our product and philosophies hold true to the ethos: "Salomon is athletic outdoor".

Salomon Trail Team News

After an almost perfect start to the 2011 season, which has seen wins at the Carnethy 5 race and round one of the 2011 British Fell Running Championships in Northern Ireland, STT's Tom Owens took what must be considered amongst his greatest victories at the 57th Three Peaks Race in Yorkshire.

In what will be fondly remembered as a sunny but breezy day in the Yorkshire Dales, Tom carved his name in fell running history as a winner of one of the most iconic races on the fell calendar, in an excellent 2.53.34 for the 23.3 mile route.
Speaking after his win Tom described his mammoth effort in tough conditions as “the race of my life”, strong words from a guy who has such races as the Trans Alpine Run (twice!) amongst his list of wins. His second place at the 3 Peaks in 2008 had not only set his appetite to win this race one day, but also given him the tool of course knowledge to set up today’s win.

Owens triumphed after a tussle up to Ingleborough with Shettleston team mate Jethro Lennox, but was able to pull away in the closing miles to register what he considers his biggest win yet. Scottish teenager Robbie Simpson ran an amazing debut on the 3 Peaks route to finish second, with Ambleside’s Ben Abdelnoor running an equally amazing race to finish third.

In the women’s race former STT member Anna Frost also returned to the 3 Peaks to tie up what she described as ‘unfinished business’ with this route, after finishing fourth on he previous visit in 2008. After a good battle with Calder Valley’s Jo Buckley, Frosty took over after Whernside and ran strongly onto Ingleborough and into the finish in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, to put her name alongside the likes of Sarah Rowell and Angela Mudge on the role call of winners of this race.

Following his outstanding performance Owens commented:
"Oh that's just amazing. It was a tough race for sure, and coming back from Ingleborough I was battling the wind and almost at a standstill! It wasn't a day for heroics out there, the wind was gale force in areas and I didn't want to go early and spend a lot of time out front. So I bided my time, ran well with Jethro (Lennox) til Ingleborough and then took it on going up there. From then on it was about just pushing as hard as I could to the finish. This means so much to me, especially after coming here in 2008 and finishing runner-up to Jethro."

Anna was equally elated after the race, after only deciding to definitely run on the morning of the race.

"I have had an ankle issue for the last week or so, and wasn't sure that it would hold up, so tested it out this morning and it seemed okay. As I got into my running I started to concentrate on the race and so didn't think about it too much - though it is stiff now!

I really enjoyed the race though, and had a good battle with Jo Buckley up to Whernside, then just pushed on from there - it feels great to add such an amazing race to my career wins".

Former 3 Peaks runner-up Ricky Lightfoot has also had his fair share of injury issues over the last year or so and has recently been battling a persistent achilles issue. However, the 2009 Zegama winner ran a strong race to finish 5th.

After leading up the first climb (Pen y Ghent) Ricky then measured his effort to run strongly to the finish after a good descent off Ingleborough. "I am using this as a build-up race to Zegama again in late May," he said. "So I am pretty pleased that my achilles has held up okay and I am looking forward to getting some good training in between now and then".

Over in Cumbria Rob Hope was in equally imperious form as he won the classic Coniston Fell Race. The 2010 English fell running champion led from early on to turn the tables on fell-rival Ian Holmes, who was the winner in 2010, with Rob in second.

"Yeah, I'm pleased with that. I've also had some time out with a knee problem, which is still not 100% and is a bit sore after the race! I felt a bit sluggish early on, but soon got into it and got away from them on Swirl How. From then on it was just about pushing on and trying to keep Holmsey behind me".

Attention now moves to Europe for many of the Salomon Trail Team athletes, alongside a domestic programme of championship fell racing.

For more information: www.salomontrailteam.com

Salomon Trail Team News

Following on from his superb win at the Carnethy 5 race in February Tom Owens, along with STT team-mate Rob Hope, travelled to the Mourne Mountains in Northern Ireland last weekend, for round one of the 2011 British Fell Running Championships at the Mourne Peaks Race.

It was to be a race of two contrasts for Tom and Rob, as Owens held his form over the first half of the race, biding his time due to lack of course knowledge and with 10 peaks to negotiate. He and Rob were in good positions throughout the race, however three-time British Fell champion Hope was to take a wrong line whilst in the lead and after realising his mistake was then forced to chase the leaders down, expending huge amounts of energy and ultimately costing him any chance of the race win.

There were to be no such dramas for Owens, as he escaped on the last climb of the day and romped home to a clear 90-second win over Jethro Lennox. A gallant Rob Hope come home in 6th place, 3 and a half minutes down on Owens.

Following his commanding performance Owens commented:
"I felt good for most of the way. It’s a really tough one this race and navigation is tricky, so I had to be patient as I wasn't sure on the route. I got away on the top of the last climb and just pushed it on to the finish from there. I’m really happy to have taken this one though, as I had a bad cold and didnt run very well at the first of the Scottish champs races the other week, and it was a quality field here today."

Tom will now aim to hold his great form as he heads to the historic fell running monument that is The Three Peaks race, on April 30.

Whilst Owens continued his impressive start to 2011, Rob Hope had to be content with his sixth-place performance, stating:

"After taking the wrong line I had to really chase them down to get back into contention, it probably cost me a minute. It's a shame as I was feeling very good!"

Ricky Lightfoot's 2011 season had been full of promise until recently, registering two wins in February including the 34km Buttermere Round race. Unfortunately a recent achilles injury has seen his good form being tempered, and has sidelined the Cumbrian restricting him to some cross-training but no running.

However, after visiting the Salomon Advance Week in France last week (along with 'also injured' team-mate Andy Symonds) and receiving some physio rehab, Ricky felt good enough to try some light running during the week, and by the Friday felt strong enough to embark on the trip to Provence for the 28km STMB race in Signes on Saturday.

In unseasonable hot conditions, and after his usual fast start, Ricky was wound-in by Salomon France's Greg Vollet, and by the 10km mark was comfortable in second. He then ran strongly in the second-helf of the race to finish runner-up - and more importantly healthy, bar some "stiffness" in his achilles.

"The weather was very hot", said Lightfoot, "but it was really pleasing to at least be racing. The physio work in France was really beneficial and although I am slightly disappointed with second I am very happy that I came through the race and can now hopefully rebuild my fitness."

Ricky is also down as a starter at The Three Peaks race, but will reserve the decision to race or not following the longer-term reaction of his injury.

Notably former team-member Anna Frost won both 45km races at the STMB weekend, running extremely strongly against some excellent international opposition to finish 5th and 6th overall on the Saturday and Sunday respectively! The New Zealander will also return to the UK in a couple of weeks to take part in The Three Peaks race.
_______________________

Following their respective wins at the Carnethy 5 a few weeks back Angela Mudge and Tom Owens are also featured in the excellent BBC TV programme The Adventure Show this week. The show follows the characters and racing at this historic early-season hill race now in its 42nd year.

The programme also contains a 5 minute feature on Angela - a great insight into the life and thoughts of one of the world's greatest ever female hill and mountain runners.

This is an excellent piece of publicity for the sport, and for the Salomon Trail Team.

For more information: The Adventure Show

After returning from Kenya a few weeks back, Salomon Trail Team athlete Nick Swinburn is taking to the roads in preparation for the summer.

The talented youngster has plenty of speed, and has obviously returned from his Kenyan stint full of running, as he finished third at this weekend's Wilmslow Half Marathon in Cheshire. His run was noteworthy in that he followed two African athletes through halfway holding a super-fast pace through 10km in 29.50. Running for his Morpeth club Nick then held his form, battling to third at the finish in 65:44 - taking the English Half Marathon Championships title into the bargain...

Nick recalls:

"I did Reading half marathon a couple of weeks ago, but it didnt go so well, felt really good until about 8k then started to suffer, thought it would pass but it only got worse, ended up running 68min finishing 20th.

Because this was so disappointing I decided to do Wilmslow half last weekend which was also the English Champs race. This was a better race, myself and 3 African athltes broke away around 4k, went through 10k in about 29.50 then I got dropped, I pushed through 10 miles and managed to catch one of them by the end.

I slowed down a fair bit in the second half as felt tired from the week before and the other Brits were catching up but held on for third and was first English so won the English Champs which was a bit of a surprise because I only realised it was a championship after the race!"

For more information: Results here

John Austin Half Marathon

The first ever John Austin Half Marathon took place in and around Brockenhurst yesterday with a sell out field enjoying the improving spring sunshine after a cool start. The off road route was guided by lead horses through working forest followed by open heath, Royden Woods Nature reserve, Brockenhurst Park and then finally a short loop around the playing fields of Brockenhurst College.

The men’s field was led from start to finish by Ben Evans of Guildford and Godalming who clocked a time of 77.14 closely followed by 1st vet 40 Graham Bungay of Totton RC (78.39), James Whetman (unattached) (79.08), Steve Wright of New Forest Runners (79.34) and Owen Harris of Southampton AC (80.50).

The women were led home by Anna Bentley of Hardley Runners (93.47), Alexis Green (BBC South Today) 97.29, Jodi Hooper (Unattached) (100.19), Becky Hollowbread of New Forest Runners (101.05) and Louisa Abbott (102.04)
The youngest Runners was Toby Power of New forest Runners who turned 17 just 6 days earlier and the oldest was Pam Ager of New Forest Runners who is a mere 77 years young. The 60 year age spread in many ways was mimicked in the spread of abilities from classy runners right down to absolute first timers.

The race seems to have caught the imagination of many locals and the fund raising efforts for Oakhaven Hospice Trust has been exceptional in a number of individuals. The race overall hopes to raise over £10,000 for Oakhaven Hospice Trust but we know of one runner that has raised £1300 just by themselves. As Race Director I am very proud of all of the runners and their efforts and I am very happy that we seem to have provided a really good event for everybody that ran. That was down to the huge team of marshals and volunteers who did an outstanding job on the day and they deserve a very big thank you!

Whilst the main race was on, 41 U17 juniors competed in a 3K in the Grounds of Brockenhurst College. The Race was won by Alex Brian of Poole Runners in an excellent 10.56 closely followed by the first girl, Georgia Morris of Winchester AC in 11.13. First U13 boy was Christopher Ogbourne with a time of 11.58 and first U13 girl was Lucy Brian of Poole Runners in 12.40.

Text by Henry Szwinto

BRITAIN’S MOST BEAUTIFUL MARATHON RETURNS

Former Olympic athlete and world record holder Steve Cram MBE today unveiled plans to repeat the hugely successful Kielder Marathon.

Scheduled to take place on Sunday October 9, the Salomon Kielder Marathon will once again follow an almost entirely off-road course around northern Europe’s largest man-made lake, Kielder Water, in Northumberland.

Billed as ‘Britain’s most beautiful marathon’, the event was a sell out in its first year and returns this year with addition places on offer and a headline sponsor – Salomon, the athletic outdoor sports company.

The marathon will follow the Lakeside Way, a trail that stretches right around the shoreline of Kielder Water. The organisers have more than doubled the field this year and expect to attract runners and outdoor adventure enthusiasts from around the world to the dramatic setting and unique course.

Steve Cram, gold medal runner and sporting commentator, said: “Kielder Water & Forest Park was always my favourite place to run in the world and I dreamt of holding a marathon there. Last year we were delighted to launch the Kielder Marathon with Northumbrian Water and even more delighted at the crowds the event pulled in. This year we’ve secured a headline sponsor – Salomon. It’s great to have them on board to help grow the event."

“The atmosphere on the day last time was euphoric and I’m sure each of more than 900 runners who completed the course will join me in saying it was definitely the most memorable and scenic marathon course. I hadn’t planned to complete the whole marathon myself but once I set off, it was everything I hoped it would be… brilliant, hard and exhilarating. The views were spectacular and everyone had a fantastic time.”

With the water’s shoreline being 26 miles long, Kielder Water in North East England is the ideal venue for the ultimate running challenge, the marathon. Most of the course is off-road and it offers a test for trail runners, adventure racers and marathon enthusiasts alike.

Janice Brown, who finished last in the 2010 event in a time of 6:58:53 added: “I, along with everyone else who took part, am thrilled the event is taking place again in 2011. We’re all desperate to attack those ‘steep inclines again’ and better our times. You never know, this time I might not be last!”


Brian Porter, another runner who completed the event and also organises the Feckleton half marathon said: “It was absolutely brilliant! I’m from Freckleton where we have the oldest half marathon in the UK and last year I did the Kielder Marathon – the youngest marathon in the UK at the time. Brilliant!”

Once again this year there will be a small elite field including Salomon’s international trail team comprising of Ricky Lightfoot, Rob Hope and Northumberland’s very own trail champion, Nick Swimburn. Last year’s winner was Zak Kihara from Kenya with a winning time of 2:29:06. The first female to cross the finish line was Great Britain’s own Lizzy Hawker with a winning time of 2:58:22.

The Lakeside Way is a £3m project in Kielder Water & Forest Park that forms the marathon course. It is a multi-user trail suitable for walkers, runners, cyclists, horse riders and wheelchair and pushchair users. The trail offers visitors new views and the opportunity to interact with even more of the park’s abundant wildlife and take in its scenic landscape.

Marathon places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis – there is no ballot this year. Cost of entry is £35. Runners who deferred their place last year will be contacted separately. To book a place log on to the event website at www.kieldermarathon.com. For enquiries telephone 0845 155 0236 (Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm).

The Kielder Marathon team is delighted to announce this year’s sponsor as Salomon, the Mountain Sports Company. With years of experience developing mountain sports products, Salomon works alongside some of the world's top trail running athletes to create the most technical range of trail running shoes, apparel and gear.

Richard Philip from Salomon said: “We are dedicated to the outdoors and creating technical and innovative products suited to the trail and outdoor consumer. The Salomon Kielder Marathon symbolises our brand personality perfectly as we are working hard to encourage runners to look to the trails as an interesting and fun alternative to pounding the pavements.”

Northumbrian Water is once again hosting the event which will be jointly organised by Extra Mile Events and Roberts and Partners. Dave Roberts, who heads up Roberts and Partners, was a co-founder of the Great North Run.

The Greenman Challenge
February 22, 2011

The day started at 07:00 at Ashton Court at the start of the Greenman Challenge Ultra, a 45 mile route around Bristol on the community forest path. This has to be completed in under 12 hours to gain the title of an honourable Woodwose.

It was raining with low cloud in the distance rising up to Dundry 5 miles away. It had also been raining most of the night, so perfect conditions for testing out the Salomon XR Crossmax shoes. Pete from Salomon unwrapped 20 pairs of nice new shiny XR Crossmax designed for such an event as the Greenman Challenge Ultra.

Both the XR shoes and the Gore run wear were caked in mud and sodden, but the 22 participants of the Greenman Challenge Ultra were in fine fettle.

By 21 miles at Shortwood Hill there was a change over of guides as the group had split in to two groups by now. The strain of the conditions was beginning to rear its ugly head and although it was not raining, underfoot was hideously wet and boggy. By the time we reached Keynsham we had lost 3 runners, who self extracted.

Hambrook was at 26 miles so we setup a replenish point and a sports therapist in case of any injuries. Gore supplied fresh socks and Salomon supplied their new EXO calf compression tights.

It had taken over 6 hours to reach this point with another 19 miles to go.

There were doubts whether the runners would make the 12 hour cut off time back to Ashton Court. 2 more competitors dropped out as intended.

The next 19 miles was a mix of trail and road but there were more road sections which made for a faster second half of the Greenman. Again the Salomon XR Crossmax was outstanding in giving cushioning and support on the road as it has been designed to do.

We met the first of the lead runners at 33 miles, the group was looking strong and dug in deep and would make the 12 hour cut off time. There were two more groups to come, these groups were looking tired but again all were committed to finishing this Ultra, all would make the 45 miles in less than 12 hours.

At the finish by Ashton Court the first group of runners came in at 9hours 46. The second group 10 hours 31 and the final group at 10 hour 47 – who came home in the dark. All were shattered and broken but with smiles from ear to ear with knowledge of what they had just achieved.

The Dovecote pub is where we ended up for slaps on the back and a well deserved pint. But most importantly all the runners who completed the 45 mile Greenman Challenge Ultra were to be entered into the Honourable Woodwose book of finishers and were given a certificate to be reminded of their achievement.

Giles Heeks – Event Organiser

Recognised as the daddy of this type of muddy hell, trail running genre of off-road running, nearly 1000 runners got themselves thoroughly drenched and cover in muck at the last of this year’s Salomon Turbo X races at Bordon in Hampshire…

Participation and completion, rather than elite racing, is more the name of the game at these events, with many trying out trail running for the first time. So one or two would have had a baptism of fire yesterday as they got down in the woods on this one. The course was suitable heavy, with shoulder-deep bogs and stair-case steep short hills, made all the more difficult with the hoards of runners clambering up them.

At the sharp-end of things there was a great battle between top British fell and mountain runners Tom Owens and Rob Hope. The two stayed together for around 9.5 of the 10 miles, as they “ran tempo”, according to Hope. However, it was Scots-based Owens who showed a slightly quicker turn of foot as they emerged from the ultra-grotty Turbo Zone at around 9 miles.

Speaking after the race the two Salomon Trail Team members were happy with their Sunday morning workout. “Yeah, that was fun”, said Owens, also the winner at the Mugdock event in October. “It’s funny to be coming into some good form at this time of year, as the season is pretty much over”, he added. “I was injured for quite a lot of the first part of 2010, so I am still fresh and today was a really good battle with Rob.”

“We kind of swapped the lead through the muddy sections”, added Hope, “letting one chose the line and the other follow and we ran tempo for most of it, just opening it up a bit in that last mile. Tom was a bit too quick for me today, but I am happy as I have had a few injuries lately“, he concluded. Opening up that small gap on Hope in the last mile, Owens’ margin increased to 8 seconds as they crossed the line, a full 8 minutes clear of Dave Rollins in third place.

In the women’s race Joanna Starr was a clear winner, as she came home over a minute clear of Stephanie Upton, Sheena Keates was third.

Men
1 Tom Owens 01:02:49
2 Rob Hope 01:02:57
3 David Rollins 01:09:07

Women
1 Johanna Starr 01:22:49
2 Stephanie Upton 01:24:04
4 Sheena Keates 01:25:04

For more information: Results here

Ever wondered what goes into making bespoke shoe? Well, check out this behind-the-scenes video on how Kilian Jornet’s Salomon kicks are made. From foot beds to outer treads, nothing is left to chance – though not the lightest on the world, the 205g weigh-in ain’t too bad for these smart SLABs!

For more information: Kilian's SLabs

The last of this year’s Quests on Mt. Kiliamanjaro produced some stunning imagery, a great run by Kilian of course, and a sense that trail running amongst other cultures transcends the sport itself…

No more is this apparent than the end of season backstage film which depicts Kilian at his most relaxed, and demonstrates what a beautiful welcome the whole team received a few weeks back. This 4 minute gem takes us behind the scenes and shows the lighter side of these Quests – it’s not all trail running you know!

Additionally, what comes through is the hospitality that is shown to the Salomon crew. Simon M’Tuy is a big man, in both stature and character, and he and the Kilimanjaro community show us how deeply welcoming they are to all-comers. Respect.

For more information: KQ 10 - Kilimanjaro, backstage!

The new episode of Kilian Jornet’s literally breathtaking run on the mythical mount Kilimanjaro has been released via Salomon running.

The quality of the filming is there for all to see, as the altitude and emotions take hold of the little Catalan whilst he climbs to the summit. His demeanor is all-together different as he ramps it up and flies down the mountain to the waiting throng of support crew, excited locals and former record holder Simon M’Tuy.

If this was a celebrity it would be prime-time TV news, but therein lies the beauty of what Kilian does, he arrives, respects, conquers and leaves – with a lasting mark on the places that he has been and the people who he has touched, and in turn they will leave an indelible mark on him too.

There is humble majesty in this film...

For more information: Watch Episode 8, Part 2 here

This initial film lays the story from record holder Simon M'Tuy's perspective, and shows how the local community opened its arms to Kilian and the Salomon crew...

For more information: Kilianjaro!

Well I will take a large chunk of the blame for this. I set off at a very steady pace, letting 4 runners get away on the first climb (I was slightly worried to see my heart pumping away in the mid 170′s and thought I’d better not let it get any higher). But then, after about 30k I caught the leaders, and for some unexplainable reason decided I’d just run straight past them and take the race by the scruff of the neck. When you consider that the two guys I’d just past (Kilian Jornet & Miguel Heras) have proved themselves to be the best two Ultra runners in Europe this year, this was, in retrospect, a rather silly thing to do.

For more information: Read more

This year hasn’t been so productive for me, in and out of injury I’ve never really hit that form which I had last year. Through frustration I decided to slow things down a bit and only do the things I really enjoyed and concentrate on getting over the latest injury.

For more information: Full story here

I had planned to take part in 3 races whilst in the Alps, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to as an ongoing injury problem caught up with me.

So instead of feeling sorry for myself, I met up with a friend and we decided to make the most of the glorious sunny weather and hit the high rock for some rock climbing, followed by runs in the mountains and high alpine snow climbing routes.

I even managed to get on a road bike and cycle up a few Cols – one being the famous Alpe d’Huez and another Col de Madeline – I’ve never cycled up a road, which has been 15 miles long, with an altitude difference of over 1000m…
Also took a trip over to the Ecrins National Park – what a wonderful area. Travelled to a place called, Ailefroide, which has lots of great rock climbing routes – this is where I had a go at leading my first route outdoors – I succeeded and didn’t fall off! There were some great places to run as well and the weather was beautiful!

So maybe next year I’ll take a longer break to enjoy the mountains!

Natalie x

For more information: More Salomon Trail Team news

After a mammoth battle over the closing miles of today's Shelf Moor race Salomon Trail Team man Rob Hope today added the 2010 English Fell Running championship crown to his growing list of titles.

History will state that the race, and championship, was extremely close with Hope beating Lloyd Taggart by just 4 seconds in the race. With some really clear conditions for the event racing was intense, with Taggart and Hope battling with Mercia’s 2009 English Fell champ Simon Bailey, who eventually finished 3rd just 16 seconds back on Hope.

Hope now goes into the final race (the Black Mountains) of the British Fell championship with a slender lead too, and victory in south Wales could mean the double for Rob - we'll keep you posted!

Some things are quintessentially British, especially when it comes to hill and fell racing. And a fair few of our European friends find the thought of blasting up a hill, with no real track as such, and back down at break-neck speeds, a little odd…

Within the British fell running scene are the summer shows. Many of the classic short fell races that exist in the north of England are linked to (or at least once were) shows and sports days, some of them hundreds of years old. Similarly with hill racing in Scotland and Wales. But of course some races are more prestigious than others – such as the recently run Grasmere race – and there exists a ‘classic treble’!

The last week or so in August sees three races, all extremely short, all extremely tough and all extremely coveted. First up is the 1.5 mile Burnsall race. This year held on the 21 August, and a special race in that it was the 100th edition. Winner – Rob Hope.

Just over a week later and it is Grasmere, well documented on MST over the last week or so – and incredibly 160 editions old. Stuff the legends are made from. Winner – Rob Hope.

And lastly on Tuesday it was the notoriously treacherous (and a mere 113 editions old!) Kilnsey Show Crag Race. Another blast up and down to a height of 1000ft in the space of one mile, requiring the winner to remove any doubt or fear on the descent – something that most fell runners are good at (Results). Winner – (for a record-breaking 8th time!) Rob Hope.

So, it’s a treble for Rob and a nice break from the longer stuff for the Salomon Trail Team man. But its back to championship stuff this weekend as he and all the other English Championship contenders head for Shelf Moor...

At the 10th WMRA World Masters Champs former World champion (2000) Angela Mudge negotiated the Polish mountain mist, and the entire women’s field, to win the W40 crown.

Bad weather greatly influenced not only the conduct of the race but also the preparation of the course and the logistics. However, the Salomon Trail Team (running for Scotland) won by a comfortable 4 minutes on the 8km course, which by all accounts resembled more British then European course and weather conditions.

Perfect for Angela then!

For more information: Full results and photos

Pikes Peak – World Long Course Mountain Running Championships

With some Boulder heat acclimatisation and some Aspen 4000m+ altitude mountain runs, Rickey Gates and I jumped in ‘Orange’ (his VW van) and headed for Colorado Springs. I was not as prepared as usual – by running on the course, and was therefore fairly nervous. 21km uphill, starting at 2000m and climbing up to 4300m altitude. I didn’t know how I would respond to racing at such a high altitude and so decided that I needed to race conservatively and if I had any extra oxygen near the top then I could work hard once I could see the finish.

Over the whole of the weekend and 2 races (the Pikes Ascent and the Pikes Marathon (Up and Down!)) there were a total of 7000 participants from 37 different countries. The 1st wave was off at 7am, we zigzagged our way up through the bush on the dusty but run able trail. It took me 20-minutes until I finally began to feel comfortable and got into a nice rhythm, sitting comfortably in 3rd. Rickey had given me some altitude running tricks to practise which I used throughout the race. One was occasionally doing a deep out breath clearing the lungs of ‘stale’ air, the other was stretching the shoulders and head back to really open the lungs up to the thin and dry air.

At the Half way point I was 5-minutes behind USA’s Brandy Erholtz but as we came out of the bush and onto a moon like terrain, weaving in and out of the big red boulders I spotted the leading girls. I knew it was a bit late in the race to try to catch up but still feeling good I tried with all my might to finish the last 3miles by chasing the girls down. I finished still in 3rd but now just 55-seconds behind first place.

I now know how I can perform at that altitude…it has added an experience to my racing of which I can learn from. That’s what I love about running…I am always learning new levels of performance, discomfort and mental strength/weakness.

Rickey also finished 3rd after a terrible start to the race and an incredibly strong finish.

Frosty

For more information: Pikes Peak results

The last 4 month’s training has been based around the Pikes Peak Ascent and Marathon in Colorado Springs and to find out the week before I was due to fly out that I couldn’t go due to work commitments was hugely disappointing.

After finishing 3rd in last year’s WLDMRC in the Kaiser Marathon I thought this year I could maybe go one better and the opportunity. To spend 2 weeks in Colorado was amazing but it’ll have to wait until next year. When I found out I couldn’t go I decided to run the Ellenborough 10k starting from Maryport. It’s a fantastic race which is mostly traffic free and run on country roads with two really big hills thrown in too. I always plan to go out easy but when the race gun went the adrenalin got the better of me (or the ZipVit Fruit Punch energy drink), and by the first mile I had a good lead which I extended to two minutes by the finish just narrowly beating the course record by a couple of seconds.

Due to injury I haven’t really planned any other races for the rest of the year except for The Kinabalu Climbathon in Malaysia in October and the Salomon Turbo-X series.

Ricky

For more information: Movescount

It was way back in March, but it looks like it was worth it! We (Salomon GB marketing team, photography crew, Pete 'George Lucas' Cable and the Salomon Trail Team) hit the south coast for the 2010 kit and team photo sessions.

The ideology behind the day is to gain images and footage that Salomon then use to promote apparel, footwear and the Trail Team throughout the season. Images are 'banked' in our archive, to provide the media with images, for online content, for our websites and for general Salomon marketing - both in the UK and globally.

It sure was cold at 6am, as we hit the mean streets of Christchurch, Dorset, but as soon as arrived at the main headland - bliss, just sunrises, sea and a cold wind, to help you remember how good it feels to be alive (at least it was beneath my 4 layers!)

Anyway, 5 months on and the results are clear. Some great adverts in the vertical media, some excellent online advertorials, and some footage and shots to be proud of. As with these things, we move on, and we are already planning 2011 - keep it tuned!

For more information: Watch the SS10 video 'shoot' here...

Want to get kitted up for the trail? We'd recommend a stable and cushioned shoe as the route is a lovely undulating track, which is rocky in parts. To get the right shoes for the job, Foot Traffic will be onboard - head to www.foot-traffic.co.uk to find out more.

Recovery after the Race!

The team at Vitality Sports will be on hand at the Rivington Half Marathon. For a small fee, one of their fully qualified sports therapists will be happy to give you injury prevention advice and a recover massage to sooth those aches and pains!

To find out more about them, visit www.vitalityclinic.co.uk

For more information: Get kitted up for the trail

Salomon Trail Team member Rob Hope is still on target to lift a fourth straight British Fell Running Championship after a commanding win at round three, the Dollar Hill Race.

Rob still leads going into the final Long race at the Black Mountains Rob will now just need to keep his nerve and finish in a leading position, to take the title. His Dollar win was pretty convincing, though was a keenly fought race as you would expect at the elite end of British fell racing.

For more information: Read Rob's account over at Salomon Running UK

Anna Frost's going from strength to strength and push it further and further in the sport. After her epic result at Everest, she's just taken the top spot at the the super difficult Chaberton peak SkyMarathon®.

Covering both the Italian-French borders, the Chaberton peak reaches 3,131 metres in altitude, adding up to a brutal 1.911m ascent and 1,511m descent!

Anna whipped her way to the finsh line in 5h09’52”, beating the Brazillian World Champion Emanuela Brizio.

Go on Frosty!

For more information: Anna Frost wins Chaberton peak SkyMarathon®

Salomon Trail Team athletes Tom Owens and Andy Symonds both took part in the World Skymarathon championships yesterday, at the famous Italian race Giir di Mont.

After strong ascents by both runners, Tom stayed on strongly for an excellent 6th place finish, against some of the world's best mountain runners. Symonds fared a little differently after a great ascent, leaving him in a good position.

Scots-based Andy then failed to match his usual descending skills to finish a creditable 16th. (though we guess Andy will be a little displeased with that result after a fine early season and some great recent races!)

We will leave the real tales to be told by both upon their return on Salomon Running and the Salomon Trail Team blog, over at www.salomontrailteam.com.

More race info also online at www.skyrunning.com

We went to the 2011 XR Launch a few weeks back. Video camera in-hand, we saw some rather interesting stuff!

For more information: Take a look

Welsh international Rob Samuel made light work of the Salomon Forest Trail 10k at Delamere Forest last night, beating England’s John Brown by over a minute. Samuel, along with women’s winner Tammy Lewis-Jones, were comfortable victors after their dash from over the border…

The excellent Delamere course takes in some of the best forest trails that the UK has to offer, and heavy rain in the days before the event had left the course perfect underfoot after a recent period of dry weather. With nearly 350 starters, despite the weather, trail racing of this format seems to be gaining even greater gravity in the UK.

Both Samuel and Lewis-Jones were late entries to the event, having only decided that afternoon to run, but their journey from Snowdonia proved highly worthwhile at the end of the 10k race. International Samuel has had some injury niggles in the last few weeks, following a great start to the year which saw him run 30:28 at the Manchester 10k.

“Yeah, I’ve been back running hard for about three weeks now, after a 3-4 week lay off with a lower back problem”, he told MST, “but it seems good now, and I wanted to have a good run-out tonight. The course was great, and I really enjoyed the single-track twists and turns when you get into the forest. I really like trail racing, and would like to do more, especially as a lot of my training is on off-road and mountain terrain.”

His victory over fellow international Brown was pretty considerable, after he had led from the gun. Samuel’s time of 33:28 would be respectable on a road 10k, but highly impressive on a trail race. Salford’s Brown recorded 34:39, with Richie Edwards third in 38:18.

The women’s race was competitive up the the 3km mark, with the three leading ladies all within a handful of seconds. However, Welsh mountain running international Tammy Lewis-Jones used her off road strength over the last few kilometres to pull away for a comfortable win in 43:34. Oswestry Olympian Lauren Davies was second, with Stephanie Davenport making up the podium.


Full results can be found at link below , with some great race images on Tammy’s Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/album.php?id=1171239786&aid=73523&s=0&hash=e988981b75c164751b39be1c15834694#!/album.php?aid=73523&id=1171239786

For more information: Results

Why I love Trail Running:

Because no matter who you are or what your goals are the trail is always the same. Let me explain.

Take the Mt Blanc 10km/Cross/Marathon for example. Chamonix turns into a even more of an international runner mecca. People meeting old and new running buddies, nervously chatting about race tatics and logistics. Sponsors banners and flags flapping in the soft breeze. Product companies with tasters and freebees, and the organised kaos of registration of the 10,000 participants!

Race day – the warm-ups are underway, nerves and laughter, emotions and wonder. people push and squeeze to their starting position and in the final moments before the start gun there is a soft murmer of anticipation. Some people have come to win, some to get a personal best time, some to finish, some for charities and some have just lost a bet in a pub the night before.

The trail winds gradually up the valley, weaving in and out of forests, pastures, villages. Up hills, down into streams, over some big rocks and then decides its time to climb. The second half of the race contours up and up and up with spectacular views down the chamonix valley – those of you who have time to have a look. It wil take some 2hours and others 12hours.

And at the finish - most will, some wont, there will be exhaustion, drinks, nibbles, blood and puffy ankles. There will be photos and hugs, prizes and happiness.

But no matter why everyone came today – the one thing that has stayed the same and cannot be changed is the trail. The distance, the altitude and the scenery. It is there for us to explore, to challenge and to motivate ourselves to achieve what is important to us.

TRAILS...Go and explore!

"Both the men’s and women’s teams have triumphed in Italy with victory in the male and female categories of the Orobie SkyRaid World Championships."

For more information: Salomon Trail Team Blog

Congratulations to everyone who ran at the Epping Forest 10KM Trail on Thursday 1st July. Great turn out and cracking weather made for some amazing trail running!

Go to www.PhilOConnor.com for race day photos and www.racetimingsystems.com for race results....

We've already uploaded some pictures to this site so CHECK THEM OUT!

Well done to everyone at the Swinley 10KM Forest Trail on Tuesday 29th June. Super turn out and lovely warm night made for some amazing trail running! Go to www.PhilOConnor.com for race day photos and www.racetimingsystems.com for race results....

Check our Gallery and Video section from the night!

For more information: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/profile.php?id=100000692216449&ref=mf

Salomon took some of their running specialty stores on a French adventure to test the new clothing and footwear coming next year....

If you train on trails and need running shoes to wear everyday from door to trail.... this is it.

For more information: SEE WHAT'S COMING IN 2011...

Saturday 12th June saw scorching sunshine and a great buzz at the annual Salomon South Downs Marathon. Hundreds of runners, both individual and teams turned up to race a mix of 5km, relay and full marathon distance.

For race results check out www.racetimingsystems.com.

For more information: Phil O Conner Photography

The first of the Salomon Trail Running Series 10km Forest Trails kicks off next Tuesday at Bracknell Forest, Surrey.

The beautful tracks take in the best of the forest, with rolling hills and trail that's perfect for first timers and club runs.

For more information: ENTER THE RACE NOW

This last weekend saw plenty of success for the Salomon Trail Team. After a (by the team's very high standards) steady start to the season for the all-conquering team the weekend saw wins for Anna Frost, Nick Swinburn and Andy Symonds, along with strong results from Rob Hope at the European Mountain Running trials and Tom Owens at Duddon.

Leading the way in Europe was Kiwi Anna Frost, who took round 3 of the 2010 Skyrunner World Series in Andorra. Anna overcame some stormy Pyrenean weather to win the shortened Travessa de Canilllo SkyRace®. In the UK Andy Symonds warmed up for his European mountain racing and mountain marathon season with a convincing win the Loch Lochy Munros race, winning by a massive 11 minutes.

Coming back after a long lay-off through injury, youngster Nick Swinburn returned to racing by winning the Abersoch 10k in North Wales. The race which boasts a prize of £300 for the winner always commands a classy field, and Nick made it two wins in two years of this off-road / road race.

Most pleasing is the fact that Nick comes through with a clean bill of health, and it's great to see him back competing again! The same can be said of Tom Owens, who after a long battle with achilles issues over the autumn and winter is easing himself into racing at the highest level. His performance at the 18 mile Duddon Valley Fell Race on Saturday underlined that Tom is back on track after he finished a very strong runner-up to Simon Booth at this tough Lakeland race.

Finally, there was a valiant run from British Fell Champion Rob Hope at the UK trials for the European Mountain Running Championships, which will be held in Bulgaria in July. The race on the famous Latrigg course in Keswick proved a little too swift for Rob, in a race which attracted the UK's endurance specialists, targeting the race and a GB vest. (The first 4 runners qualified for selection.)

Rob finished a highly commendable 6th, just outside of the automatic selection places. As the weather warms and the European calendar kicks into full swing, expect much more news from the team, at home and abroad.

So after 7 months training, numerous training runs and enough calorie counting to make me feel like a member of 'fat fighters' I found myself standing on the start line of the Fellsman, a tough ultra event covering 61 miles over the yorkshire dales, and ascending over 11,00 feet in its path from Ingleton to Thresfield.

The first 20 miles seemed to go well-apart from running into a barbwire fence at forehead level, stopping me dead in my tracks and giving me a headache for a few hours!- the following 10 miles up to mile 30 I hit a real low and felt sick, unable to stomache any food. Hoping this would pass I continued running and maintained a good pace to the following road checkpoint.

In an effort to help keep my energy levels up i forced down two bananas and continued on. Amazingly this seemed to work wonders and I picked up and felt on great form! The miles continued to tick over nicely and I reached the 44 mile mark before dark around 12 hours in. Here I was grouped with 6 other runners where we continued on into the night for the final 17 miles!

Conversation flowed well amongst the 7 of us, and the remaining hours flew by-I decided to polish off a bag of chocolate coated expresso beans which boosted my energy and hallucinations (which seemed understandable considering I'd been on the move for over 15 hours!) the final section was run along the road where we managed a sprint finish coming through as a group in 16 hours 56 minutes!..

It had been an amazing event and extremely well orgainised, and I feel this is the first of many ultras to come!

Salomon International athlete Tom Owens had a great 2011. With some great domestic (UK) wins at such races as the legendary 3 Peaks in Yorkshire, round 1 of the British Fell Running Championships, a second place behind Kilian at the world-fanous Zegama race, silver medal at the World Long Distance Mountain Running Championships, a win at the Salomon 4 Trails multi-stage race and a great win at the Skyrunner World Series race Sentiero delle Grigne - this list goes on and on. For those who know Tom they will say he is a humble guy, so for him to appear as the cover star of the latest edition of South African e-zine Go Trail is quite an embarrassment for him we are sure. Of course it is no more than he deserves after a year which elevated Tom into the world mountain and trail running scene and knowing this guy and what his true potential is, I would say that this is just the beginning! See the full feature at the Go Trail site download page now: http://gotrail.co.za/wp-content/uploads/January/2012/feb_mar_mag.pdf

That's the Samuel Lab to you and I. Salomon Trail Team UK member Rob Samuel recently underwent some rigourous testing in his local sports science centre. ____________ So, a couple of weeks ago I went for some physiology testing at the Sports Science department at Bangor University. After completing an undergrad and Masters in applied sport and exercise physiology at the university I knew what I was letting myself in for. Basically, I was going to be performing a VO2max and lactate threshold test followed by some running economy testing. This sort of testing and the data obtained from it can be really useful for athletes, particularly for helping to track progression and to a certain extent setting training intensities. For me in particular the running economy testing would also be pretty interesting - many of you may be aware of my not so perfect running style, which I am trying to work on at the moment. With follow up testing we will be able to track if I my running economy is improving giving me an indicator if what I am doing is working. The VO2max and lactate testing basically involves running on a treadmill with the speed increasing every 3 minutes until you either fly off the back (which hopefully doesn’t happen!) or decide enough is enough and hit the big red stop button. It also involves you donating your earlobe to be stabbed so that blood can be taken for blood lactate analysis at each speed and the wearing of a very fetching face mask (see pics) which allows for the analysis of your expired air, to calculate parameters such as VO2max. Thanks to three Masters Students at the University; Suzy Blandford, Sarah-Jane Maunder and Ed Roberts the testing went really well. I felt good for the most part and only really started to feel the pain when we got up to 21km/h. When you start to feel that there is not much left it’s just a case of hanging in there as long as you can. The guys were great at shouting and giving encouragement which helps too! In terms of the data, we haven’t had a good look at it yet but we should be able to use it as a tool to try and optimise my training. Also, a key part will be the follow up testing so we start to build up a physiological profile and are more able to track changes in my fitness over time – this is when physiological testing starts to become of greater benefit. The aim is that this sort of testing will help me to optimise my training leading to improved performance. So, all in all a very interesting and useful evening in the sports science lab. A big thanks to Bangor University, Jonny Moore, Suzy Blandford, Sarah-Jane Maunder and Ed Roberts for organising and running the tests. Looking forward to next time already...

Top GB fell and mountain runner Mary Wilkinson is a bit of a Salomon fan. She is also one of the most experienced GB internationals on the mountains today. Mary had a trusty and much loved pair of Speed Cross originals until recently, and then she took delivery of the new Fell Cross and Speed Cross 3 this autumn - we think she likes 'em! Read on: __________________________ Earlier this year I was left heart-broken...I had to say goodbye to my trusty original Salomon Speed Cross. They had been my feet's companion since 2005, we had literally been through hell and high water together, they had accompanied me through many a tough race, without complaining or causing me worry. They were my old faithful for racing, but after a final successful flurry at the Commonwealth Championships, with their soles worn flat and their uppers creaking apart, they had to finally bow out. So what was I going to do now, no other shoe had come close to their lightness, glove like fit and agile feel....then along came the Salomon Fellcross....could this be the shoe to answer my prayers? From the outset my Speed Cross had been perfect, so it was out of the box and onto the moors in the Fell Cross, no messing about, I wanted to know if these highly talked about trainers were all they had been cracked up to be. I wasn't disappointed, they fit like a slipper, but this comfort concealed an aggressive shoe ready to tackle anything that I threw at it; grassy trails, rocky outcrops, technical descents, it performed magnificently on all of them, but it was on wet, sticky mud were they really stood out from the crowd, I could power through anything without a hint of a slip or a slide. I have never worn a shoe that has felt do secure on every footstep; just pure, simple four-wheel drive, traction control. Cornering at speed on a camber...no problem, an unexpected rock protruding from the ground....I didn't even notice it, mud? what mud? I like to feel as if I'm floating across the ground when I run, rather than being detached from it by a wedge of rubber under my foot and in the Fell Cross I immediately felt at one with the terrain, probably thanks to its low profile and high flexibility which allow you to really 'feel' what your feet are doing. The Salomon Fell Cross is clearly designed by runners for runners, and yes it has answered my prays and it really is the best thing since the original Speed Cross and with a few more trails and tribulations under its sturdy footing I have little doubt the Fell Cross will come to surpass even that and become the new love of my life!

Salomon International athlete Andy Symonds has made an amazing return to racing after almost a year of injury. On Sunday he took a great victory at one of France's great races, the 71km La Grande Course des Templiers. Andy tells his story here: "It's the first time a Brit has won the Templiers. "I really did think that training had gone pretty well the last month or so, but having done no racing for a year i did't have anything to gauge my current state of fitness on, so I really ran the race at my own pace and enjoyed it all the way through. "The first two hours were in the dark and largely on large forest tracks, but it was a bit of a novelty for me running at a decent pace through the forests in a peleton of twenty or so runners. After the first aid station the group split (mainly due to a semi technical decent down to it) and I settled in in the top five or six, gradually working my way through, meanwhile the two favorites (previous winners) Thiery and Thomas seemed to be having a bit of a battle between themselves, and subsequently pulling away from the field. "I was a little surprised to find them come back to me so easily and when I finally caught them on the climb to the third aid station with less than 20 km to go they seemed to have slowed big time and I was still feeling super fresh. "Fully aware that legs can suddenly fall to pieces in the later stages of ultra races, often without warning, I cautiously sat behind Thomas and Thiery for a few km until I couldn't hold back my desire to go faster any more and left them on the last bit of the climb just after the aid station. "Originally I thought my main chances of getting a good gap would be on the last technical sections and the downhills, so to be pulling away in the runnable climbs filled me with confidence and I subsequently let loose, opened up my stride and just about held it togetheru till the end. I say just because by the top of the very last steep climb I really was reduced to a crawl, but by then I knew I had several minutes advantage and just had to drop down to Millau to clench it. "I knew I would have judged my efforts over the 45 miles perfectly if I was only really suffering on the the last climb, so it was a good feeling to be hurting now. "Super chuffed with the result, especially as this is the my first real race in over a year, having been out with my itb problem. It's a nice introduction for me into the French trail running circuit as well, something I'll be seeing a lot more of over the next few years..." Welcome back Andy!

The unseasonably warm weather in the UK saw the Salomon marketing team heading up to the Lake District to preview 2012 footwear technologies. We had planned this for weeks, Clima Shield and Gore Tex protected shoes and boots were to be previewed as well as those exclusive new products due in early 2012. What we weren't prepared for was 26 degree heat on the hills and fells surrounding Keswick! But you know, after a very wet summer we weren't complaining... Make sure you check back regularly on the Salomon Running page, and the Salomonrunning and Salomon Trail Running UK facebook pages for some great new videos on the shoes, technologies, Ricky's take on the Fell Cross and all of the usual updates and happenings at Salomon over the autumn and winter period. Enjoy the trails!

MW: 2011 has been a troublesome time for you with injury, Angela. What was the problem exactly, and how did you rehab / overcome it? AM: The injury was a tendinipathy or enthesopathy in the quad tendon, it's inflammation between the tendon and patella. I have regular physio, loosening up the quad and friction but unfortunately there's not a lot the physio can do or exercises to rehab it. The injury kept flaring up when I ran hard on it, so it has been ongoing since March, it's slowly getting better but unfotunately I'm still struggling with it so am going to see if a cortisone injection will help cure it. MW: You had planned to run much of your season in the UK in 2011, as I recall, maybe even another tilt at the British Championship? You started well with a win at the Carnethy 5, but then got injured. How frustrating was it to be injured for such a long period? AM: In 2004 I had over a year out with injury after a knee operation so learnt from that experience to be patient, appreciate that injuries happen and not to get depressed about it. I planned to race the British this year but got injuried in March, then kept trying to train on the hills to find my knee couldn't take it. I've just kept my sanity by taking my dogs munro bagging and doing slow flat running!! MW: After you returned to racing your planned partner for the Trans Rockies (Anita Ortiz) got injured. Her replacement turned out to be Gareth Craft, how did that all come about? AM: Anita dropped out quite late on so left me in the States without a running partner. Gareth was coming to the States to compete in the 3-day solo race on his honeymoon with Iona. Tom Owens knows Gareth well and asked if he would like to run the 6-day event with me, Iona was very supportive and happy to loan her new husband for a few days. I'd only met Gareth at the Trans-alpine the year before so had 6 fun days to get to know him better. MW: What was your experience like out at the Trans Rockies? The Trans Rockies was a tough race, the trails are above 2500m so it's hard to compete if you are not acclimatised. I travelled out 3 weeks beforehand so was used to the altitude, unfortunately Gareth only flew in to Colorado 3 days prior to the race so running at that altitude came as a massive shock. I found the race frustrating as we weren't as competitive as I would hope. Gareth understandably struggled in the altitude and raced as hard as he could, we enjoyed the views whilst gasping for oxygen and found the distances tough. The course was much flatter and faster than the Transalps, with alot of dirt roads. I was disappointed there wasn't more single track running which was really nice going. The first day was also extremely hot too, and being in the high desert the temperature was in the 90's. MW: You obviously came back with some good form, as you went on to win a fourth Ben Nevis race earlier this month. Tell us a little about that. AM: The Ben was tough after flying back from the States with a few hiccups on the way home due to the hurricane (Irene), my flight was cancelled. Conditions were misty so we took the long way up! I had a good climb then ran the descent carefully, trying to protect my knee. The second placed lady Jasmin was catching me up on the descent, but I managed to hold her off. MW: And what about the rest of 2011? AM: 55km Trail race at the Commies (Commonwealth Mountain and Ultra Distance Championships in late September) and then see if I can finally sort out my knee MW: You have achieved so much in your running career, what is it that still motivates you to get out there to train and compete? And what can we expect to see you running in 2012? AM: There are still loads of races in the UK and further afield that I would like to compete in so this keeps me motivated planning the next adventure. After a frustrating and disappointing 2011 I haven't planned anything as yet.

Andy Symonds has had an interesting 2011 - injury, new child, new country? Read on! ___________________________ Nine months is a long time. It’s the magical period of time it takes to “create” a human being. Now, for a pregnant lady, that’s a long time to abstain from alcohol, steer clear of the best blue cheeses, go easy on the cappuccinos and yet at the same time, to gradually increase in size to the point that it becomes impossible to even walk to the car on the day you give birth. That’s what my wife’s been up to the last 9 months and funnily enough I’ve followed a very similar trajectory (- OK no detox for me, and I didn’t quite put on 10kg either)… For the last nine months I’ve been out of running action due to an ITB problem which kicked off just after the OMM in October 2010. And believe me, those nine months have felt very long indeed. Normally missing a single day’s training feels like I’ve forgotten to do something, a week off and I’m starting to get agitated and when you start counting in months, well, it’s a close call as to whether I’ll stay clinically sane or not. However, luckily enough, during this “spell of horror” I’ve had a few personal things to take my mind off the dreadfulness of injury-induced immobility and I’d like to offer the following four-point guide as Andy’s top tips to dealing with extended bouts of injury: 1. Move house 2. Change jobs 3. Move country 4. Have a baby. Without this simple four-point mechanism I would almost certainly not have survived a nine-month out-of-action period. So, yes, in the last few months we’ve moved house, I’ve started work with a great renewable energy developer called eole-RES, we moved to France (the hot bit at the bottom end!), and three weeks ago we had our second child, Léonie. Just a few days before our daughter was born the Salomon podiatrist sent me a pair of custom in-soles and since then I’ve had no knee pain. From crawling home in agony after 10-minute jogs to being able to run for an hour completely pain free in the space of a week or so – wow, what a feeling. And hence, it would appear that my nine-month grievance is finally coming to an end. Yipeee! In typical fell-runner style, I’m impatient to get racing again and finding it hard not to scouer the calendar for late-season lung-busters, but with only 3 weeks to go, it would probably be a little silly to attempt my early season ambition of the 100 mile UTMB. That’ll have to wait for another year. No, I’m going to (try to) be sensible. Steady away. Perhaps Cavalls del Vent might be feasible, but I’ll have to play it by ear. The thing is, I really can’t afford another injury like this, – I’d quite like not to have to move house, jobs and country again this year and, err, two kids might be enough…

Salomon Team member Tom Owens gives us the low-down on his epic week in Colorado! _________________________ Last week Ricky Lightfoot and I competed in the Transrockies run in Colorado – a 6 days trail race from Buena Vista to Beaver Creek which is run in pairs. The route covered 120 miles with 20,000 feet of ascent. I previously raced the Transrockies in 2008 with Andy Symonds when we finished in a close 2nd. I was excited to return especially as chunks of the course had been improved. This year we ran flipping well to finish in third place with a total run time of 15h31m. Every day we battered ourselves. The competition was excellent and the conditions tough. Salomon runners Anna Frost and Rickey Gates ran fantastically well to win the mixed category by a margin of 1h02min. Angela Mudge also raced in the mixed category with Gareth Craft. Gareth bravely stepped in as a last minute replacement when Angela’s original partner dropped out. They ran well and finished in 6th but Gareth arrived late and suffered with the altitude. They had to rely on Angela’s strength and good form. Below are my highlights and low points from the week: Highlights Level of competition: Every stage we battled with the Team Run Flagstaff (Mike Smith & Jason Wolfe), Team Bend (Ryan Bak & Max King) and Colorado Runner/ Inov8 (Alex Nichols & Peter Maksimow). The podium constantly changed and stage records were smashed (often by the first four teams!). I was pleased to run much quicker than in 2008 on the stages which were unchanged. Team Run Flagstaff was consistently awesome, especially on the climbs and flat. They won the race by 21 mins. Team Bend’s Ryan Bak showed he is dam hard when he suffered falls and ran the last two stages with a broken toe, dodgy hamstring and a gash on his side which required stitches. His partner Max King was mega strong and towed Ryan and they maintained 2nd place. Sadly team Colorado/ Inov8 suffered injury on day 6 and lost heaps of time and places. Hope Pass: Stage 2 involved a big climb and descent over Hope Pass (12,532ft) which was the high point of the race. We were much more comfortable with the steep running and won the stage. The entire race was run above 8,000ft with most of stages 2 to 5 above 10,000ft. We had a huge disadvantage compared with acclimated teams such as Flagstaff and Colorado Runners. For anyone thinking of competing in this race I’d recommend 2-3 weeks pre race acclimatisation. We had one week in Colorado before the race –it definitely helped but longer would be better. Colorado Trail: parts of stage 2 & 3 went over the trail. Magic single track. Stage 6: The 23mile stage was predominately on single track and included 3 big climbs. The sections of track through the Aspen woodland were stunning. Running with Ricky: we ran really well together and bloody hard every day. Camaraderie: The race is a great social. There’s lots of downtime after each stage and a great atmosphere at the camp. Huge thanks to the Salomon Team, race organisers and other competitors. It was a cracking week. Lows Stage 1: the opening stage was very runnable with not much ascent. It was on open sandy tracks and with the intense heat it felt like a desert. By the end of the stage I felt like I had denatured every enzyme in my body. Fortunately things got better! Stage 5: Frustratingly, poor marking at the end of the stage meant we lost the route and wasted precious minutes getting back on track – we finished 2nd that day but wanted to put more time on Team Bend who were sitting in 2nd overall. 4wd track and road: the course still had lots of running on these surfaces and it was a case of damaged limitation on these sections. We run better and much prefer the single track and more technical running

Salomon UK Trail Team member Rob Samuel is back after injury, and returned to the GB Mountain Running Trials for the upcoming World Championships in Albania in September. Here Rob gives us synopsis on the last few weeks: ---------------- Following a long layoff with injury and only one low key race since mid March I was pretty apprehensive about how the World Trial race was going to go. The last few weeks of training hadn’t been too bad, but I was still being cautious in terms of the intensity and volume of the training I was putting in. In the month before the race I had managed to build up to around 50 miles a week with one long interval session a week and a hard tempo run. I also I had a wicked week of training up on the Isle of Jura with Nick Swinburn. I’ve been away on training holidays with Nick before and we always have an awesome time and get some quality training in. The week included a 10 mile tempo run, some 3 minute reps and also a long run (a very very very long run) around the Jura fell race course. It’s an absolute beast of a course! As well as that we managed to chill out, sail (or try to at least) around the bay in a little catamaran and get eaten by ticks – Nick got the worst of them I think! Coming away from that training week I felt good and had a bit more confidence that I was getting back on track. However, I knew it was still going to take it big effort to put myself in the mix for the Worlds team. To save traveling on the day of the race I stayed up at Tom Cornthwaite’s the night before along with Nick, James McMullen and Joe Moorwood. The race itself couldn’t really have gone any better considering my preparation had been anything but ideal. I decided to put myself up near the front end of the field from the start and even though I was breathing hard up the first ascent I knew I just had to stick with it to have any chance of getting in the team. When the second lap came around I was working hard but I was also cautious of overcooking it for the final lap as I knew I didn’t have the training in my legs. Despite that, going into the final lap I felt good and managed to keep pushing all the way up the final ascent and flew down the descent to finish in 7th place. As well as a huge confidence boost from my performance, getting the news of a GB selection for the Worlds and Welsh selection for the Commonwealths (mountain running championships) was great. The next few weeks of training will now be geared toward performing to my best at both the World and Commonwealth championships. The plan is to put a couple of weeks of hard training and a taper before the worlds and then carry that into the Commonwealths which is two weeks later. I’d like to say a huge thanks to my physio Andy Walling for getting my body back into one piece after my injury and providing endless amounts of support and advice. Also, thanks to Salomon for their continued support despite the injury woes!

Some of the biggest races in the US calendar take place this weekend, and into next week, as runners from around the globe flock to Colorado for the famous Leadville 100 and utterly massive (in scale) Trans Rockies Race... UK athletes Tom Owens and Ricky Lightfoot join forces at the Trans Rockies. Owens, along with usual partner Andy Symonds, was second at this classic event in 2008, and will look to put things right with a win this time round. After two superb wins at the Trans Alpine Run in 2009 and 2010 (also with Symonds), plus a big win at the recent German multi-day The 4 Trails, Owens has these types of events dialled, and with Lightfoot coming back strongly after injury the British duo will be a strong proposition as the race gets underway on Sunday. Having had partner Anita Ortiz drop out with injury Scoland’s Angela Mudge will be desperately seeking a late replacement in her return event after injury. The mountain running legend also took wins at the 2009 and ’10 Trans Alpine Run in the mixed category and looks to add the Trans Rockies to her unrivalled array of achievements in the last 10-15 years. Running the mixed category will be Kiwi Anna Frost, and new-found ultra trail man, Rickey Gates. Frost has become an accomplished long-distance trail and mountain runner following her big win the TNF 50 in San Francisco last November and her recent exploits at the 4 Trails race, and will go into the event getting stronger and stronger after some early-season injury problems. After a recent win at the Canadian Death Race Gates (who is perhaps better known for his exploits on the international mountain running circuit) tries his hand at this beast in the Rockies and with their optimistic and upbeat outlooks on life you can bet that Rickey and Frosty will be an entertaining (and hard to beat!) coupling. At Leadville there will be a strong line-up, as some of ultra-trail running’s top athletes attempt to win this classic event which sits alongside the Western States and Hardrock as a 100-mile great. The legendary “Race Across The Sky” 100-mile Run is where it all started 29 years ago. This is it. The race where legends are created — and limits are tested. One hundred miles of extreme Colorado Rockies terrain — from elevations of 9,200 to 12,600 feet. Ryan Sandes will be taking to the start line as he looks to add this one to his impressive achievements in his relatively young career, which include the super-tough 4 Deserts quartet of wins. ‘Hedgey’ will be paced by the likes of Anna Frost, Josh Korn and Adam Chase and has been out in the States for a few weeks, targeting Leadville. Racing gets underway at 4am, Leadville local time, this Saturday.

When design engineers and technicians are detailed by those upstairs in companies to develop a new product they must rub their hands in glee. When they are told to update a successful product they need to tread that fine line between pushing envelopes and exercising caution. Such must have been the case when the team at Salomon took a look at the Speed Cross 2. The second incarnation of the Speed Cross line of trail shoes is a bit of a Salomon (and sector for that matter) classic. Worn by runners of all standards and on all terrains, its comfort is renowned and the quality and build is truly a benchmark in running shoe manufacturing. So, when it came to 'update time' and the Speed Cross 3, where did they start? 1. The stability post is removed. There have been questions on the reasoning behind this, because a stability / medial post does exactly that, which is what you need on uneven ground, right? Well not exactly. On a road shoe, where the only uneven terrain a pavement-pounder might encounter is a camber or curb, this will work well for an over-pronator. But on uneven trails it has been seen in recent times that to have a lower profile shoe with little in the way of 'control' is actually more beneficial, and helps the runner feel their way in a more natural way 2. A lower profile. The heel>forefoot drop is reduced by up to 50% on this shoe, meaning that the runner is lower to the ground and will hopefully gain a much more controlled ride. The heel is also wider on the sole area, giving a greater contact surface which is altogether more stable. 3. The midsole is now from a material Salomon are calling LT Muscle. This lightweight foam is more pliable and appears to be more absorbent and also saves a little more weight without compromising control and comfort. 4. The sole is has a deeper more aggressive chevron design increasing grip still further. 5. The toe box area is almost boxed in now, with a hard-wearing pvc covering, giving greater protection for those rockier areas of your run. 6. The Quicklace slider is reduced in size, and so is the 'garage' pocket, meaning that weight is down and the stowage is now more compact. These are just some of the highlights of this 'new shoe', and after over a thousand km of testing, and trail-abuse I can only say that those technicians who walked the line did so in brilliant way. I love these shoes. And I am not alone. Testers in the US (Adam Chase) and Germany (Gripmaster) have also been blown away. These guys are not always easily impressed, but like me they have hardly had these shoes off their feet in the last 6 months. All of the SC3 updates work, and work damn well. The biggest improvement for me being the ride, which with the lower profile feels more positive that the SC2. I have blasted trails, mountains, riverside paths and fire roads in these shoes almost to the point of destruction in areas, and after close on 1100 kms now the grip on the sole is beginning to give up the ghost a little - though the comfort just gets better and better! So much so have I been wearing these shoes that I am onto my second pair (!), which are a full production pair just like the ones available in store, in many UK retailers now.

Tom Owens‘ rise to the top of UK fell and mountain running has been a controlled ascent. After many years of ‘knocking at the door’ the unassuming Shettleston runner has this year found his mountain wings and carried all before him… A strong winter, after another very good 2010 which saw him win the Trans Alps race with Andy Symonds for a second time, left Tom with some great form and ready for his best ever season in 2011. After wins at the Carnethy 5, the British Champs race at the Mourne Peaks, and his outstanding win at the legendary 3 Peaks race, Tom was ready to head off to Europe and the US for a summer of mountain trail and multi-day stage racing as part of the Salomon International Team. He continued his great UK form with a superb second place at Zegama, just seconds behind Kilian Jornet and earlier this month took a convincing win at the big German 4 stage race across the Alps – the 4 Trails. I caught up with Tom as he heads into the second part of his season. _________________________________________________ MW: 2011 has been quite a year for you up to now, Tom. You have been improving year on year of course, but what changed over the winter of 2010 and into early 2011 to enable you to be now challenging the world’s best mountain and ultra trail runners? TO: I kept training throughout winter 2010/ early 2011 and this allowed a good base of training ( running and cycling), despite all the ice & snow. This allowed me to start the racing season with a really good training base. In winter 2008 & 2009 I had Achilles issues so couldn’t get the same amount of training in. I’ve also been hill running regularly for 5 years now – I think the cumulative strength and experience gained over this period is starting to pay off. MW: One of the many highlights of your year was your run in Zegama, where you seriously challenged the throne of Kilian Jornet at this great race. Describe how that unfolded and how it felt to be so close to him. © www.salomonrunning.com TO: I was initially very surprised to be at the sharp end of the race with Kilian – it was a brilliant feeling as the race is so well supported. I felt great for most of the race but began to struggle in the final quarter due to the heat and muscle cramps. the Zegama course is pretty suited to my running strengths – there are large runnable sections and enough descending to keep me in contention. TO: From 20km I was at the front but was unable to pull away much. I was overtaken on the last climb, only to catch Kilian again on the descent. He got a 35 second advantage over the last 4km or so. Disappointing to get so close but I was proud of my effort. The result has been a real confidence boost for subsequent races. MW: You are a member of the Salomon UK Trail Team, but also of the Salomon International Team. Tell us a little about how that works and how you are supported by Salomon in your international race programme. TO: It’s amazing to be part of the International set up where I have the opportunity to compete in races on the Salomon International Calender e.g. 3 Peaks race, Zegama and 4 Trails. TO: There are about 20 athletes in the International setup and I’ve been lucky enough to train, travel and race with several of them this year. The international Team helps with travel expenses for the key races. I’ve also had the opportunity to meet the Salomon product designers, test new products and feedback ideas for product development. TO: The International Team is a wonderful opportunity. I realise I am very lucky and I intend to try and make the most of it!!! MW: Salomon are at the leading edge of trail and mountain running products, it is part of the brand DNA to innovate and break new ground when it comes to technology. Fell running has a more conservative approach to technology, it can be said, so tell us how you marry these two spheres in your racing and training? TO: For me hill/ trail running is a pretty simple sport and the same principles apply whether I am running in the UK or overseas. I love the purity of fell running and I also think the best Salomon products tend to be simple and light weight – they can be used in most race situations. TO: One of the main advantages of racing outside the UK is that the courses tend to be marked – for me this is ace as it’s pretty hard to go wrong (unlike in UK races which can require some orienteering). MW: Which products (shoes and apparel / bags) do you most favour from the Salomon armoury? TO: I’ve been using the Speedcross II shoes since 2008 – I do pretty much all my running in them – super comfy and good grip for trail running. Salomon have just released a Fell Cross shoe which is very aggressive and low profile – perfect for the UK fells. TO: The Fast Wing Hoody is also a super bit of kit – lightweight and windproof. I take it on almost all my runs when the weather is marginal MW: As far as the rest of 2011 goes you still have some big targets, tell us a little about your race programme and global travel. TO: This weekend is the Giir di Mont Skyrace in Premana Italy. In August I may race Sierre Zinal in Switzerland if I am feeling good.However my main target now is the Transrockies race (with Salomon team mate Ricky Lightfoot) – it’s a six day stage race in Colorado which you run in pairs. Being at high altitude and on fast trails it will be really tough to do well against the local US runners but it will be an amazing experience. MW: Finally Tom, a year is a long time in sport, but where do you see your goals sitting in 2012? TO: I tend not to plan too much in advance. I’ll see what opportunities are out there next year and hopefully get involved. I loved recently running for Scotland in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge – it was a huge honour and I’d also like to try and do a similar thing next year.

The International Snowdon Race has a special place in the hearts of the north-west Wales population. Its colourful history bring memories of carnival afternoons in Llanberis, sun-kissed kids and parents taking an interest in the feats of whippet-like runners heading up the mountain known to the locals as Yr Wyddfa. In the hearts of the fell and mountain running community it is just as important. During its 36 year history the mountain has seen some of the world's greatest runners grace its slopes, on a (predominantly) hot Saturday afternoon in July, and for those who have run this race in that time the sense of occasion is indescribable on race day. I was one of those runners, way back in 1981, my first ever foray on to the hallowed slopes, resplendent in my first club vest, the green and red of Eryri, so big it has to be altered twice by my mum. I think it eventually fit me when I became an under 16. It was as hard to describe how I felt then as I do now, on race day. It's a magical feeling, one of a sense of history unfolding, each year the winner of this mythical 10 mile race etches their name amongst the giants of European mountain running history - Stuart, Bonzi, Norman, Greenwood, De Gasperi, Jones. And this year Salomon knocked at that door of history, respectfully entered the room and sat down at the table to learn more. We became associate sponsors of the race in 2011, something we hope to build on in 2012. Salomon has been making inroads into the fell and mountain scene over the last few years, and this year can hold its head high with a range of shoes that really were born in the mountains. The Speed Cross, XT Wings and this year the significant arrival of the XR Crossmax and most recently the Fell Cross SLAB. Apart from our branding efforts at the race, we were also partners of fell running retailing legends Pete Bland. I have been a Salomon 'ambassador' and community manager for almost 3 years now, and what is most striking for me at this event was observing how far we have come in those three years. The community now accepts our shoes and apparel as part of the fell and mountain offering, different to, but sitting alongside Walsh, Inov8 and La Sportiva for instance. On Saturday the amount of Salomon product was noticeable, Speed Cross shoes were abundant, and the XR Crossmax adorned at least one international athlete. There were those early-adopters of the Fell Cross too and the early signs are that the FC could be set to become a future favourite amongst the fell, mountain and trail running fraternity. We were also commended on how, although prominent, were respected the race and our branding and marketing activity was always in-line with the organisers wishes. This will be our approach, always professional, always respectful. I love the fells, and I love the trails. Although it shouldn't, somehow this race straight up and back down the rough track of one of the busiest mountains in the UK will always have a special place in my heart.

GB team member and Salomon Trail Team UK member Nick Swinburn is confident of team success at this Sunday’s European Mountain Running Champs in Turkey, and having viewed the course he feels that he is ready to perform well on an individual level too… Similar to Andi Jones’ thoughts, the North-East based young athlete feels that due to their experience the GB men should be confident against some strong opposition. Nick explains: The main competition will probably be from Turkey, Italy and France, but I think we have a strong mens team as well with everyone having run in World and European mountain champs in previous years; Steve Vernon (Euros 2005 9th; Worlds 2008 13th), Adam Osbourne (Euros 2009 34th, Worlds 2009 34th) and Andi Jones (Euros 2007 11th, Worlds 2003 4th). I’m looking forward to the race as the last few weeks of training have gone quite well. I did the course as a junior 5 years ago and had a decent race, though we walked the last 4k of the course yesterday and its funny how you forget all the steep bits. There's a good 400m flat section to the finish for some overtaking of there's anything left in the legs after 1300m of climb.

Salomon Trail Team UK team manager Tim Lloyd was one of the lucky few who journeyed to the Pyrenees last week to be part of the inaugural Kilian's Classik event: _________________________________________________ Kilian Jornet is truly a legend of trail and ultra running. Last weekend he became the first non-American to win the Western States 100, quite possibly the most iconic of ultra races in the World. Winning the Western States will undoubtedly carve Kilian’s name in the hall of Ultra fame forever more. What’s even more impressive is Kilian’s attitude. He is such a humbling man, he always has time and energy for anybody and everybody. Spending time in his company is a real pleasure, he is clearly an exceptional athlete, in my opinion the best real endurance athlete in the world, and he is one of us. With a love for the mountains and adventure, he is very comfortable with himself and feels no need to display superiority. It is this mindset that makes the Salomon family so special. At Kilian Classik we welcomed running journalists and running ‘winners’ to join us and experience the Salomon family for themselves, it is a great and unique opportunity. The UK journalist is a well respected runner in his own right. Ben Abdelnoor finished third in the classic Yorkshire 3 peaks this year and is writing for the Fellrunner magazine and the run247.com website. The Fellrunner is the magazine of choice for the UK’s ‘real’ off road running community, it will be a great platform for the launch of the new Fellcross shoe. Ben is based in Ambleside, Cumbria. Our winner is Matt Green, an incredibly energetic and enthusiastic runner, and member of the Cotswold shop staff. He is based in London and is currently in training for his first ultra race. The Killian Classik concept is to invite our journalists and winners to spend time with Kilian and other members of the Salomon Trail Team form all over the World. 13 countries are represented with athletes from Europe, USA and Canada, Australia and New Zealand and South America. The programme provides ample opportunity to run on some great trails with great athletes. World Champions, legends and heroes of trail, mountain and ultra running mixing it with genuine enthusiasts of the sport, and thrown into the mix are Salomon’s ‘insiders’ who are here to advise and assist in bringing all these people together. During the awesome trail sessions, journalists and winners are provided with the latest items of Salomon apparel, footwear and packs to run with. This gives them the perfect opportunity to get hands on experience of using the same race kit used by the Salomon team athletes while running alongside them. This is backed up by some brief theoretical sessions from Greg looking at the Salomon concepts and the ideas and thinking behind them. Evenings are spent socialising with opportunity to enjoy good food and nice wine all together. On Friday we ran with Paula Radcliffe, she lives and trains in Font Romeau. Meeting Paula and running with her was a highlight and a wonderful experience. She was happy to run and chat with us, giving time for interviews and photographs and chatting openly about her plans and her family. I was incredibly impressed with her genuine and friendly approach to us. She even said herself that her favourite running terrain is the trails…you heard it here first! Unfortunately I had to leave on Friday evening before the weekend of racing, with uphill only and downhill only races on Saturday, and the choice of a 25km or 45km trail race on Sunday. All participants of the Kilian Classik are invited to compete and will be encouraged to take part, this will be a tremendous experience and a great opportunity. The Kilian Classik programme is full, making the most of the opportunity provided by bringing this unique mix of people together. Long days in high mountains will leave the crew to return home with some tired legs but very happy memories. Tim Lloyd. Team Manager, Salomon Trail Team GB.

Kilian Jornet has won the WS 100 after completing the 161 Km route in a time of 15:34 hours, the third best time in the history of this race. After 38 years, the Catalan athlete has become the first non-American to win the WS 100. “It’s a really exciting victory for me as the WS 100 was the very first ultra trail race. There is a sense of history. I am very proud to be the first non-American to win this race.” The Catalan athlete Kilian Jornet has made history yet again this morning when he was proclaimed winner, with a time of 15:34 hours, of the WS 100, a race which takes place in the USA and is one of the most important ultra distance races in the world. With a distance of 100 miles (161 km) the Western States starts at the ski resort of Squaw Valley and finishes in Aubrun, California. At the end of the race, Killian said that, “There was a lot of snow in the early stages of the race, which meant we lost a lot of time and most of the runners fell on the ice. Once we had run 20 miles, 6 of the favorites were at the front and we made good progress with a record time like last year.” A problem with the controls at the 30 mile mark meant that the leading group, including Killian, strayed off the route and got lost, adding 2 miles to the distance and wasting 20 minutes. “We turned back to the mile mark and at that time there were 5 runners ahead of us” Kilian commented that “I was very surprised by the attitude of the runners who were favorites but did not get angry about it. We continued running and talking in a relaxed way while we regained our original positions.” “A little later, a group made up of myself, Mike Wolf, Jezz Braf and Nick Clark broke away from the field. I felt really good and took advantage of the climbs to gain an advantage, be able to take it easier on the flat and the descents and so relax until the others caught me up. I knew that I would have the advantage in the final climbs,” said Killian, who launched his attack 20 miles before the end of the race. “When I was 20 miles from the end of the race, crossing the River Rucky Cucky, I made good use of a climb to gain 5 minutes on my rivals. I held this difference until the end.” With this incredible victory, Killan has become the first non-American to win this race. “It’s a really exciting victory for me as the WS 100 was the very first ultra trail race. There is a sense of history. I am very proud to be the first non-American to win this race. I feel particularly satisfied because it is not my favorite kind of race, with very flat terrain and very high temperatures,” stated Killian when he crossed the finishing line in Aubrun. Kilian also thanked his ‘pacers’, those runners who ran alongside him during certain stretches of the race, Rickey Gates from mile 60 to 80 and Simon Muy from mile 80 to 100. FOOD, HYDRATION AND MATERIALS, 3 ALLIES FOR VICTORY After last year’s experience, when Killian had problems with dehydration and cramp, this year Killian said that “The hydration went very well, my legs have not suffered nor have I had any unexpected problems during the course of the race. With the lessons I learned last year, I drank a lot, I took salts (sodium), liquid food and sandwiches. By the finishing line, I had even gained a kilo!” With regards to material, Killian commented that “When I finished last year’s race, I spoke to the team from Salomon about changing my race strategy, which also meant changing the material so as to adapt better to the heat. This is why, in just one year, I have a completely new outfit.” This set of factors has led to Killian’s victory. “This year I have really enjoyed the race as I have felt really well and so much better than last year.” 5 RACES 5 CONTINENTS With his victory today in the WS100, the Catalan athlete Killian is moving forward in the most positive way possible in his project 5 races 5 continents in which he will participate in the most important race in each continent. The project began in Australia with his victory in The North Face 100km, now today’s victory in the WS100, to be followed by the UTMB in Europe, the Table Mountains in Africa and Kinabalu in Asia. RESULTS WS 100: 1.KILIAN JORNET. 15:34 h 2.MIKE WOLFE. 15:38 h. 3.NICK CLARK. 15:50 h. Complete finish list: http://www.ultralive.net/ws100/webcast.php Kit choice for the race: T-shirt: SalomonS-Lab Shorts: Salomon S-Lab Trainers: Salomon S-lab (prototype 2012) Cap: Salomon Glasses: Salomon eyewear Holding a water bottle: Salomon (prototype) Watch: Suunto T6d Overstim’s nutrition: Geles Salésy sodium tablets LINK TO THE RACE: http://www.ws100.com/ MOVESCOUNT LINK: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move2210196 NEXT EVENTS After his magnificent performance in the USA, Kilian will be in Font Romeu from 27th June to 3rd July in an event organized by one of his main sponsors. During the final days, 2nd and 3rd July, he will take part in Kilian’s Klassik(http://www.traildefontromeu.com/), a non-competitive race, after which he will devote the next three weeks to preparing the next challenges in the season: Giir di Mont, Sierre Zinal and UTMB FOLLOW KILIAN: WEB: www.kilianjornet.com FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/kilianjornet TWITTER: www.twitter.com/kilianj with the name @kilianj

The Western States 100 is an ultra distance trail race of 161km, which takes place on June 25th in Squaw Valley, USA. Spain's Kilian Jornet arrived last Sunday to the US, where he has been familiarising with the high temperatures he is going to face on the day of the race, along with some detailed trail inspections of the route that he is going to meet in his second endeavor of this mythical run from Squaw Valley to Auburn. “It’s not a race that suits me and my training sessions with slopes and technical parts didn’t work here. But the Western States is also a special race, a mythical race, where from ultra trail was born 38 years ago. Anyway, at the start we are all in the same conditions” Kilian alleges he faces the race having been able to train placidly in Chamonix and after having run the first challenge in Kilian’s Quest season in Greece, where he ran in similar hot weather to that he will experience this weekend. Jornet, who last year finished in third position, says that this year “I’m just as optimistic, the difference being that now I know the race and the preparation needed, I have tried to train under the heat and I am going to follow a different hydration strategy: I am going to drink a litre of water every 2 hours, apart from the water given at provisioning, ingest mineral salts often and eat at provisioning” New shoes and t-shirts to combat heat are also going to be ready for Jornet to use at the race. He goes on to say “It is not a race which fits my skills, but the WS100 is a mythical race. It’s where ultra trail was born 38 years ago and you can feel the historical atmosphere while running the Western States, this is why I came back. It’s important to get to know the origins of my sport to understand it better”. He will face a very strong field as he attempts to win the race for the first time and comments “the level of the race is very high with runners such as Geoff Roes, Nick Clark, Hal Koerner, Dave Mackey, David James, Jez Bragg, Ian Sharman, among others. So it will be a very tough event to win!" The race starts on Saturday 25th June at 5:00am American time (13.00hrs in the UK and 14.00hrs in Europe) For more details on the race go www.ws100.com, or follow via the Salomon Running facebook page.

This is significant year in the history of Salomon trail and mountain running shoes. Firstly, the XR Crossmax entered the door-to-trail fray, and has been winning over runners in their masses in that search for trail shoe that performs on tarmac... ..and now, after almost two years of development, testing and prototypes; and after months of whispers and web-leaks, the trail and - more importantly for us here in the UK - fell scene is about to welcome a new shoe onto the market, a shoe which will for the first time ensure that Salomon has a shoe that is able to take on the ravages of the steepest races...say hello the Salomon Fell Cross SLAB. Of course, with their stealth-like appearance, low profile and lightweight nature they wont be the weapon of choice for all, however for me (an 11st skinny man) they have been faultless on almost all terrain over 6 weeks (and about 100 miles) of trail, forest tracks and heavy mud. Designed in the Alps, tested on the Fells I think we can safely say that this shoe has been a collaboration project. It is often the case these days that the good shoe companies will use their athletes to prototype and offer input in new products. However, having seen some of the collaboration going on between the Lakes and Alps with this shoe, I can tell you that Salomon have been listening, tweaking, adjusting and perfecting this shoe, with the help of top mountain runners Andy Symonds and Ricky Lightfoot. Andy explains: "It's been a real pleasure to worth together with Ricky and the Annecy HQ footwear team on developing this new shoe, the Fell Cross. For the Europeans "fell running" is a slightly bizarre concept, certainly an unknown quantity, "what, you race straight up and down mountains without following the footpath?"... "you have mountains in the UK?"... "what do you need all that grip for?". It's been a great opportunity to answer some of these questions and get into the nitty-gritty of product development. We know what we wanted, but where do you start? Over the last 12 months or so, Ricky and I have tested, trashed and provided feedback on a line of evolving prototypes and I can say that we're now have a seriously good fell shoe. It's light, comfortable, grippy and, of course, incredibly well wrapped up in a very flashy shell! Roll on the release..." Ricky adds: "As a mountain runner I have tried and tested every fell shoe on the market to find the “one for me” the one which fits me best and one I am most comfortable with when throwing myself down the mountain side. Salomon have let me explore this aspect of the sport and take part in the development of a new and exciting shoe for the UK fell scene along with Andy Symonds. We have developed this shoe over a number of months working closely with the Annecy HQ footwear team testing the shoe to its limit in the Lake District and at races such as the Mt Kinabalu Climbathon dubbed the “World’s Toughest” which is in Malaysia. The Fell Cross has slowly developed and morphed in to what you see today and it promises to be “the” best shoe on the market for comfort, stability, grip and looks. I have finally found the one for me..." So, come on then, what do we think? First off, these shoes look great. From afar you might mistake them for a Speed Cross shoe, and indeed the shoe is built on the same principles as the classic Salomon racer. However, get within 2 feet of this shoe and start to notice it is a little different from anything that Salomon have produced in the recent past. You also realise that the profile of the shoe is much lower than the Speed Cross shoe, something those fell racers will be very happy with. With a stunning colour scheme of black and red, with a fade from front to rear, silver rubberised livery and those super-cool tongue tabs, wow. Nothing more to say really. The construction of the Fell Cross is high quality (what you would expect from Salomon SLAB product). Each seem, weld and overlay is perfectly done, and the feel is of a shoe that will last. The uppers are one piece, meaning less opportunity for ingress of water, but also leaving for a highly comfortably inner, with less stitching. The midsole on these is pretty minimal as I have said, however the shoe is surprisingly cushioned on harder terrain when coupled with the forgiving studded outsole - more on that later. The toebox is also improved in my view, and has a higher buffer than on the Speed Cross - great for those over-exposed rocks and roots. One of my gripes about running shoes has always been the mile after mile of laces that accompany them out of the box. Almost all manufacturers who use laces, use too much lace. Why do I need enough to do 4 double knots? Anyway the tried and tested Quicklace system is employed here with noticeable changes to the the size of the slider (mush more compact) and what is known as the lace 'garage' - i.e the little pocket that the excess all stuffs into. That is also much reduced, meaning a less bulky tongue area. One look at the outsole on this shoe and you will note that it is studded. Not just any old studs, but chevron designed with Contagrip rubber compounds. The studs themselves are pliable - and only time will tell on durability, but what I can tell you though is that after many weeks of usage the studs are still pretty much intact and as grippy as the day they left the box. The studs are nicely spaced giving good mud-evacuation too, something which mountain bikers will appreciate. There is nothing worse that your shoes weighing an extra 300 grams with half a field stuck to the bottom of your soles whilst negotiating muck and bogs, so it's all about how quickly the stuff is thrown out of those nobbles (same can be said of an MTB tyre). Once you are free of the gloopy stuff in the Fell Cross the build-up of mud clears pretty quickly. How low can you go? Good question in these interesting times of barefoot and neutral / natural running. The heel to forefoot differential on the Fell Cross is 10mm / 6mm, meaning that there is 10mm on sole at the rear and 6mm at the forefoot. If you are a Salomon fan the shoe takes a bit of getting used to out of the box, compared to your Speed Cross 2's for example. But as with a great sportscar, when you remove some of the cushioning and bulk, and add more speed, you feel the road a little more, which for some is a good thing. This in-touch feeling is especially beneficial on tricky ground though, with the precise nature of the shoe leaving you confident, especially on steep descents. Part of the reason for this new lower profile is that the stability post synonymous with the Speed Cross shoe is removed and the EVA cushioning, called LT -Lightweight Muscle, can be reworked for a wider base and thus lower depth. Also, one really nice part of this new shoe is the very plush and pliable achilles tab. When descending a steep hill, the pressure placed on your achilles as your foot plants and extends forward is phenomenal. So this soft ridge above the rigid heel cup is very welcome and works extremely well. The Test - So now to the nitty gritty - do these babies work?! When first donning these shoes you first notice the snug fit that you get when pulling them on. Many of my peers talk to me about the Speed Cross shoe fitting like a slipper - well same here, but slightly more narrow across the midfoot. Though for those of you who don lightweight racers on a regular basis you should be more familiar with this sensation. And fear not. Once you have got the shoes on and become accustomed to that snug feeling in the forefoot, the shoe almost molds to your foot as the run goes on. The positivity you feel on the run with Fell Cross is really noticeable. Some may note that the feeling of rocks and cambers underfoot as a little off putting. Others (like me) will perhaps be of the opinion that unless it's uncomfortable the more you grasp the terrain, the more you feel the terrain, and that barefoot notion comes a little closer, but not too close - so that you remain safe in the knowledge that your foot is really well protected. Still, as great as all the other aspects are of this shoe, the best is yet to come for me. I like to climb, my favourite terrain is super-steep, but runnable trails. And the Fell Cross devours them. I cannot really note an occasion when I have lost my footing on an uphill in these shoes, they really are crampon-like and you feel as the confidence that you get from each forward motion of the Fell Cross is just fantastic. The Salomon Fell Cross SLAB will be limited to 500 pairs in the UK and be available from Salomon stockists in August. Reserve yours now!

I've often wondered about injuries. How some runners seem to have a greater propensity for them than others. How runners who are training and racing real hard seem to pick them up. And then there are the innocuous ones. The ones that come along when you least expect them. Then there are the ones that you think, I was lucky for it to only be that. One such moment beset me last weekend. Steep, rocky, off-camber, one that has been taken on and defeated many times before on my daily excursions around the Dyfi Forest in Wales. Only this time was different. This time I wasn't really concentrating, maybe I've become complacent, maybe I think I am becoming some kind of forest trail expert? Fact is I am probably not even a green belt when it comes to trail martial artistry, so I had this one coming I guess. Once done it was a situation of 'don't look down and keep moving'. One hour and four to five miles later I arrived home 'white as a ghost' in my partner Beccy's words. Probably damaging the ligaments further, but what was I to do in such a remote location. (That has also had me thinking and given me some 'trail SOS' ideas!- Ed.) Ruptured anterior ligaments was the prognosis some 18 hours after the event. I say 18 hours as I delayed any visit to the A & E, until at this point I just had to be sure that there was nothing broken - as the swelling and pain were getting pretty serious! The words which followed from the Doc didn't instill too much hope either, "there aren't any fractures, but you have some ligament damage there. Of course this is often a lot worse than a fracture" - sheesh, just what I didn't want to hear. So, RICE, Arnica cream, no driving, hobbling slowly from place to place and one grumpy trail runner is where I am at. Just ahead of a couple of months of Salomon Store runs and Kilian's Klassic in Spain at the end of June - both of which now look highly unlikely. But, days later, whilst sitting here with yet another elevation session I am able to reflect. It could have been worse. I will rehab, though the older you get the longer these things can take. And with our second child imminent sometimes nature and the world has a funny way of balancing out. Less time on the trail will mean more time with my family. Somehow, I am still a winner!

Kilian Jornet established a record time in climbing up and down Mount Olympus, last Friday (10 June) - completing the route in a time of 5:19:45. Faithful to his style, Kilian stated: “More kilometers means more fun” when he took the wrong route and also reached the summit of Mount Stephanie by mistake, which added on 20 minutes to his time “The atmosphere was incredible. I received the support of Greek runners who were all over the mountain”, said Kilian at the end of the first challenge in Kilian’s Quest - Season 2011. The Catalan athlete set a new record reaching the summit and descending from mythical Mount Olympus in Greece. The route was 45 kilometers long, with over 2,800 metres ascent in the first 22,6 km. The course comprises a total ascent of 3,508 metres, with 3,228 metres of descent. “I felt good on the way up, although my legs were slightly tired, from these last days training, I guess. The technical side of things went very well and I really enjoyed the descent, which was long and technical.” The anecdote of the day came when Kilian took the wrong route by mistake and reached the Summit of Mount Stephanie: “I took the wrong route and climbed to the summit of Mount Stephanie, where I realized a mountain ridge was keeping me away from Mount Olympus. I tried to go round it but was unsuccessful, so I had climb down the path and take the right way to Mount Olympus. It took me about 20 minutes, but, as I say: “More kilometers means more fun", and it gave me the chance to enjoy new views”. Kilian wasn’t alone in this challenge, since “there was an excellent atmosphere, with a great number of Greek runners who supported me all along the run and the children from Litochoro school who came to keep me company in the final meters”. After finishing the first challenge in Kilian’s Quest season 2011, Kilian will start preparing the next challenge in the season, the Western States 100, a 161 km race, in the USA. “Today I ran in extremely high temperatures. It was 25ºC at eight o’clock in the morning, and the last part of the race was very hot. It was great training for the WS 100", commented Kilian at the end of the feat. Media information: Olympus Kilian’s Quest HD Photos from Stephan Repke: http://www.megaupload.com/?f=0QJQM78Z Kilian's Quest http://www.salomonrunning.com/sp/tv-channel.aspx?ch=kilian-quest http://www.facebook.com/salomonrunning Movescount link: http://www.movescount.com/moves/move2097989 Follow Kilian @ Web: www.kilianjornet.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/kilianjornet Twitter: www.twitter.com/kilianj with the name @kilianj

Some of the images coming out virtually live from Kilian’s attack on Mt Olympus this morning were breathtaking, the early descent images below for instance, the rock face looks almost sheer, yet he looks at ease! The diminutive Catalan streaked up this mythical Mount and back down again in an amazing 5hrs 19 mins, taking in three peaks instead of the two required. He also took some interesting lines coming down by all accounts, not going via the trekking path, but almost vertical across rock fields. Most of all these images are of a runner who is completely at one with this environment, Kilian is a mountain man, full stop. He morphs his being into the mountain, whether uncovered or draped in snow and seems to work with the mountain and not against it, respectfully engaging with the obstacle to achieve the amazing goals that he sets. Once again his arrival back in ‘base camp’ was humble, some flowers and hugs from friends and the local Greek community, no great fanfare or over-the-top celebrations. This is man working with and respecting nature. Here is the story of his amazing effort on Movescount. A few hours later and he posted this on his Facebook page Relaxing in Litochoro after a amazing run in Mt Olympos!! with an extra climb to visit Stephanie (extra peak) and a fun descent!! but I says “more kilometers, more fun!!” And so onto the Western States 100 in a few weeks for this man, as he continues his Quest, and his chronological etching in the annuls of trail and mountain running history.

Three months into the UK arrival of the Salomon XR Crossmax, and reaction to date is very positive. The all-new shoe set out its stall to cross that tricky precipice of shoes that are road > trail and then trail > road – and it seems to have negotiated the divide with style! Here are just some of the reviews out there: The Salomon XR Crossmax is an excellent hybrid shoe. It has now set the bar for the other manufacturers. www.ransacker.co.uk I have been really happy with the performance of the Salomon XR Crossmax as a hybrid trail running shoe and I would highly recommend this shoe to trail runners that are looking for a hybrid trail running shoe or someone who is looking to run on less technical trails. www.activegearreview.com The XR Crossmax is the most significant trail running shoe that Salomon has produced in the last few years and ticks a lot of the trail runner's boxes. www.mudsweatandtears.co.uk After using the XR Crossmax Neutral for the best part of three months now, I thought it was time I experienced the Guidance version of the shoe, after all I cant claim to know the product until I have tried both versions - right? So, I set about my weekly mixed terrain run (fell, fire trail, forest roads and single track trails) of about 16km to really put the stability aspect to the test. One aspect I hadnt bargained on yesterday was the wetness of the ground. No, let me re-term that, boggyness of the ground. So, couple mud and deep water with a gradient on the descents of somewhere around 25%, and you can see that this really was going to be a test. You could say that I was taking the Crossmax out of its comfort zone. I mean, when the shoe was conceptualised I doubt that the guys at Salomon had the type of terrain that the Fell and Speed Cross is at home in as part of the Crossmax's 'intended use' environments! But no matter, seriously, I was really surprised by the grip for one, as I expected to be slopping around in such gloopy conditions, but no. And then, and this was really noticeable, there was the positive foot-plant that the Guidance's medial post gave. As I hit the forest roads (which are very hard packed and have certain degree of camber) the guidance aspect was clear. I am pretty average guy, quite light on my feet, and have a pretty neutral pronation action, so I wouldnt normally go for a shoe with stability. But as the road evened out and I hit some short bursts of tarmac the stabilty was apparent, and I can imagine that at the end of a long run or race (longer than my 16km anyway) when the body and running style starts to fall away and 'sag', that these shoes would really come into their own. Of course, primarily, these shoes are aimed at over pronators, but for those runners who just want that extra bit of stabilty on their longer runs, the XR Crossmax Guidance is the solution.

Ever wondered what music Ricky likes? Did you know he is a firefighter? Read on to get a little insight into the world of one of the UK's best trail runners... PERSONAL DETAILS Name: Ricky Lightfoot Date of birth / age: 31 March 1985 / 25 Place of birth: Whitehaven Current address: 52 Gavel Street, Maryport, Cumbria Profession: Firefighter Prizes • World Team Champions at the International Orobie Sky Raid 2010, Italy with the Salomon Trail Team UK • Winner of the Salomon 10k Trail Keswick 2010 • Winner of the Half Trail du Ventoux, France, 2010 • 10th in the International Kinabalu Climbathon 2009, Malaysia • 3rd Bronze Medal in the World Sky Runner Series 2009 • 3rd Bronze Medal in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge 2009 in the Tour De Tirol Kaiser Marathon and Team Silver Medal with the English Mountain Running Team • 4th in the Classic Ben Nevis Race 2009, UK • 3rd in the Charberton Marathon 2009, France • 6th in the European Sky Running Championship 2009 in the Dolomites Skyrace, Canazei, Italy • Winners of the Salomon Annecy Lake Relay 2009, France with the Salomon Trail Team UK • Winner of the Azikori-Zegama Alpine Marathon 2009, Spain • 2nd in the Yorkshire Three Peaks Race 2009, UK • Trofeo Vanoni, International Relay Race Italy 2008 • 4th Classic Ben Nevis Race 2008, UK • 4th International Snowdon Race 2008, UK • 6th in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge Yorkshire Three Peaks Race 2008 Ricky the Trail Runner - Before taking up Trail running, had you practiced any other sport? Football, Mountain Biking, Circuits, Weight Training. - How / why did you take up Trail running? I first began trail running when I was 14 when asked by the Site Manager of my school Brian Taylor, ever since then I’ve been hooked. - What do you enjoy in particular about this sport? I like to see how far I can push myself to see what the body can go through. It also takes me to places I would otherwise not have seen. - Which was your first Trail running race? My first trail race was a handicapped event which was held in Whitehaven, Cumbria. It was around 5k... - Do you practice any other sports, apart from Trail running? I’m a regular cyclist/mountain biker and do a little bit of swimming. - Which specific types of Trail running do you prefer? Why? I prefer single track and technical trail because I tend to stay more focused and concentrate more on what is coming up ahead. - Over what race distance are you strongest? I wouldn’t say I am stronger at either but I do enjoy the longer races where you are out for 4-5 hours. - Which types of trail do you prefer to run on (dry paths, muddy terrain, snow…)? For me the harder the going the better, more rain, mud and snow... - Can you describe your state of mind at the start of a race? What matters most to you, the pleasure of discovering new landscapes, or the competitive spirit? At the start of the race there is a whole world of emotions going through your mind, the competition there, the trail, the weather and making sure you use the toilet one last time! - What concerns you most at the start of a race? (The level of difficulty of the race, the other competitors, your morale, cramps, dehydration…) I think a lot about where I will get water and food; this is one of the most important parts for me making sure I take enough in to keep me going. - What are your strong points? I favour my strong point as descending. - Describe your best Trail running memory? The most stunning trail you’ve run? Below# - What has been your greatest joy? My greatest joy or most memorable moment has to be when I won the 2009 edition of the Zegama-Aizkorri Marathon, the cheers from the supporters and crowds were amazing. - Describe your biggest disappointment, or the moment you suffered the most? My biggest disappointment has been when I was injured; knowing if I had eased off a little it would have prevented me from having 3 month off not being able to run. - How do you handle failure? The best way to handle failure is by looking at what went wrong and taking the positive points out of it. Train harder, faster, stronger... - Can you describe a person/people you have met who has/have had a significant impact on you? Brian Taylor has had the biggest impact on me as a runner, he took me to my first race and helped coach me since i began running and we still train together now. - Which is your favourite race? Kinabalu Climbathon has to be one of the best races around and the toughest. - Which record do you dream of taking part in? In 2010 I attempted a Mid Winter Bob Graham Round in the UK to which I was unsuccessful due to the weather, so hopefully next winter I’ll make another attempt. - Which race do you dream of taking part in? I’d like to one day compete at the Everest Marathon. SUMMARY OF 2010 - What were your objectives for the 2010 season? Are you satisfied with your season results? My objectives in 2010 were to compete in the Sky Runner World Series and to compete in the World Long Distance Mountain Running Challenge in Colorado, Unfortunately with being injured I was unable to compete so my season never really got up and running. CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR 2011 - What are your objectives for this year? Do you favour one or several races in particular? How do you plan to prepare for the race/s (a specific training course for example)? APRIL : Advanced Week, France 30/04 : Three Peaks, England 15/05 : Zegama, Spain 26/06 : Olympus Marathon, Greece 27/06-03/07 : Training camp + Kilian’s ClassiK, France (depending on work commitments) 17/07 : Glocknerlauf_Austria_13km (depending on work commitments) 24/07 : Mount Fuji_Japan 08/08 : Sierre-Zinal 03/09 : Ben Nevis, Scotland 18/09 : Table Mountain_South Africa 23/09 : Kinabalu, Malaysia Other possibilities are British and English Championship, Snowdon Race and Kielder Marathon which will be dependent on time off work. PHYSIOLOGICAL INFORMATION - Height : 193cm - Weight: 80kg - Resting heart rate / Maximum heart rate: ? - VO2 max: TRAINING - How often do you train (how many days a week)? If you work, how do you fit your training in with your professional activity? I train 7 days a week and try to fit it in around work, I usually do my hard sessions on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays but this is always changing due to my work pattern. - Can you estimate the number of hours / kilometres / elevation gain/loss you add up in one year? Averaged over the year I probably train approx 1100 hours a year, roughly 3 hours a day. - What is your preferred type of training? (Endurance, speed, mixed profile)? What is your preferred type of terrain for training? I like long days out in the mountains whether it be in winter or summer i just love to be out. - What type of intensity do you prefer for Trail running (over what distance, on what type of terrain?) I don’t mind the distance of the race, I like to run single track on new trails. - Do you prefer to train alone or with others? Do you have a sports advisor / coach? I tend to do a lot of my training on my own and only occasionally meet up with other groups due to my shift pattern at work. - What do you do outside of the trail running season? I race all year round whether its trail running, road or cross country. - How do you stay motivated? Where I run keeps me motivated, being out in the Lake District on the hills. EQUIPMENT - NUTRITION - Which are your favourite products? (What is your priority: weight gain, technical specificity of the product, the aesthetic characteristics) My favourite product is the Salomon Speed Cross, it’s a fantastic trail shoe, its light weight, comfortable (which is one of the most important points when running for a long time) it has good grip and the Salomon lacing is a unique design. And also my Suunto t6, I never run anywhere without it. - Which SALOMON product is the most important for you? All Salomon products are important to me, the shoes, the shorts, the technical, t shirts all the apparel is important when training and racing. - Do you benefit from any other sponsorship programs? If you do, can you provide details (including Internet links) La Pierre Bikes- www.lapierrebikes.com/ Fisher Outdoor Leisure- www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/ Suunto- www.suunto.com/ Netherhall School Specialist Sports College- www.netherhall.org/sports-college/ - Is nutrition important to you? I tend to eat what I want; drinking is a must to stay hydrated. VARIOUS OTHER QUESTIONS -What do you do in your spare time? What are your hobbies / your other passions? - What music do you listen to? Swedish House Mafia, Dead Mause, Kings of Leon, Kasabian - Name the runner you most admire. I don’t admire anyone inparticular but I admire the older generation who still get out there and compete and complete races over the Marathon distance. -Can you name another champion, in any sport, who you admire? Why? Lance Armstrong, just his sheer determination to overcome illness and still compete at the highest level and win. - What advice would you give to a Trail runner? Keep at it… A lot of runners set off with high expectations, your never going to be a brilliant runner from the word go, it takes a lot of hard work and dedication. - If you were a mountain, you would be… Blencathra, Lake District, UK - If you were a trail, you would be… Zegama Aikzicurri Marathon, Spain INTERNET LINKS - Personal Links (blog) http://blog.salomontrailteam.com - Salomon running www.salomonrunning.com/uk/team/ricky-lightfoot.html BACKGROUND If you happen to spot a 6’4’’, 12.5 stone dude charging down a narrow technical trail at full pelt, there’s no doubt about it, you’ve just met Ricky Lightfoot! This Brit’s key character trait is his warrior spirit, and he loves extreme conditions. The harder the race, the happier he is. His greatest strength is without a doubt his ability to descend technical trails at high speed, he never loses his focus. Ricky is highly competitive, he enjoys the palpable tension at the start of a race. Then he pushes his limits to the max, although he is always careful with refueling, so as to be able to go the distance. Ricky is a fireman, a job that enables him to organise his time so that he can fit in 3 hours training daily. He never gets tired of going back out there on « his trails » up in the Lake District. All he needs in order to feel good, is to be out in the open air in the mountains. Following a fantastic year in 2009, in particular with his victory in Zegama, Ricky injured himself in 2010 and had to rest up for 3 months, which really ruined his season…Now he’s more motivated than ever for the 2011 season to kick off so he can get out, test himself and see how he measures up against his opponents. His race calendar will have an international focus, with Zegama in Spain, the Olympus Marathon in Greece, Mount Fuji in Japan, Ben Nevis in Scotland and even Table Mountain in South Africa! With a name like Lightfoot, Ricky was pre-destined to work with the Salomon research and development team on the Fell X shoe in order to ensure that it meets all his requirements: it has to be light, robust and have great grip. The product is a winner, providing the runner with confidence and the will to let rip, in true Ricky Lightfoot style! Amen!

The Yorkshire 3 Peaks Race is in its 57th edition and though it has 1000 competitors it still feels local. The atmosphere is as warm as the log fire that burns in the The Crown pub in Horton-in-Ribblesdale, and the humble nature of fell running pervades the proceedings at this iconic race... Tom Owens and Anna Frost were victorious, our retailer Pete Bland found a great welcome for the newly-stocked Salomon product and the event, and the Salomon crew learned a little bit more about fell running and the fell running scene in the UK - in preparation for our launch of the Fell Cross shoe this summer!

At Salomon the belief is that the outdoors are a place for inspiration, discovery and enjoyment - and as part of that trail running is an activity that helps place the runner in that environment. Salomon also think that life is not all about competition, but also about being the best you can and challenging yourself in the outdoors. As a long-time 'athlete' I consider myself more of a 'soul runner' these days, and find running at one with nature the most rewarding of all my running experiences, so I think I fit into this category. Of course we have some of the very best endurance athletes in the world as part of the Salomon International Team, and our very own Salomon Trail Team in the UK. But we also support some very different individuals, who we consider as ambassadors for the brand. One such runner is Mark Hines www.markhines.org . Those of you who follow ultra running will have heard of Mark. His achievements in such events as the Yukon Arctic Ultra Trail have been phenomenal, and as a speaker and writer Mark has developed a great following for his humble attitude and great achievements. Another couple of ultra athletes are the Accelerace Challenge crew. Ross and Chris are attempting to travel over 2200 miles from London to Calenzana at the north end of the GR20 on Corsica, via mountain bike, kayak and trail and mountain running in just 14 days - culminating with a 3-day, 112 mile trail running over the GR20! The guys have also just completed a grueling 50 mile run across Snowdonia too, watch it here http://vimeo.com/23493075 Malcolm McLoughlin, is running for Pearl. www.runningforpearl.com. On July 4th 2011 Malcolm will start running from Mizen Head (Co.Cork) to Malin Head (Co. Donegal) in Ireland, a colossal 587 kms. Malcolm states: "Running for Pearl came about in late 2009 as my daughter Pearl was diagnosed with Autism on July 21st 2009. The idea was to combine endurance events with Autism awareness in the hope of making sense of this handicap, not just for ourselves but for other families too." You can follow his blog here too www.runningforpearl.blogspot.com. These guys are just a few people that we support with Salomon product. We do not wish to buy their faith, we merely want to help them on their journeys and gather their feedback after they have achieved some of these amazing goals. They exemplify the spirit of Salomon, and alongside the array of elites athlete are also testimony that our product and philosophies hold true to the ethos: "Salomon is athletic outdoor".

In episode one of this season's inspirational films, Kilian Jornet meets his hero and inspiration Bruno Brunod. We all need people and yardsticks in life and to have such a monumental mountain character such as Brunod as your inspiration is understandable. In addition to winning countless mountain races Bruno also achieved: - Record of ascent and descent of the Matterhorn from Cervinia in 3 hours and 14 minutes and 34 summits - Record of ascent and descent of Monte Rosa from Gressoney in 4 hours and 45 minutes - Record of ascent and descent of the Aconcagua in 5 hours and 57 minutes - Most of the climb Kilimanjaro along the Marangu Route in 5 hours and 38 minutes - Most of the climb Mount Elbert in 1 hour and 54 minutes Watch Kilian's Quest season 3 - Episode 1 here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkjQxRXPLr8

With arrival of the Fell Cross this summer, and a week in France testing some of the future trail-kicks from Salomon, I had almost - almost - forgotten how good the 2011 XT SLAB 3s are. So, with the sun drying the trails out a bit this last week I donned these beauty's for a quick 16km around the stunning Dyfi Forest in the UK. The comfort level of these shoes is superb and the stability on descents (some real rutted and muddy ones too) is pretty impressive. The 2011 SLAB 3's should be in-store at your chosen Salomon retailer - so catch em before they are gone!

I wasn't all wine and cheese, in fact it wasn't a lot of wine and cheese at all. It was good living, hard work and fine trail running! If you follow Salomon via its many guises on Facebook, you will have seen some visual gems this last week. From a personal viewpoint my 2011 Salomon Advance Week was a memorable experience. Not only for some great insight into the future of Salomon trail running product and SLAB technology, but also for the camaraderie and cohesiveness of the Salomon ethos towards work and pleasure. The weather and setting helped of course, and in terms of maximising the opportunity of harnessing the knowledge and input of international athletes, community marketers and product r & d staff, the week was a huge success. Over the 4 days of meetings, feedback sessions and trail running tests not stone was left unturned. The content and feedback generated from such athletes as Jonathan Wyatt, Anna Frost, Andy Symonds, Thomas Lorblanchet, Rickey Gates and Ryan Sandes was immense, and I left for Provence on Friday feeling enthused and confident that Salomon is positioning itself in the market as one of the world’s great trail running brands - with a great understanding of the sport and the trail running landscape. The downtime was also well-spent and such activities as scuba diving (Thursday) only help in forming the view that Salomon has a team-ethos, which translates from work to leisure time. The move to Signes in Provence for the Friday – Sunday was a superb experience too. From visits to school's races, a film viewing and world exclusive of the full version of Kilian’s Quest in Kilimanjaro, good food and trail racing - it was a delightful end to a great week…

This is the week when Salomon athletes, R and D personal, product developers, SLABers, marketers, community guys and the cogs that make the wheel turn, come together to futurise! Five days on the Cote d'Azur await for us all to talk product and trail running, well into the small hours. We will be looking at 2012 and even 2013 I am led to believe. From my point of view I will be there with GoPro in hand trying to get some juicy inside lines on the kit (what I am allowed to film anyway) and taking the opportunity to talk to some of the world's greatest trail and mountain runners about what lies ahead in 2011. Keep an eye on this page and our Facebook, Twitter and You Tube outlets for what should be some exciting news over the next week or two.

Since way back when I can remember, I watched the likes of Alberto Juantorena - the statuesque 800m runner - sporting some rather classy ‘tube socks’ in the 70’s and 80’s as he romped to Olympic glory - though one can only imagine that it was style over substance for the Cuban. So it was probably in the early Noughties that British endurance golden-girl Paula Radcliffe first brought running prominence to the term ‘compression socks’. Until then these long, tight socks had been the preserve of the older generations, stopping deep vein thrombosis on long-haul flights and easing the pain of varacous veins. The initial opinion on exactly why Radcliffe was wearing said socks was divided, was it vanity over sanity for the British ace, or was there really a benefit of wearing them for running? Of course, returning to the trend theory, it wouldn’t be long before the savvy trend-setter at the local club or running group was digging around at their local pharmacy for the ‘Paula socks’, and there was born a whole new product sector - in running anyway. Compression is the zeitgeist of the modern runner distance. Whether your bag is socks, calves, arms, tights or upper-body, keeping those muscles under control is what it boils down to. Though almost 10 years after the women’s world marathon record-holder was first seen sporting ‘those socks’ the whole world of compression is still in a growth-stage - and though many people wear them, not all knows why they wear them. Could compression be a running placebo then? No. Data and studies suggest that the benefits are clear, especially in recovery rates, and new product that is emerging onto the market offers real gains in using compression-wear. Salomon's Exo product has been around for a few years now. Kilian Jornet's Quests have been instrumental in demonstrating how the Exo product (especially shorts and calves) can be a key tool in his extraordinary ultra-trail performances. With the evolution of the Exo product, graduating from the pure elite performance (race / SLAB) arena, to mass availability to suit each runner's need (new XR range), Salomon have also produced a cool new minisite - explaining some of the science and technical aspects behind these products. The new site also demonstrates how the products (especially the new XR range) are accessible to all, and can offer marginal gains in performance to runners of all standards. So, dont just take my word for it, head on over to the new Exo minisite and discover more http://www.salomonrunning.com/others/minisites/exo/

Salomon’s “An” Team of Angela Mudge and Anita Ortiz are ready to team-up to tackle the Gore-Tex TransRockies Run this August, with more momentum behind them than even this rugged course in front of them is capable of slowing. Mudge has twice won the eight-day TransAlpine version and Ortiz won her only showing at the TransRockies, in 2009. The only way to hinder this daunting duo would be to require them to carry the loads of trophies and medals they’ve both amassed over successful running careers, although it is unlikely that either has kept their haul of hardware, given they share the passion of racing for the challenge and pleasure of it. Coming to altitude from Scotland doesn’t seem to bother Mudge. At least it didn’t when the world-traveling massage therapist with a PhD won and set the course record on Pikes Peak in 2003. The mountains are, indeed, her friends. She’s a two-time Sky Running World Champion, won the World Mountain Running Trophy in 2000, three-time runner-up at the European Mountain Running Trophy, five-time British Fell Running Champion and three-time Scottish champion. Ortiz practically lives on the TransRockies course and she too is quite attached to her mountains. As the US Mountain Running Champion three years in a row, Ortiz has also been named the USATF Mountain Runner of the year twice and was the Mountain Running World Champion Masters as well. The school teacher and mother of four has also been victorious at Pikes Peak (three Ascent and one round trip win) and won Western States 100 in 2009 and will be returning in June as a tune-up for TransRockies. Says Ortiz, “I look forward to running with Angela. She is a ferocious competitor and a mountain climbing animal. Should be a fun race — though I am sure to be run ragged everyday!”

If, like Mark Hines, you are embarking on one of the hardest endurance events on earth, with some of the most aggressive and extreme weather conditions, you need products that work - and won't let you down. At the recent Yukon Arctic Ultra race the UK's Mark Hines donned one of the most trusted trail shoes in history - the Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX! Mark picks up the story... -------------------------------------------- The Best Footwear for the Arctic Ultra Races It is hard to know where to begin, in describing the incredible equipment that kept me safe during this year's Yukon Arctic Ultra. As before, I was wearing Injinji and Sealskinz socks with Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTXs as my trail shoes. My feet never felt even slightly cold until the temperature was down to minus fifty degrees Celsius. All that told me was that if the temperature was to drop lower, then I would need to pull on thicker socks. The footwear was incredibly impressive to have carried me through without any problems. The Injinji socks prevented abrasion blisters, the Sealskinz prevented water reaching my skin, and the Salomons kept my feet perfectly supported and protected. In fact, although I never saw what the winner was wearing, two of the three other finishers in the foot category were wearing XA Pro 3Ds, as were the next two racers who managed 413 miles before running out of time (and they had no foot problems). Jerym, who finished fourth and was then due to leave for the Alaska UltraSport 1100-mile race, had complained about the poor insulation in the sole of his shoes, and went off to buy some XA Pro 3Ds before starting his next race. I have used those shoes in deserts, jungles, over mountains and twice to successful finishes in the Yukon Arctic Ultra, and they are phenomenal.

Tom Owens made a great training week in the sun even more worthwhile as he won the 42km Trans Gran Canaria race this last weekend… ____________ Last week Matt Sullivan and I were in Gran Canaria for a last minute holiday/ Shettleston Harrier training trip in the warmth! It turned out to be a magic week – with heaps of trail running, biking, chilling and it culminated with the Trans Gran Canaria Race on Saturday. Gran Canaria is a cracking island – very volcanic, rugged and mega hilly. An ideal island for hill/ trail running and cycling enthusiasts. We hooked up with a very elite group of international orienteers who were making the most of the winter sun. This included Allan Bogle – totally top bloke who lives out there and showed us the best trails, sorted accommodation etc (he helps lots of runners check out his website!!!!). Highlights from the week included: - Hill run from San Pedro which included a vertical km over 3.7km distance. The running group included orienteers from Denmark, Sweden, Northern Ireland and Switzerland – including 2010 sprint orienteer Matthias Müller. For once, I didn’t get lost! - Running most of the Trans Gran Canaria race route across the island which passes over breathtaking terrain. The trails weren’t especially well way marked so it was a real bonus Allan could take some time off to show us some cracking routes (cheers Allan!). - Mountain bike route around the west of the island. I massively underestimated the climb involved (over 3,700m ascent) and it was seriously windy - we were out for about 8 hours! - Staying in the log cabins in the centre of the island which were over 1700m altitude. No electricity – no distractions. - Las Palmas carnival which lasts a whole month and is totally bonkers. - The North Face Trans Gran Canaria Race. It was pure coincidence that this event was taking place on the last day of the holiday! The main attraction is the 123km race option which crosses the island from Maspalomas in the south to Las Palmas in the northwest. The race attracts an international field and there are also shorter options of 96km, 42km and 24km routes which follow the latter parts of the 123km. The idea is there is an option for everyone and the start times are such that all the fastest runners for the different distances finishes around a similar time. Allan sorted me a very late entry for the 42km event just a few days before the race. It was a ‘descendo maraton’ i.e. pretty much downhill – a first for me! This was good as it allowed me to complete the race with very tired legs by freewheeling down and run on some super single track trails. However, the continuous descending was a total leg trasher. Especially since I had to hop on a plane home just a few hours after finishing! My utmost respect to the athletes who completed the 123km race which included very testing night weather conditions. Zigor Iturrieta (ESP) won the men’s race in 13h:22m and Lizzy Hawker (GBR) won the ladies in 15h:55m – what an effort. It’s got me pretty inspired to give some ultras a crack in the near future - although maybe shorter distances than 123km! The Gran Canarian’s are massively into trail running (especially ultra races) and it was a wonderful to be a part of such a big, well organised event. Check out the following for more info: http://www.transgrancanaria.net/eng/paginas/home http://activecanaria.com/ http://allanbogle.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-02-08T05%3A14%3A00-08%3A00 max-results=7

Last weekend the Salomon GB trail running demo team headed down to Bristol to support our retailer MOTI who organise the Greenman Challenge, a 45 mile run around this famous city on forest trails and footpaths. Those who complete the challenge in under 12 hours are bestowed Woodwose, a title for the wild men and women that haunted the forests and woodlands of medieval Europe. We attended with Salomon XR Crossmax shoes and EXO Calves, to coincide with the launch in-store MOTI's Giles Heeks, reports from the event and you can watch Salomon's Pete Cable's excellent film documenting the day here http://www.youtube.com/salomonuk#p/u/6/8BDEMeFaYLc _____________________________________________________ The day started at 0700 at Ashton Court at the start of the Greenman Challenge Ultra a 45 mile route around Bristol on the community forest path. This has to be completed in sub 12 hours to gain the title of an honourable Woodwose. It was raining with low cloud in the distance up to Dundry 5 miles away. It had also been raining most of the night, so perfect conditions for testing out the Salomon XR Crossmax shoes and Gore Running Weartm. Pete from Salomon unwrapped 20 pairs of nice new shiny XR Crossmax designed for such an event as the Greenman Challenge Ultra. Jon from Gore let participants use the Gore Running Weartm for the whole of the 45 mile ultra. Both the XR shoes and the Gore run wear by Dundry were caked in mud and sodden, but the 22 participants of the Greenman Challenge Ultra were in fine fettle. By 21 miles at Shortwood Hill there was a change over of guides. The group had split in to two groups now. The strain of the conditions was beginning to rear its ugly head and it was not raining but underfoot was hideously wet and boggy. By the time we reached Keynsham we had lost 3 runners, who self extracted. Hambrook was at 26 miles so we setup a replenish point and a sports therapist in case of any injuries. Gore supplied fresh socks and Salomon supplied their new EXO calf guards. It had taken over 6 hours to reach this point with another 19 miles to go. There were doubts whether the runners would make the 12 hour cut off time back to Ashton Court. 2 more competitors dropped out as intended. The next 19 miles was a mix of trail and road but there were more road sections which made for a faster second half of the Greenman. Again the Salomon XR was outstanding in giving cushioning and support on the road as it has been designed to do. We met the first of the lead runners at 33 miles, the group was looking strong and dug in deep and would make the 12 hour cut off time. There were two more groups to come, these groups were looking tired but again all were committed to finishing this Ultra, all would make the 45 miles in less than 12 hours. At the finish at Ashton Court the first group of runners came in at 9hours 46. The second group 10 hours 31 and the final group at 10 hour 47 – who came home in the dark. All were shattered and broken but with smiles from ear to ear with knowledge of what they had just achieved. The Dovecote pub is where we ended up for slaps on the back and a well deserved pint. But most importantly all the runners who completed the 45 mile Greenman Challenge Ultra were to be entered into the Honourable Woodwose book of finishers and were given a certificate to be reminded of their achievement. Giles Heeks – Event Organiser

As I write this, the most significant trail running shoe that Salomon has produced in the last few years will be arriving in-store in the UK. As a mountain sports and outdoor company Salomon is approaching the sphere of trail shoes in a different direction to many of the bigger brands. The 'white shoe' companies tend to adapt a road platform to the trail, and thus implement technologies with their DNA in road running and adapt them to the trail. Salomon start from the dirt up, so enter the XR Crossmax. Ask any of the guys and girls in the brand HQ deep in the French Alps in Annecy about the epitome of the XR and they will all give the same catchphrase - door to trail. But what does that mean? Well, it is true that trail running differs greatly across the world. In Tahoe you may come across dusty singletracks, in the German Alps rocks and mud and similarly the UK. However, all trail runners have one thing in common in their majority - that they need to transition to that trail via a road or stretch of tarmac - and this is where the XR means something. Its prowess on the road gives a smooth ride, the Oversized Tendon midsole component provides a smooth cushioned ride with energy return technology. This allows a definitive spring in the stride when in action, and it really is noticeable that your heel to toe transition is improved in its efficiency. Contagrip outsole is a great mix of hard and soft compound rubbers that do the right things at the right time, and with a grip aggressive enough to handle most trails of a less severe nature, but not a hindrance on the flat stuff - the balance seems just right, ensuring precise grip on virtually any surface. As far as comfort goes you get the same great Salomon feel of wearing slippers! New technology on the forefoot uppers offer a greater level of 'snugness' due to the addition of what Salomon call Sensiflex, a reinforced upper with a flexible rubber material that perfectly forms to the foot. Additionally, much of the shoe's upper is welded and has little in the way of traditional stitching, meaning that there is even less opportunity for abrasion. The XR Crossmax also comes in two versions - the Neutral and Guidance. These terms are perhaps self evident in that the neutral shoe is, well neutral, in that it offers no extra stability control in the midsole. Whereas the Guidance model has a control/stabilty post for those runners that need it. In action these shoes are good. I've been running in this pair of XR Crossmax neutral for a few weeks now (my second pair by the way!) and they are great. Of course in the harsher UK hills and uplands I go for the Speed Cross shoe, but on the everyday trails and forest roads that I frequent the Crossmax handles all but heavy mud with grace and agility - they really are that good. Best of all is that I now use the XR's for most of my road running too, as their relatively light weight means that I can use them for most sessions, and I dare say that some runners may even use them for road races too. Overall this is highly significant shoe for the trail running sector and a firm indication that the Salomon brand is developing the tools that will offer shoe options to all off-road disciplines, oh, and of course, the road you take to get there.

The Salomon Trail Team is ready for 2011 with a new team line-up, but the same the winning aspirations. ---------------------------------------------- The 2011 Salomon Trail Team In 2010 the all-conquering Salomon Trail Team once again produced some amazing international performances. With wins at the Skyrunning World Team championships for both the men and women, a second straight Trans Alpine Run win for Andy Symonds and Tom Owens, silver medals for Rob Hope in the British Fell Championship series and Anna Frost in the Skyrunner World Series, topped off with Anna's superb win at The North Face Endurance Series 50 mile championships in San Francisco last December. However, with Anna Frost returning to New Zealand 2011 is another year and STT manager Tim Lloyd has once again put together a team of athletes capable of taking on the world's best mountain, fell and trail runners. "We have re-aligned the team a little this year, by creating a mix of our highly experienced champions and younger athletes capable of taking the Salomon name into some different spheres. Rob Hope, Angela Mudge, Tom Owens and Andy Symonds will once again focus on a programme of international and domestic races, with Ricky, Andy and Tom racing predominantly with the Salomon International team this season. Rob Hope will no doubt be looking to regain that British title that he lost to Tim Davies last year, and with Angela returning to her Scottish base her programme will be a mixture of British fell races and international mountain and trail races. Nick Swinburn remains on the team, but will be focusing on shorter mountain events and his preparations for an Autumn marathon on the road and is currently in Kenya training - so we will see how much that helps Nick when he returns to sea-level! A new addition to the team is Rob Samuel. He has been very good across disciplines over the last couple of years. Representing Wales on the road, at cross country and on the mountains. His career peaked last year when he won a place on the GB team for the World Mountain Running Championships in Slovenia. Rob is now running with a good group at Loughborough University currently and still only 25, so we see a bright future for him in mountain running, and he will also be doing some forest trail races this summer - which is a great medium to showcase the new XR Crossmax shoes from Salomon. Unfortunately, the team was unable to sustain such a large group of runners and we had to make some changes in the team make-up and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Anna Frost, Natalie White and John Heneghan for their excellent contribution to our successes over the last few years. But for us 2011 is looking brighter than ever and I am confident that we have a team line-up that will bring even greater successes this year and some great exposure for the Salomon brand." Full Salomon Trail Team line up for 2011 Rob Hope Ricky Lightfoot Angela Mudge Tom Owens Ron Samuel Andy Symonds Nick Swinburn ------------------------------------------------ Race News - February 2011 After what sounded like a battle-royale with young Scot and former Salomon athlete Robbie Simpson, Tom Owens pulled away on the last descent for a narrow win in the classic Carnethy 5 hill race on Saturday (12 Feb). After a great winter which has seen Tom win hill race relays and perform well at mountain bike events he went into this race confident and in good form. The race was always going to be a battle with Simpson, as it had been in 2010 for Andy Symonds, and so it proved with the Owens prevailing by just 14 secs. “It was a slightly longer route this year, and the conditions were very heavy. To be honest Robbie was climbing much better than me today, and it was only on the flatter bits and descents that I was able to run well. Anyway, I did enough on the last descent to get away. I’m totally chuffed to win this one!” Whilst Owens continued his very good winter, taking his first win in this race, Anglea Mudge took her 12th Carnethy 5 win, a record which will surely stand for a very long time. The previous weekend Angela had won the Scottish National Masters XC title and with good form she made light work of this tough event to win by over 2 mins and 30 secs. Angela was a good way outside of her record in 57.25, but none-the-less this was good enough for a top 20 finish from over 480 starters, giving her the FV40 crown - her run would have actually placed 4th counter for the overall men's team prize category too, which was won by her club Carnethy. After finishing second in his quest for a fourth British Fell Running title in 2010 Rob Hope is already looking to make amends as he opened-up his season with a win at the Norman Matthews Winter Hill race in the Pennines on Sunday (13 Feb). "I won my traditional, tough season opener on Sunday at Winter Hill. Approximately 11 miles and 3000 feet in really heavy bog and strong wind with rain showers. It was a good cob-web blower that’s for sure! My team mate Graham Peace and I broke clear on a long climb about ½ way round and then ran the rest of the course together as he didn’t know the course. I then kicked away on the last climb but he nearly caught me on the line as I cruised in for a 1 second win!" Ricky Lightfoot's season in 2010 was one which, overall, the Cumbrian will look to put behind him. After starting well in March with a win at the Mt. Ventoux race in France, Ricky's year was to be one of promising periods followed by a series of injuries. However, 2011 has started well and he registered his second win in as many weekends as he won the 34km Buttermere Round race. "The weather was very challenging", he told us, "but it's great to get this win, as it tells me that I've got some good endurance at the moment. I was on my own for the whole of the race and the wind was very strong on the tops, so to get within 3 minutes of the record too is very pleasing." Finally, new-recruit Rob Samuel returned to North Wales this weekend for some road race action. He won the Nick Beer 10k in Llandudno, in windy conditions, in a (by his standards) modest 31.57.

After many, many months of prototype work between UK athletes and Salomon R & D crew members in French Alps the brand new Fell Cross shoe is ready to be launched this summer. Though conceived in the Alps, the shoe has been bred in the UK Lake District and Scottish Highlands, where Ricky Lightfoot and Andy Symonds ply their trade, up and down the said 'fells' - hence the name! With a planned release in the summer of 2011, Andy and Ricky give us their exclusive thoughts on the shoe and what it will mean for them and their racing in the UK: Ricky "As a mountain runner I have tried and tested every fell shoe on the market to find the “one for me” the one which fits me best and one I am most comfortable with when throwing myself down the mountain side. Salomon have let me explore this aspect of the sport and take part in the development of a new and exciting shoe for the UK fell scene along with Andy Symonds. We have developed this shoe over a number of months working closely with the Annecy HQ footwear team testing the shoe to its limit in the Lake District and at races such as the Mt Kinabalu Climbathon dubbed the “World’s Toughest” which is in Malaysia. The Fell Cross has slowly developed and morphed in to what you see today and it promises to be “the” best shoe on the market for comfort, stability, grip and looks. I have finally found the one for me..." Andy "It's been a real pleasure to worth together with Ricky and the Annecy HQ footwear team on developing this new shoe, the Fell Cross. For the Europeans "fell running" is a slightly bizarre concept, certainly an unknown quantity, "what, you race straight up and down mountains without following the footpath?"... "you have mountains in the UK?"... "what do you need all that grip for?". It's been a great opportunity to answer some of these questions and get into the nitty-gritty of product development. We know what we wanted, but where do you start? Over the last 6 months or so, Ricky and I have tested, trashed and provided feedback on a line of evolving prototypes and I can say that we're now very close to having a seriously classy fell shoe. It will be light, comfortable, grippy and, of course, incredibly well wrapped up in a very flashy shell! Roll on the release..."

Time was when a brand's future weaponry was kept under wraps until close to release. No longer. The advent of social media, viral marketing and product placement is now firmly rooted in any forward-thinking global brand strategy and giving people a taste of what's to come is now high on a sports marketers agenda. So, following a trip the Salomon UK showroom last week I was allowed to take a few shots of the Fall / Winter 2011/12 race shoes. All I can say is, wow! We'll be doing some in-depth reviews in the next few months on the XR Clima Shield, a brand new shoe called the Spike Cross and (drum roll) the Fell Cross. Yep a low-profile, heavy-studded show based on the Speed Cross shoe, developed by top UK fell runners Andy Symonds, Ricky Lightfoot and Rob Hope - a shoe developed in the Alps, but 'made' in the Lakes! As you can imagine we cannot say too much right now but features in include greater stability, improved grip, a spiked shoe for true winter conditions (the Spike Cross) and brand new water resistant technology in the form of Clima Shield. We'll also have a pro's take on the new Fell Cross next week, as Andy Symonds gives us his views on the exciting new Fell Cross shoe.

We all like our own locality. But we also like to explore, and as a trail runner you get to do more of that than most other sports. Salomon is all about inspiration - in trail running, and the equipment that you need to push your limits physically and explore new geographical boundaries. Like most runners I have my favourites trails, forests and hills. I happen to think that some of my local trails (the Dyfi Forest in Wales) are iconic. That is they epitomise all of the great aspects of trail running, and are both inspirational and challenging. In 2011 we'd like to help you, help us, find some iconic trails - whether it's the Highlands and islands of Scotland, the National Forest of Sherwood, the New Forest, the Cumbrian lakesides or the forests of Wales. We would like the collate these and share them in the trail running community. Hey, we'd even like to meet up with you maybe, and share in your iconic trail! So, join our Facebook groups at Salomon running and Salomon Trail Running UK, and throughout the year we'll help share your trails and experiences with others, and inspire...

At this time of year some find it hard to motivate themselves to get out and run, others just can't hold back! Me, I'm the latter... A new year is a great time to challenge yourself to new goals - a marathon, a mountain race, an ultra-trail or simply just getting out onto the trail more. Officially the days are getting longer now, looking out of the window it may not seem so, but you know that in a couple of months Spring will be here (we hope!) - so what better time to start planning ahead for 2011. As far as Salomon goes in 2011, it's gonna be an exciting year. The long-awaited XR shoe and apparel line, a new Speedcross 3 shoe in the Autumn (Fall) and some amazing events taking place with some amazing athletes competing. One of Salomon's mission goals is to attract more 'white shoe' runners to trail running in 2011. That means getting more people who like to run on the road, to run off-road. This is no grand plan to sell all of the converted Salomon product, no, this is a hope to simply get more people running off-road and experiencing a fresh aspect of running. If you are reading this blog you may well already be a convert to trail running, and you will probably know someone who runs, but doesn't run off-road. So why not make it your mission in 2011 to get some of your running buddies to go trail running, and play your part in building our community of UK trail runners. Whatever you are doing in 2011, we wish you a great year and hope to see you out on the trails or at an event. Stay healthy and enjoy!

Ricky Lightfoot takes us through the trials and tribulations of a winter Bob Graham Round… ________________________________________________ It had been about six months in the planning-well almost… Me, Tom and Andy had got back from the Orobie Sky Raid World Championships back in July as the newly crowned Team Champions, we enjoyed it so much we decided to look for team races or challenges, we mentioned a few things and it just so happened that we mentioned a Bob Graham Round. For those of you who don’t know, the Bob Graham Round was first attempted by Bob Graham himself back in 1932, the previous year Bob had decided as a celebration for his 41st birthday he would attempt a round which took in 41 mountain peaks in the Lake District and covered three of England’s highest Mountains, namely Skiddaw, Hellvellyn and the Highest Sca fell Pike. That year he was unsuccessful with his attempt, so followed it up a year later with a round which covered 42 peaks aptly for his 42nd birthday, Bob completed this Round in less than 24 hours, back then the Round was measured at 72 miles and 28500ft. Nobody really attempted the Round until 30 years later and since then, as they say the rest is history. 13 hours 54 minutes is the Record for a summer Round and is held by Billy Bland, nobody has come close to this, and some say it’s unbeatable. We decided to have an attempt at a Mid Winter Round aiming to get round under the 24 hour mark. A Mid-Winter Round is a Round run the last week end before the shortest day and before the 10th January, we set the date, the 18th December and went ahead with organising pacers and “reccing” the route. Unfortunately Andy had to retire before we had started due to injury which is still ongoing now, so it left me and Tom to have a go. A few recce’s in and the weather turned sour, Cumbria having record snow fall for November and freezing temperatures. This meant that trains were being cancelled and roads closed, we thought it would have been hard enough to get our pacers and support crew to the road crossings never mind get round… So 2 weeks before our “due” date we decided to cancel it as the forecast was to get even worse towards the middle of the month. I’m never one to back out… and in the back of my mind weather regardless I knew I wanted to go ahead, Cumbria had a thaw the week end previous to the attempt and after little decision the Monday before the Saturday we were back on, all I had to do was find 8 pacers who knew the route and a support crew in 5 days, can’t be too hard living in Cumbria right? Wrong, as I found out this is one of the toughest jobs and I can now appreciate how much planning and organisation goes into a Bob Graham Round, and a lot can depend on how good your pacers and support crew are… So, ‘The Round…’ I managed to get about an hour’s sleep before setting off to Keswick to meet Steve Birkinshaw my pacer for leg one (might I add that in that hour and a bit sleep it had put down 4-5 inches of snow where I live) for a prompt start at 1am Saturday morning. There we were at Moot Hall under the clock, Phil Winskill (after a few jars (Thanks to Phil for running us about when we were reccing the route)) Paul Wathan and Gemma Morgans turned out to wave us off as we set off along the street. As we began it started to snow and steadily got thicker the higher we got, incidentally the sheet ice also became thicker and more treacherous the higher we got, these were some of the worst ground conditions I had seen running over Skiddaw. I took 3 bad falls on Leg 1 which later I found became worse to the point where it became painful to lift my right leg. Steve did an excellent job Navigational wise getting us round Leg 1 well under schedule despite the hard going especially off Doddick, it was like a vertical ice rink! We reached Threlkeld in 3 hours 28 minutes where we met Stuart, Craig and Sam. That Friday morning before the attempt I had no pacers for Leg 2 so faced going it alone and in these conditions I was not confident of doing. Nick Ray who runs for Ellenborough (famous banana cake maker) gave me a call to see if he could help, he got in touch with Stuart who had previously completed a summer Round and that was it. Stuart Stoddart, Sam Ware and Craig Smith were there teeth chattering waiting for us at the start of Leg 2, a quick change over and Steve was away back to Keswick for his car and we were off to Hellvellyn, Stuart, Sam and Craig did a fantastic job navigating in what I can only describe as atrocious conditions, visibility was down to about 5 meters with a strong North-Westerly head wind and a lot of snow! We slowly made our way along the Dodds to Hellvellyn, Nethermost and Dollywagon Pikes onto Fairfield and Seat-Sandal, the conditions were slow and taking time off us bit by bit. We made it to Dunmail Raise in 7 and a half hours where Ros and Richard Mcgrath were waiting with road support, it was at this point I decided to stop there, I was still well under schedule for a 21 hour Round but deemed it too dangerous to carry on, my rope man for Broad Stand Richard Butler couldn’t make it into the Wasdale Valley due to the weather and if he can’t make it to Wasdale in his car nobody would! The Bob Graham Round had beaten me this time round, but not for long! Thanks to Steve, Stuart, Sam, Craig, Gavin Pattinson, Jackie Winn, Nick and Richard for pacing, Richard Butler and Louise for help reccing Broad Stand and Ros, Nick and Richard for road support, and Sophie, Mum and Dad for putting up with me… For more info www.bobgrahamround.co.uk www.bobgrahamclub.org.uk www.bobwightman.co.uk And Stuart Stoddart has an excellent blogspot at www.calvaorbust.blogspot.com Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Rick

To be honest, it was initially a big NO NO NO to the 50mile race. Far too long for me, too much pain, how would I train for that at the end of already an exhaustingly long and intense mountain running season? But with inspiration fresh from meeting Kilian on his quest across the Pyrenees and Greg’s persistence I was entered. I stored this one in the back of my mind to mull over. I still had 6months of racing in Europe on the Sky Running Series (www.skyrunning.com) the World Grand Prix (www.wmra.info) as well as various other international events. Results went a little something like this: o 3rd World Grand Prix Series: World Mountain Running Championships 18th, Ebensee 2nd, Smarna Gora 6th o 3rd Pikes Peak World Long Course Mountain Running Championships o 1st TransRockies Run3 o 1st Grosglockner Lauf o 1st Mt Blanc Cross o 2nd Sky Running Series: Andorra 1st, Chaberton 1st, Gringe 5th, Kinabalu 2nd With the final Sky race in Malaysia out the way I treated myself to 5 days on the beach. I knew I had a month of extremely hard training coming up…all the time I had to prepare for the 50mile. I decided that 4-4.5hrs running at a time was going to be hard enough on my own in the winter Welsh fells, but not so much that I could recover quickly from it to do two of these in the same week. To get more mileage in without the impact I became a gym bunny and used the cardio machines everyday including the cross trainer, the spin bike and the rower. I also got out on my Mountain Bike in the winter sun. My entire body was going to have to work to keep me standing so I added some total body weights and core strength as well as some Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi to stretch and lengthen. Here is what my training generally looked like for the month of November: o Mon – 1hr running, 2 hours cardio machines, core strength o Tues – 2hr run, 2hr cardio, core strength o Wed – 4hr run, 1hr weights class, 1hr Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi o Thurs – 1hr run, 2.5hr MTB, core strength o Fri – 1hr Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi, 1 hr run, 1hr cardio, 1hr weights class o Sat – 2hr run, 2.5-3hr MTB, core strength o Sun – 4hr run, 1hr cardio, core strength On top of this I stuck to a low carbohydrate and high protein diet to get as lean as I could for race day…I didn’t want to be carrying anything extra. With a month of that out the way I was 3kg leaner, feeling fit as a fiddle and in San Francisco with the Salomon team as ready as I would ever be. Time to carbohydrate and fluid load and try to rest in such a fun city. Race day came quickly and before we knew it we were off into the darkness. A trail of little head torches bobbing up the trail where we would spend the next 50miles looping around the Marin headlands. Being a rookie I decided if I wanted to be like the best, I had to run with the best so set off in pursuit of Lizzy Hawker at a cracking pace and to my amazement that was how it was to stay for the next 7.45hours! After about 2hours Lizzy gained a 1minute gap on me with strong and fast flat running and it wasn’t until mile 25 that I finally caught sight of her on the hill ahead. It was a rollercoaster emotionally and physically. Thankfully I had fellow racer and team mate Greg Volett to help me at my 4hour demon marker and give me the call to go chase Lizzy down. Pacer Matt Ward from mile 30-42 had a tough job to keep my head screwed on with me not being totally confident that we were on the right part of the trail. I was cheered through the 45mile aid station by the whole French Salomon crew and believing I was only about 3minutes ahead (in reality I was actually 12minutes ahead) I decided it had to be my fastest 5mile ever. It was probably my slowest, but I pushed myself to the limit, using every piece of energy I could conjure up, whether it was mine or the birds flying by or the river streaming along or the thoughts and love of the ones watching the live broadcasting. The last 400m couldn’t come fast enough and boy were they a long 400m. I was totally overcome with pain, exhaustion, emotion and happiness. A strange place to be. I had done it. Won in the face of the unknown. Pushed myself into an extremely uncomfortable zone. I learnt so much about myself physically and emotionally. About the importance of our surroundings – natural and human, and how we can use its energy to lift us up when we are getting bogged down. I’m not sure when and where I’ll be back to ultra running. But I do know my respect for the event and its athletes has shot through the roof. Happy Running. Frosty

It’s incredible how a few feet of snow can bring a country to a standstill. How dependent on cars and a general ability to travel large distances on a daily basis (or have basic items like milk and bread transported large distances to us) have we become? (A: very). The idea of scaling the same mountains we run up in the summer in the winter months has always appealed. I’ve had ITB syndrome which has stopped me running for the last six weeks (since the OMM) and so what better way to get into the hills than to try out a bit of ski mountaineering. So, teaming up with Tom, Jethro and mountain guide Stuart we hit Glenshee. Today we realised why the Europeans mountain runners race on skis in the winter (it’s incredibly good fun) and why why they use poles to run up steep hills (they’re used to it from the skiing). A few piccies of our jaunt on the hill this morning:

Kilian Jornet's record attempt on the highest peak in Africa, Kilimanjaro, is gaining momentum as he continues to acclimatise in the region. Day 2 on the mountain slopes saw Kilian start the climb with his support team and current record holder Simon M'Tuy. The plan is to gradually (making sure that they gain altitude in a safe way) make their way to the summit as a recce for Kilian, but also to ensure that he is healthy and has no issues at the summit height of nearly 6000m. As you might expect with a Kilian's Quest foray the media work is superb, with some great images courtesy of the Gripmaster appearing on the Salomon Running Facebook page. The guys from Miggoo films are once again covering the run and will not doubt produce some amazing film insights and footage. Make sure you stay in touch with the Quest via the Salomon Running FB page

It’s in the air. You can smell it. You can see it. Leaves turning yellow, that dew that lingers a little later in the mornings and puddles on the trails that take longer to evaporate, if at all. Autumn. I should say it quietly, as in southern Europe and the balmier parts of the northern hemisphere the sun is still beating. But here, here in the damp uplands of Wales the seasons God is flexing his muscles and nature is giving way. Course you wouldn’t have known it out on the trails recently. Green is still king. The ferns are alive and the shafts of sunlight still warm your face as they dance through the branches. But it is only a fleeting glimpse of what has been, a summer that promised so much in May and June, and petered out (in most of northern UK at least) in July and August, bringing deluges great enough to swell rivers and dampen the summer spirit. But for all the deaths throws of the summer season, Autumn invigorates this author, because it's time for 2011 Salomon kit testing, in the environment that will find out sub-standard kit - a British autumn and winter! I know it's still 2010, but as an Insider you need to know about these things before the cat is out of the bag. So, it's less than one week until the 2011 meetings at Salomon GB that will determine how we focus our trail running efforts next year. Course you may have seen some of the XR insider info earlier in the summer, so expect a lot more on that front and then there is the community work that we will be focusing on - just being there with you, every step of the way on the trail. We want to ensure that Salomon is a brand that you feel, and live, not just another name. So, expect more Insider films, Salomon Trail Team record attempts, new product releases and stories from everyday runners out there. Oh, and some muddy racing at this winter's Turbo X season, starting on October 10th at Mugdock. See you there! Matt

As one of Europe's most prestigious one-day races the Drei Zinnen race is a nice addition to a runners resume. In 2009 Anna Frost took the crown, with a convincing run in this famous region that boasts one of the most stunning back-drops of any race finish. 2010, and Anna had to settle for second, behind an excellent run from Italy's Mariagrazia Roberti. Recent events across the globe have obviously left Frosty a little jaded: “I was 7 minutes slower than last year. I’ve had a lot of races this year without a specific focus, which has left me very tired. My legs are not as springy and energy is zapped at the moment. But Drei Zinnen is my favourite race, and it was amazing weather so I got into a comfortable rhythm and was able to really enjoy the incredible scenery. I’m pleased for Mariagrazia who won - a nice way to finish her season.” Men 1. Jonathan Wyatt 1:26.23 2. David Schneider 1:28.28 3. Helmut Schiessl 1:28.55 Women 1. Mariagrazia Roberti 1:44.45 2. Anna Frost 1:49.23 3. Stephanie Jimenez 1:52.19 Full results now online at the Drei Zinnen site...

In what was described by the organisers as "extraordinary", the 2010 Trans Alpine Run was yet again a demonstration of outstanding, sustained endurance trail running, from two of the best teams in the world. 

The pairings of Andy Symonds and Tom Owens (men) and Angela Mudge and Chunky Liston (mixed) were truly dominant across 8 stages and 305 kms of rough Alpine terrain that took in climbs of over 2600m. 

The dominance can be seen through the fact that each team won every stage, not just by small margins, but by minutes, meaning that when they arrived in Sexten on Saturday the team were hours ahead in the overall standings. Andy Symonds gives us his thoughts after the last stage: How to make a 20 mile run with 4000ft of climb feel short? First run the best part of 200 miles with 40,000ft of climb.

 By normal standards 33.4km is a long run, but today it felt short and was enjoyable from start to finish (especially the finish). We were keen to enjoy the last stage and soak up some of the stunning views and lively atmosphere right the way along the course, which today skimmed round the bottom of the Dreizinnen (three massive rock chimneys typical of the Dolomites).

We obviously wanted to win the last stage too, to make it eight out of eight. So we set a steady tempo from the gun and were soon clear of the rest of the field. 

By the time we’d hit the first food stop at 15km we were a few minutes clear of the Alaskan pair chasing in second, leaving us to enjoy the 7km 1000m vertical climb up to the Dreizinnen at our own pace, admire the view (for a few seconds) and then blast down the other side to a bottle of Champagne on the finish line in Sexten. 

Whether or not Tom and I will be back to defend our title for the third successive year is still up for grabs (there’s just too many other races and adventures on offer), but I’d certainly recommend any runner to give this one a go! 

I’ll post some photos in the next day or so, and as per usual plenty on the Transalps website as well as the Salomon Running facebook pages.

12 months ago Andy Symonds and Tom Owens took the Trans Alpine Run by storm. Not only did they break all records, and amaze the onlookers, but they also won every stage. 

This year the duo are heading back to repeat the triumph and here they give us the inside line on their preparations: Andy: Running is a simple sport, so you just need a pair of shoes, shorts, vest and some well defined legs right?. Well, how have I managed to fill a 100l duffle bag then?

I've packed a selection of shoes (five pairs) to cover all terrain types and weather eventualities. There's a fair bit of tarmac on a couple of stages, so I've thrown in a pair of XR's, but I expect Speedcross and slabs to be the main footwear of choice.

I also anticipate some foot swell towards the end of the week, so a pair of emergency 1/2 size up Speedcross is well worth having. Last year it was shorts and vest all the way, but with rumours of torrential rain this time around, the Fast Vests and Jackets and Paclites will be definitely be in the bag and ready to be donned this year. Tom and I strive for low weight and hence choose the minimalist Revo rucksack which is just big enough to fit all the essentials, bad weather gear, emergency food, survival blanket etc... 

With the TA being such a long event, muscle recovery is key and hence post race chilling in Alpine troughs and fountains as well as plenty of Salomon EXO gear will be playing a key role in that respect.. along with handfulls of ZipVit protein bars. Logistics: Luckily we've got team manager extraordinaire Tim Lloyd to nail all of this. We just put on the shoes, run and arrive to a top quality massage by Andy Walling, followed by a giant cheese and ham sarnie and no doubt a few ice creams.. it is a holiday after all... Mental prep: I've spent a couple of weeks hibernating in a Tibetan yoga retreat, psyching myself up for the sole goal of running flat out for 305km. 

Enjoying it is the key... if you're fit (which i think we are) then it will be a thrill to traverse the alps for eight days. I can't wait.. Tom: TransAlps prep has been going well over July & August. It's a longer route this year & it will be a much tougher race for us. 

To reflect this I've done quite a few long weekend hill runs in July & August as well as one mid-week where possible. These have included some cracking Munro runs in Scotland. 

The long runs are my favourite part of training - they offer a chance to explore & tend to be with a group so there is some good banter. I've tried doing a couple of long runs on consecutive days in an attempt to get used to this. I've not raced much in July or August which has allowed me to increase the mileage. 

However, I was also lucky enough to compete in a couple of long skyraces in the Italian Alps in July which were important to test fitness levels and to practice running on alpine terrain and at altitude. Other training has been following the usual pattern fit around work. It has included some faster id-week running.

 Taking it easy before the race now. I'm experiencing the typical tiredness which for me always seems to accompany a taper, however, I'm certain I'll be itching to start racing in a couple of days. 

Exciting stuff... praying for good weather!

Old, I hear you say! Okay, as a Salomon Insider I get a few privileges. One of which is product way before its out, and some of it doesnt even see the light of day. The Salomon XT Wings SLAB's that you see here are hardly exclusive, I realise. Just take a look around the world of trail running and you will see many of the world's top runners sporting these shoes. But after a whole year of trail and trail-approach running (the less gnarly stuff anyway) they are starting to degrade a bit. Not so as you would notice from the looks. I mean the construction, and comfort is still sweet, but as you might expect after a many hundreds of kms the mid and outer soles have seen better days. Nothing lasts forever, and many a shoe company will advise you to change shoes frequently anyway. So, these are now confined to the Salomon shoe retirement pasture, in other words, general use, everyday slippers!! Next up will be the XT Wings SLAB 3, they have had a wearing in on a few runs and will now take to the forefront of the foot-tool box, along with my trusty Speed Cross 2's and the new (shhh) XR. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it!

Day 1: Buena Vista – Railroad Bridge (33.1km, 923m+/824m-) Luckily for me the race started at 9am so I had a bit of time to get organised after arriving late the night before from the Pikes Peak Ascent race. The sorest part of me was my ribs – from breathing hard at such a high altitude. But with 50 other excited TR3 (3 day solo) runners and 130 teams of 6-dayers I didn’t even notice my ribs but soon enough I felt my legs! Fellow southern hemisphere – Australian solo runner Karen Barlow set the pace kicking up the dust. As the hills started and the day warmed up, my acclimatisation kicked in and I caught up the gap at the first aid station at 12km. Over the next 15km I increased the gap as we ran through red dusty canyons, past beautiful mountainous views and onto the last ‘killer’ 3miles of a long hot dry road into the finish. I finished up with a 7-minute lead in a time of 2.48hours. Day 2: Vicksburg – Twin Lakes (21.7km, 1102m+/1238m-) The TransRockies race is a logistical nightmare – but you just would not know it. The organisers have it down to the minute. The start arch and banners are up and then down, the tents are set up and then taken down, the food and marquees are all up and out and packed down and away before you can even blink. They have truly mastered it. Today was going to be nice for me – a steep up, steep down and a 5km lake side run in. With the World Mountain Running Championships in my mind – I decided to work hard up, steady down and wind it up to the finish. It was good to chase some of the front runners who I had met on the previous day up the hill. It was a 4mile climb up to Hope Pass – also used the day before in the Leadville 100mile – but they have renamed it Hopeless Pass as they have to climb it, descend it, re-climb it and then re-descend it. Ouch! After finishing at the Twin Lakes we were shuttled to our next camp site in Leadville. 200 tents, 30 porter-loos, a portable shower truck, chilli-bins full of beer and soft drinks, energy food 10 massage tables and 12 medical (blister galore) care. A fun day out finishing in 2.15hours increasing my lead to 42minutes over 2nd place. Day 3: Leadville – Camp Hale (38.6km, 834m+/1116m-) A controlled start behind a police car to get us through Leadville town and along highway 24 for 4 miles meant that it was a nice group run in and up the first hill. From there on, the guys all took off down the hill and left me to the miles of fairly flat running to my self. Today I could definitely feel the last 3 days in my legs and in my head. I was tired! I took the time to look at the scenery, spot the chipmunks and unfortunately eat some dust with only 3miles to go. A few swear words later and I had pulled myself together to finish with a total of 48minutes ahead 2nd place. The cold night in the tent was slightly warmed with the celebratory champagne and tequila. TR3 tick! Day 4, 5, 6 as Salomon Support Crew It is very different on the other side of the event. Its nice to be able to give back some time and help the volunteers and support crew who are always on the go. Making it easy for every runner. With a stiff and sore knee on day 4 I stuck to keeping the seats saved for the Salomon team at the margarita table and enjoyed the campfire and music as the full moon rose over us. Day 5 I got out on the course with the head camera to check out how everyone was doing before heading into Vail to be a bit of a tourist and to get some trusty Starbucks. Day 6 – final day will be incredible for all involved. The efforts, blisters, cuts, muscle tears and blood everyone has gone through will all be worth it as they run into Beaver Creek. TransRockies 6 day completed. Congratulations to us all! Anna x

With some Boulder heat acclimatisation and some Aspen 4000m+ altitude mountain runs, Rickey Gates and I jumped in ‘Orange’ (his VW van) and headed for Colorado Springs. I was not as prepared as usual – by running on the course, and was therefore fairly nervous. 21km uphill, starting at 2000m and climbing up to 4300m altitude. I didn’t know how I would respond to racing at such a high altitude and so decided that I needed to race conservatively and if I had any extra oxygen near the top then I could work hard once I could see the finish. Over the whole of the weekend and 2 races (the Pikes Ascent and the Pikes Marathon (Up and Down!)) there were a total of 7000 participants from 37 different countries. The 1st wave was off at 7am, we zigzagged our way up through the bush on the dusty but run able trail. It took me 20-minutes until I finally began to feel comfortable and got into a nice rhythm, sitting comfortably in 3rd. Rickey had given me some altitude running tricks to practice which I used throughout the race. One was occasionally doing a deep out breath clearing the lungs of ‘stale’ air, the other was stretching the shoulders and head back to really open the lungs up to the thin and dry air. At the Half way point I was 5-minutes behind USA’s Brandy Erholtz but as we came out of the bush and onto a moon like terrain, weaving in and out of the big red boulders I spotted the leading girls. I knew it was a bit late in the race to try to catch up but still feeling good I tried with all my might to finish the last 3miles by chasing the girls down. I finished still in 3rd but now just 55-seconds behind first place. I now know how I can perform at that altitude…it has added an experience to my racing of which I can learn from. That’s what I love about running…I am always learning new levels of performance, discomfort and mental strength/weakness. Rickey also finished 3rd after a terrible start to the race and an incredibly strong finish. For all the results see: http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/

We are creatures of comfort and I am the first to throw my hands up in guilt. But with some wide open doors and some inspiring moments I aspired for change and challenge. With Stair Racing (www.verticalrunning.com) and the Sky Running (www.skyrunning.com) series new to my race calendar, I have also added the USA to my travel agenda. Here I am in Boulder. ‘In da house’ of Adam Chase (fellow Salomon team buddy), wandering the local art, wildlife spotting/hunting including bears, deers, chipmunks, foxes and a camel (yes a camel) as well as running the endless hot dusty trails. For 6 days I have suffered. A combination of the heat, altitude, and travel has had my heart rate maxing out just walking to the loo, my lungs feeling like a little gremlin is squishing all life from them and my legs full of rocks! This feeling in mind has made me feel a little squeamish thinking about the Pikes Peak Ascent race coming up in a week. It is World Long Course Mountain Running Championships (www.pikespeakmarathon.org. 21km all uphill. Starting at 2000m and finishing at 4300m above sea level. It is going to hurt! But today I am beginning to feel better. Up above 2200m, Adam, Syl Corbett – Canadian Mountain runner and I clocked up 21km and we even managed a few bursts of energy up some of the hills. I’ll take as much confidence from that as I can for Pikes. With my ambitions flying high at the start of the year, I thought the best thing to do the day after Pikes would be the TransRockies Run 3 Day (www.tr3.com). Sometimes I wonder about myself? It is the shorter and solo version of the TR run which is 6 days across the Rockies. I will be hanging out with the Salomon USA family and running new and spectacular trails. However, I will be cautious not to ‘over do it’, rather enjoy, experience and see as I will be focusing on fine tuning for the World Mountain Running Championships a week later in Slovenia. (www.wmra.com) First up though – Aspen to visit Rickey Gates (Salomon USA runner) in his mountains. How can one not be inspired! Anna X

It was way back in March, but it looks like it was worth it! We (Salomon GB marketing team, photography crew, Pete 'George Lucas' Cable and the Salomon Trail Team) hit the south coast for the 2010 kit and team photo sessions. The ideology behind the day is to gain images and footage that Salomon then use to promote apparel, footwear and the Trail Team throughout the season. Images are 'banked' in our archive, to provide the media with images, for online content, for our websites and for general Salomon marketing - both in the UK and globally. It sure was cold at 6am, as we hit the mean streets of Christchurch, Dorset, but as soon as arrived at the main headland - bliss, just sunrises, sea and a cold wind, to help you remember how good it feels to be alive (at least it was beneath my 4 layers!) Anyway, 5 months on and the results are clear. Some great adverts in the vertical media, some excellent online advertorials, and some footage and shots to be proud of. As with these things, we move on, and we are already planning 2011 - keep it tuned! Watch the SS10 video 'shoot' here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNd0yZW88sA

Salomon Trail Team member Rob Hope is still on target to lift a fourth straight British Fell Running Championship after a commanding win at round three, the Dollar Hill Race. Rob still leads going into the final Long race at the Black Mountains Rob will now just need to keep his nerve and finish in a leading position, to take the title. His Dollar win was pretty convincing, though was a keenly fought race as you would expect at the elite end of British fell racing. "Had a lovely night rough camping near Abington Services on Friday night", explains Rob, "and woke up with a stiff neck and headache which wasn't a great start but things improved when my super-domestique, Mick Green of Horwich Harriers had prepared cups of tea and a bowl of porridge and later on at Stirling Services - Beans on Toast, the food of champions! Weather conditions were ok for the race as it was cool, windy and raining intermittently although there would have been some concern if the clag (mist for all you non Brits!-Ed) had descended over the hill tops making navigation an issue. The race started fairly briskly up a long climb and by the top Lloyd Taggart and I had a very slight lead over Prasad Prasad and Tim Davies and then the chasing pack. As we headed off over a long undulating section Tim put a real burst in to catch up and subsequently went on to drag us along at a sharp pace. A cat and mouse affair continued until the last big climb where I made a big effort to escape before the top. After this was a 2000ft descent back down to finish and a lead I held onto fairly comfortably. The only panic was stopping after a descending the last knoll to check the map and confirm that we weren't required to go to another checkpoint before the run in to the finish. The day was also backed up with strong performances by all the Pudsey and Bramley faithful that had made the journey north to clinch another great team win. All that remained was to tuck into a vast selection of cakes and cups of tea generously provided by the organising committee - thanks for that. Rob"

We all have off days right! Well Salomon Trail Team member Andy symonds had once such day at Sunday's World Skymarathon Championships - perhaps not the best of days to choose! "I felt pretty stale at Giir di Mont. Warmed up after about 3hours, but by that time it was too late! Passed 5 or 6 in the last 20mins as everyone was bonking, but i was just getting into it. I think the problem's a mixture of just a "bad day" and the fact that I've not bothered doing any sessions for ages and hence the uphill running's gone to pot. That's the problem with doing long stuff like the LAMM etc I totally loose focus on the sessions that i was doing pre the Brit champs race in Ireland.. Still learning in any case! mulling over the idea of doing the UTMB next year. I think long plodding's quite up my street! Andy"

Yep, we were given access to the Salomon Design Center a few weeks back and this is what we saw! Lots of interesting products, methods, designs and prototypes, many of which will never see the light of day. It really was like being at Willy Wonka's factory, with a little less chocolate. The team in Annecy just dont stop, they are constantly pushing the design and r and d envelopes, in the quest to deliver the very best and most advanced trail running product out there... Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/user/SalomonUK#p/u/0/Xy482psNycc

Salomon Trail Team athletes Tom Owens and Andy Symonds both took part in the World Skymarathon championships yesterday, at the famous Italian race Giir di Mont. After strong ascents by both runners, Tom stayed on strongly for an excellent 6th place finish, against some of the world's best mountain runners. Symonds faired a little differently after a great ascent, leaving him in a good position. Scots-based Andy then failed to match his usual descending skills to finish a creditable 16th. (though we guess Andy will be a little displeased with that result after a fine early season and some great recent races!) We will leave the real tales to be told by both upon their return on Salomon Running and the Salomon Trail Team blog, over at www.salomontrailteam.com. More race info also online at www.skyrunning.com

With 900 participants and a great female organising committee I had always heard this was a great race/event to go to. As a human I do sometimes find it easier to do what I know and sometimes this means going to the same races instead of trying something new. So this year I am making a point of trying new races in new places and in different distances. GroSglockner is the highest mountain in Austria and the race begins in the village Heiligenblut (1247m), and over the next 13kms follows the valley up towards the GroSglockner glacier, over the moraine and finishes at the Kaiser Franz Josef Hutt (2370m) with a 1km timetrial ascenting 250 vertical metres. It is a real mountain running race – although at times I definately had to power walk up the steep bits. I was very excited to be part of the event and a little nice nervousness to be racing a new course. It was slightly drizzling and a bit cloudy which made it perfect racing conditions for me. I set off at the front and stayed there for 1.27.58hours to win the race as well as the vertical timetrial. The mens field was stacked with great international runners – with Jono Wyatt, 5 Kenyans, Markus Kroll and Robert Kupricka just to name a few. They had a close finish in 1.08hours (which I could hear from down on the moraine) with Jono chasing 2 of the Kenyans but just not able to close the 30second gap. A great event for all the family with kiddies races, a fun 5km race and 3 wave starts for all abilities. Anna X

Now that I have finally stopped driving and found some time to think and write here is a little trip back in time to the Andorra Sky race. In the end, a very inspiring weekend for me. The week leading up to the race was spent walking and visiting physios trying to get rid of the sciatica that was tormenting me. Electric shocks from my lower back, through my butt into my hamstring and all the way down into my calf muscle. Not the best preparation. My next torment was that I had flown to Perpignan...a very nice place but nearly impossible to get out of as I found out. A big days travel and I finally arrived at the race venue. A ski resort just like any, that in the summer looks like a building site being bombed, however, I am sure it would look gorgeous in winter. The sun was shinning and the sky was a perfect cloudless blue. I spent Friday and Saturday walking/running the first half of the race, reaching a col at 2600m which was covered in snow and had a steep snowy drop off down to a glacial lake and beyond to the valley below. The course then took off up another long climb to a 2750m summit and followed a ridge down to the finish. I was just going to the supermarket for some refueling lunch when 6 Salomon/Kilian cars whizzed past me. First I pinched myself to check I wasn't dreaming and then I followed the cars. And who else would it be but Kilian's entire support crew on the 5th day of his Pyrenees crossing. As Kilian himself came trotting past fresh as a daisy and "feeling stronger and better than he did on day 1" (keeping in mind he had done 25,000m positive altitude of climbing and about 600km of running at this point) I couldn't help but feel totally inspired and motivated. Dragging myself back to the job at hand, the thunder storm had set in and the rain wasn't far off. Race day - it was tipping it down. The course was shortened and completely changed direction and we were all drenched. Being a South Island Kiwi girl this isn't unusual weather so I was quite happy. 1hour 41minutes later I had managed to hold off the competition to win my first Sky Race. Mission impossible to complete though - getting back to Perpignan. But I had the buzz of a win and respect seeing Kilian perform something so natural to him that I dreamed my way back to the UK with fresh enthusiasm for life. Which I guess brings me from Chamonix - Annecy – the Italian Orobie mountains. The start of my European Van/Race tour. Anna x

Anna Frost on Why I love Trail Running: Because no matter who you are or what your goals are the trail is always the same. Let me explain.Take the Mt Blanc 10km/Cross/Marathon for example. Chamonix turns into a even more of an international runner mecca. People meeting old and new running buddies, nervously chatting about race tactics and logistics. Sponsors banners and flags flapping in the soft breeze. Product companies with tasters and freebies, and the organised kaos of registration of the 10,000 participants! Race day – the warm-ups are underway, nerves and laughter, emotions and wonder. People push and squeeze to their starting position and in the final moments before the start gun there is a soft murmur of anticipation. Some people have come to win, some to get a personal best time, some to finish, some for charities and some have just lost a bet in a pub the night before. The trail winds gradually up the valley, weaving in and out of forests, pastures, villages. Up hills, down into streams, over some big rocks and then decides its time to climb. The second half of the race contours up and up and up with spectacular views down the Chamonix valley – those of you who have time to have a look. It will take some 2hours and others 12hours. And at the finish - most will, some wont, there will be exhaustion, drinks, nibbles, blood and puffy ankles. There will be photos and hugs, prizes and happiness. But no matter why everyone came today – the one thing that has stayed the same and cannot be changed is the trail. The distance, the altitude and the scenery. It is there for us to explore, to challenge and to motivate ourselves to achieve what is important to us. TRAILS...Go and explore!

No that's not code for a new Salomon shoe, it merely means Spring / Summer 2011. That's what we were up to in Annecy last week, getting the lowdown on two rather exciting new product lines from the French innovators. The SS11 trail running unveiling was to Salomon's specialist retailing family from all over the world. 100 plus retailers, all of whom are leaders in their respective countries. From the UK we had Up and Running, Sweatshop, Moti and Alexandre Sports. The purpose of this two-day mad dash to the Alps was to unveil the new XR shoe and the 2011 Exo Sensifit apparel line. The format was simple, but highly effective. Warm the guests up with a high energy opening salvo from Salomon's top marketer Jean-Yves Couput at a beautiful hotel location - outlining the trail running history of Salomon and showing the lineage from 2005 - 2011, and man that is some accelerated innovation. What was great here was that J-Y didnt dwell, it was fast moving and engaging, Kilian in the Pyrenees, Salomon's ethos, Salomon's recent history, and here is one little fact to leave you with. Since their inception into trail running Salomon have sold.... 10 million pairs of trail running shoes, worldwide! The next morning it was time to test some kit. Again the field testing was superbly thought out and laid on. There wasnt a trail running leaf left unturned in providing kit, expertise, great trails and food and drink to replenish as the staff and retailers tried out the news XR shoe and were able to compare with the XT Wings and the XA pro to see the evolution. Then after a tasty lunch it was time to get the lowdown at the Salomon Chocolate Factory i.e the ADC - Annecy Design Centre! This is the great big box that produces the product that you see in the shops today. The evolution from an idea, to design, to sample production, to testing, to re-testing, the final prototype, to final production, to delivery to the retailer, it was all there. And that's not all... We also saw how the shoes and clothing that Salomon produces isnt just a pipe dream that is concocted on a whim. We also saw the acres of rooms that work on biomechanics, textile testing and product consultancy. A real eye-opener providing a little window into the world that produces some great, great products. As for the XR shoe, well all I can show you right now is a few shots. These babies wont be available until spring 2011, but this is a little inside line on what goes on behind the scenes before the trail runners of this world get their hands on their new trail weapons!

Ramblings... Initially this blog was titled “The Watkins Way Up” but due to the following paragraphs I had to change it to a more appropriate title “Ramblings”. It may have something to do with all the coffee? It was a very slow assault on Snowdon today via the Watkins path. Yesterday I had one of those days when you think you are on a mission...i.e. like a secret agent who has 30minutes exactly to get to the king before he blows up...you know those runs?..well yesterday I had one of those...I was geared up in my new SLAB3 shoes (pictured) that have had a short back and side cut and feel really light and aggressive..so I was pretending I had just dropped Paula Radcliffe in the final 3km of the London marathon and I was heading for the new world record and before I knew it I had done 70minutes and was absolutely pooped! So back to today’s run...it was therefore very slow. Not to mention cold with a low fog hanging over the summit. I had my trusty no arguing or complaining friend Moi - the dog (who I am currently thinking about kid(dog)napping to Europe with me in the van). We summited after an hour, dropped down the “Snowdon Ranger” trail and onto the “Telegraph Pole” trail before heading along the “Moel Eilio” ridge, down to Waun Fawr village and back to the safety and warmth of the Lloyds. 3hours running...am I stupid? So more to the point I have just finished making some famous NZ lollie cake...yes you heard right...lollie cake. The only problem is that the malt biscuits here in the UK are not as orange as the ones in NZ so it is a bit wrong. But because I am making it for Dr Andy...oh that reminds me... If anyone has ever had sciatica you will how I’m feeling after 3weeks of the blooming thing. If you are lucky enough to have never had it...then basically imagine an electric shock in your back which shoots down through your bum cheek, down your hami and into your calf...and it does it every time you step...tooth ache in your back! This could be partly why I felt like a sloth going up Snowdon today as the sciatica creates a weakness and numbness in the muscles and makes you run a little lopsided. So I am sure Dr Andy will do his famous elbow poking, hip squashing, tear jerking manuovers and I’ll be fine... But back to the cake...I’m sure when Dr Andy hears the words “lollie” and “cake” he won’t really be too upset by the lack of orange colouring. Ciao for now, Frosty X

I have to say that during the damper months of year the Salomon Speed Cross 2's just don't leave my feet. However, in the last few weeks and months the dry UK weather has left the trails in a state of hardness. Even the normally boggy, perma-shaded pine and spruce forest runs are dry, and that means you need something grippy, but forgiving. Enter the 2010 SLab 3's. Not a huge movement from the excellent SLab 2's, but with some nice upper additions that just add to the jazz. With a slighly reduced Quick Lace® lock, a narrower toe box (which really fits my foot) and enhanced toe protection, these shoes really are made for the trail. Some EVA has also been shaved from the midsole, thus making these 'Slabs' even lighter... Seek 'em out, but you had better be fast as they are super-limited!

This last weekend saw plenty of success for the Salomon Trail Team. After a (by the team's very high standards) steady start to the season for the all-conquering team the weekend saw wins for Anna Frost, Nick Swinburn and Andy Symonds, along with strong results from Rob Hope at the European Mountain Running trials and Tom Owens at Duddon. Leading the way in Europe was Kiwi Anna Frost, who took round 3 of the 2010 Skyrunner World Series in Andorra. Anna overcame some stormy Pyrenean weather to win the shortened Travessa de Canilllo SkyRace®. In the UK Andy Symonds warmed up for his European mountain racing and mountain marathon season with a convincing win the Loch Lochy Munros race, winning by a massive 11 minutes. Coming back after a long lay-off through injury, youngster Nick Swinburn returned to racing by winning the Abersoch 10k in North Wales. The race which boasts a prize of £300 for the winner always commands a classy field, and Nick made it two wins in two years of this off-road / road race. Most pleasing is the fact that Nick comes through with a clean bill of health, and it's great to see him back competing again! The same can be said of Tom Owens, who after a long battle with achilles issues over the autumn and winter is easing himself into racing at the highest level. His performance at the 18 mile Duddon Valley Fell Race on Saturday underlined that Tom is back on track after he finished a very strong runner-up to Simon Booth at this tough Lakeland race. Finally, there was a valiant run from British Fell Champion Rob Hope at the UK trials for the European Mountain Running Championships, which will be held in Bulgaria in July. The race on the famous Latrigg course in Keswick proved a little too swift for Rob, in a race which attracted the UK's endurance specialists, targeting the race and a GB vest. (The first 4 runners qualified for selection.) Rob finished a highly commendable 6th, just outside of the automatic selection places. As the weather warms and the European calendar kicks into full swing, expect much more news from the team, at home and abroad.

May Sat 1st – I drove over to Coniston to go for a nice long run on the fells. Rosa and I managed a 3hr run over terrain that I have not been over before, so we ended up having an enjoyable day out. Sun 2nd – Legs were a little sore from yesterday’s long run, but managed an hr run in the morning, followed by rock climbing in the afternoon and then a good brisk run over the fells in Keswick. Mon 3rd – Legs felt like they had recovered from Saturday, so decided to go for a long run in the Thirlmere area, over tracks and fells I’d not been over before. I certainly had a nice little adventure with Rosa running for 4hrs – now I really was tired! Sat 8th – First race of the month was Buttermere Sailbeck fell race, 2nd lady Sat 15th – I’d entered the Open 5+ adventure event in Coniston with my friend. The first part to the 5hrs was a trail run, where we comfortably got back in the lead of the whole event. To follow was a little orienteering in a wood, quite tough controls to find, but we managed to do this no problem and then headed off to the kayak stage! Kayaking isn’t my strong point, however we managed to get 2 controls out of 4 and then head for the bike section. We had well over 3hrs for the biking part, so started off strongly to collect the controls. There were however 2 bonus controls – the first a little run to a quarry, where you had to jump of a 10m rock in to the ice cold water of the quarry, swim across the water and then head for a tunnel and then retrieve the bike. After slight hesitation from me about the jump, I managed it, so we collected our bonus points. The next bonus section, was only a little scramble through another quarry and then find the controls. I have got to admit I thoroughly enjoyed the event and is totally different to just running for 5hrs – lots to concentrate on! Sat 22nd – Today was literally baking hot – Rosa was as you would call it, a “hot dog”! Last week I did a lots of running, including speed sessions, fell runs plus out on the bike. Today I decided to drive over to the Borrowdale valley and go out on the fells. I managed to run 4hrs, although it was pretty hot and stopped off at tarn and rivers stops for water. At the end of the run, I found a few plunge pools, so took Rosa for her first ever swimming lesson and I followed! Sun 23rd – I called in to the Salomon Trail Camp weekend in Keswick, where there was a 10k Trail race taking place. By 9am the sun was baking hot, so wasn’t really looking forward to the race. Throughout the race, I just felt really hot and didn’t feel comfortable running, at one point I even felt like stopping, but I didn’t and made it round. A nice afternoon was spent with the trail camp team and then I headed off to have a well deserved ice-cream! Sat 29th – Today was spent at my parents house, for my dad’s birthday and managed to get in a couple of rainy runs in the hills. Sun 30th – Back up to the Lakes early morning and headed for Honister Pass (North Lakes) – I ran from Honister over to Wasdale to help a friend on a leg of her Bob Graham round (42 peaks – 74miles – 28,500ft) – the run was from Wasdale back to Honister Pass taking in Yewbarrow, Red Pike, Steeple, Pillar, Kirkfell, Great Gable, Green Gable, Brandreth and Grey Knotts and about 5hrs in total. This was a really fun day out and really enjoyed helping my friend – good news is that she managed to run the whole round in under 24hrs! Mon 31st – Feeling a little bit tired this am, I met my mum and dad in the Lakes and we had a tasty breakfast at a café. After this I headed over to the Duddon Valley to do a recce of the “Duddon” fell race. The race route is 18miles, so after this fine day out I decided to go back home and have a leisurely evening.

It's amazing what good weather can do for the soul, couple sunshine with a trail camp in some of the most stunning scenery that the UK has to offer and you have a heady cocktail ripe for enjoyment. That's what we had this weekend at the first of the Salomon Trail Camps of 2010, held in Keswick, Cumbria, in the heart of the Lake District. Now, I realise that you also need some people to add to that cocktail, and the happy campers that assembled themselves at the Cumbrian Outdoor Centre on Friday evening could not have been more interesting and diverse in their backgrounds and running ability. From Women's Running editor Eve Boggenpoel, a first-timer in many senses (had never run a race until this weekend, and has only been running since early 2010) to Anna Frost, 2008 World Mountain Running GP champion and winner of the 2009 Everest Marathon. Fascinating. The format laid out by organiser Tim Lloyd and his Always Aim High team was simple. A collective of like-minded people, all coming together for 2.5 days of trail running, trail running seminars and a trail race to round-off the weekend. After some gentle running, and a soujourn to the local hostelry on the Friday evening, it was a bright and early start for all with 'Endurance coach' Marc Laithwaite, who was to be the course tutor for the whole of the Saturday. Marc's relaxed nature was a perfect approach for the 'beginners' in the bunch, who could have easily felt intimidated by his stature (a former international and adventure racer, including coach to the British Cycling Team). Additionally, the mix of practical and theoretical sessions was a perfect balance for those gathered who would have wanted to run, but not wanted to be worn our before the 10k on Sunday. Equally there is nothing worse than a day spent in a 'classroom' when the sun is shining outside! I won't give too much away about what was presented and discussed, however I will say that it was heavily centred on the individual and about helping each runner become a better trail runner, using hill-running clinics by Ricky Lightfoot, stretching sessions by Anna Frost and classroom discussions on technique, product selection and injury prevention to enable the campers a broad sense of learning. The Sunday was all about the race, a 10k trail race in the wonderful Newlands Valley, just outside of Keswick. It was warm, very warm, however the sense of achievement that I sensed from each and every one of the runners that crossed the line was palpable. And guess what, Eve finished, and finished fresh, flanked by Ricky and Anna, as if the Queen, being guided in by a couple of Spitfires! (Eve's very words!!) This is merely a morsel, a brief outline, a fleeting glance of the camp. It was fantastic. It was expertly organised, and it was fun! More info on the 2010 Salomon Trail Camps, along with all of the 2010 Salomon race info can be found over at salomontrails.com.

One of my roles as the Salomon Community Manager is to commentate at various Salomon trail events over the course of the year. Whether it's a Turbo X race or a Forest Trail 10k, I'll be there egging on the masses, adding a bit of info here and there, chatting away. It's part of my role that I really enjoy, why? Well, cos it really is community management at its rawest. Connecting directly with the 000's of runners, friends, families and supporters of participants in these great trail events. I get to talk to, and with, runners from all over the world. For instance this weekend at the Turbo X event at Swinley Forest, Bracknell, I met guys and girls from South Africa, the US and France, all at the race to run alongside like-minded folks who love to run off-road. MCing (as my finish line commentary might also be known as) comes pretty naturally to me, but only because I enjoy it - I get to meet some great people, and learn their stories, and share in their achievement...

April First day of the new month was a good 1hr run from my house up to Scout Scar “The Mushroom”, with stunning views of snowy topped hills of the Lake District. Easter weekend, Friday (2nd), Run Whinlatter Forest, Keswick in the newly fallen snow, followed by a blast on my mountain bike around the Altura Bike Trail in Whinlatter – followed by a mug of hot chocolate in Keswick to re-fuel, then a brisk walk up to the top of Helvellyn in a snow and rain shower! Saturday (3rd) was also a good day with an hr’s run over Scout Scar with Rosa and a treat of freshly baked garlic and parmesan loaf for lunch! Another trip to Keswick was on the cards and I took Rosa up to the top of Skiddaw, lots of snow and freshly falling snow as well – we did a loop of Skiddaw, up one side and down the other side about 13 miles in total! Sunday (4th), I was back in sunny Yorkshire and went for a lovely run with Rosa for a few hours around a place call Langsett. Lots of good fast trails and managed to find a nice muddy section on route! Monday (5th) I drove to Ruthin in Wales for the Open 5 event, which is a 5hr run/bike navigation event. The event was set on the Moel Fammau Country Park and was a bit blustery on the tops. I managed to find all of the running controls and cycled around picking up the biking controls. I finished 2nd woman with 450 points (winner 455) and was 22nd out of 122 entrants. So I was pretty happy with that! Saturday (10th), a wake up run over Scout Scar, Kendal my home terrain, followed by a brisk breakfast and then headed up in to the Lake District for a long day out. I ended up enjoying the fells so much that Rosa and myself spent 4 ½ hrs running in the sunshine. Sunday (11th), I was feeling a little bit tired. I ran round the Coledale Horseshoe race route….glorious sunshine, wonderful views and I felt good once out on the tops. Week beginning 12th April, feeling tired after the weekend. Enjoyed a fun night orienteering, which was run by Ambleside AC. The event was run over my favourite training ground Loughrigg, but using an orienteering map with little drawn on circles as controls I thought I would be at a loss. But no, I managed to run around and pick up lots of points and do a good session as well! Then Weds night a hill session had to be done, so all day Thurs I suffered! Saturday 17th, I was had planned on racing the Coledale Horseshoe race, but unfortunately my dog Rosa crashed in to my bad knee not once but twice (escaping a very excited dog!), so I had a swollen and very sore knee! Sunday 18th, my knee was feeling a bit better, so I headed off to the Langdale’s to go for a nice 1.5hr run on the fells followed by a 2hr walk later in the afternoon. Monday 19th, after a nice run and good climb up Troutdale Pinnacle in Borrowdale, I decided I was going to run the 3 Peaks! I had originally set out to race, but then felt that the race had come round all too quickly, so had decided not to race. So by Thursday evening after an easy week of running, I had all my kit, food and drink ready for the race! Saturday (24th). I was looking forward to the 3 Peaks race and hoped to have a good race. After setting off at a steady pace, my plan was to pick up the pace in the second half, but unfortunately it wasn’t to be, as I got bad blisters on my feet even before half way. I was able to hobble up to a point, but they were just too sore to keep on going. So I stopped at half way and heading back to the start to get them patched up……It’s taken over a week for them to heal!!!

So after 7 months training, numerous training runs and enough calorie counting to make me feel like a member of 'fat fighters' I found myself standing on the start line of the Fellsman, a tough ultra event covering 61 miles over the Yorkshire dales, and ascending over 11,00 feet in its path from Ingleton to Thresfield. The first 20 miles seemed to go well-apart from running into a barbwire fence at forehead level, stopping me dead in my tracks and giving me a headache for a few hours!- the following 10 miles up to mile 30 I hit a real low and felt sick, unable to stomach any food. H Hoping this would pass I continued running and maintained a good pace to the following road checkpoint. In an effort to help keep my energy levels up i forced down two bananas and continued on. Amazingly this seemed to work wonders and I picked up and felt on great form! The miles continued to tick over nicely and I reached the 44 mile mark before dark around 12 hours in. Here I was grouped with 6 other runners where we continued on into the night for the final 17 miles! Conversation flowed well amongst the 7 of us, and the remaining hours flew by-I decided to polish off a bag of chocolate coated expresso beans which boosted my energy and hallucinations (which seemed understandable considering I'd been on the move for over 15 hours!) the final section was run along the road where we managed a sprint finish coming through as a group in 16 hours 56 minutes!.. It had been an amazing event and extremely well organised, and I feel this is the first of many ultras to come! Stuart Air from Cotswold - Manchester Deansgate

The second counter in this year's English Championships was the Consiton Fell Race (9 miles and including 3500 feet of ascent) held on 1 May. It was my first race back after the first British Champs counter in Ireland on 9 April as I was keen to getting a bit of training under my belt after a stop start early season with various illnesses and injuries. I'm still carrying an Achilles problem but it's not really hampering my efforts. Anyway, the weather was kind for the start of the race and I had high expectations of a good result after several reasonable placings in previous races even when when not firing on all cylinders. Dan (my bro) and I knew that if we tucked in well on the climbs we'd have a good chance for a high placing on the long technical descent. As it panned out Rob Jebb, Morgan Donnelly and Ben Bardsley pushed the pace early on but we didn't lose too much ground. After running up Wetherlam and over to Coniston, I was just off the pace but knew victory could be in sight. All was going to plan as Dan and I hurtled of the summit and passed the leaders with high hopes of a Hope 1-2. Unfortunately, the past master and 8 times winner of the race, Ian Holmes, flew past us all (I'm still scratching my head now as I don't know where he came from). Dan and I gambled on an alternative route halfway down the descent but it didn’t pay off as we probably lost a little bit of ground and Ian went on to win the race. I managed to take 2nd and Dan 4th after just losing out 3rd spot to Morgan. Fellow Salomon Trail Team runner Andy Symonds had one of those completely unexplainable, legs competely dead, runs and finished 27th after his blistering run and victory in Ireland. I'm sure he'll be back on the podium next time. Roll on the next race...

Want to learn a little bit more about this whole trail running thing? Want to meet some international trail runners, who know their stuff and aren't afraid to share it? Want to stay in a lovely part of the world, run, learn about technique and share your experiences with like-minded people? Sounds pretty good doesn't it! Well that's exactly what you will experience on the Salomon Trail Camps. http://www.salomontrails.com/training-camps.php?event=53. Starting in Keswick in just over two weeks you’ll be given the guidance and skills training from the best in the business. Tim Lloyd and Marc Laithwaite from Always Aim High, trail racers including Ricky Lightfoot, Anna Frost and Tom Owens will teach you all you’ll need to know about specific off road techniques, nutrition, injury prevention, personalised training programmes as well as the right kit to use to get the best out of your off-road mileage! You’ll get plenty of running over the weekend, healthy food to give you the fuel to get you going and the opportunity to find out all you’ll need to know for the season ahead. All this for £200! So, if you really do want to learn a bit more and enjoy a weekend in the Lakes, or any of our other venues, then get yer name down...

An exclusive little piece that gives you some sneak peeks into the testing and new product at the 2010 Advance Week. It was a whole lot of fun! Salomon UK YT video is now online here http://www.youtube.com/user/SalomonUK#p/u/7/wl_VKFJhRIk

This blog is called 'Salomon insiders' right, so you want the inside line, right? Well, over the coming weeks we'll let all you followers in on some exclusive shots on product testing and launches that haven't seen the light of day yet. Some of the more observant amongst you will have no doubt seen some very interesting bits of kit at the recent Salomon Advance Week. Indeed, lots of the Salomon worldwide athletes and bloggers weren't too disguised with some of the shots that were released onto the net! But again this is what you want, right... So, here are a few shots of some interesting features on a new SLAB hydration pack that I am currently testing out here in the Welsh forests. Andy Symonds (pictured) also got to test it out in France too, so you can guarantee that the testing that goes into every news Salomon product is done by the the 'real deal' athletes that perform at the highest levels. Then Salomon give them to Joe Average's like me to see if we can break them. It's a fantastically ergonomical pack, it hugs your form and I am not exaggerating when I say that the fitting system and positioning on your back is so comfortable and balanced that you won't know that you are wearing it. Early signs are good for this new pack, if it sees the light of day you are all going to love it, trust me...

New Zealand Mountain Running Championships – Mt Campbell – Motueka It was perfect racing conditions – slightly over cast, a cool wind, about 10º, and a steep forest trail to climb. The small woman’s and juniors boys field had 7.4km to tackle while the small but stacked of talent men’s field had 14km. I set off up the long consistently steep climb with Italian Antonella Confortola chasing. She is Jono Wyatt’s wife and I regularly compete with her in the European Mountain Running Circuit where we often battle for the top placing. But this time at the 2km mark, still with her Nordic World Cup and Winter Olympic fitness and strength in her legs she slowly pulled away from me. It was one of those days when you just don’t have the spring and chase so I just had to hang on as I dragged myself to the summit (1330m) about a minute slower than in 2008 on the same course. 2nd up was Judith May from Tauranga and 3rd was Demelza Murrihy-Topp from Taumarunui. Even with Confortola Wyatt beating me I was still able to claim the National title and get myself a step closer to my main focus - selection for the World Mountain Running Championships in Slovenia in September. Jono Wyatt won in his usual awesome style, also in a slower time than in 2008 but said he felt ‘comfortable’ and in ‘control’ throughout the race. He was followed up by some talented NZ runners. 2nd was James Coubrough from Wellington, 3rd was Phil Costley of Canterbury and 4th was Glen Hughes also from Wellington. For full results see Athletics New Zealand website. Photos by Jenny Frost.

The talk on the Brtish fell running forums is about how tough the Silent Valley race was on Saturday, with its apparent big ascents and craggy tops it wasn’t for the light-hearted. For winner Andy Symonds all of that technical stuff was “right up his street”… The Salomon Trail Team man is used to some really big stuff through, you have to remember. This is a guy who relishes the rope and chain climbs of the high-Alps, who takes the Trans-Alpine big stuff in his stride, and who has the engine for long ones like the LAMM. So, Saturday’s medium round one was a mere sprint then? “It was actually getting close to a long one”, he told MST. “I took about 1hr 43 mins and I know some people were out there for almost 4 hours, so the medium tag was stretched a bit. But I really enjoyed it. The NIMRA always put on a great event, and the craic afterwards is always good fun.” Speaking about the race itself Andy tells of the big battle on the northern Irish mountains, “Yeah, it was a real battle between myself, Morgan, Rob Hope. I was feeling pretty good early on, so I took it out quite hard. The lead kept swapping hands for a fair bit of the race, Morgan seemed to be strongest on the uphills and I was taking it on downhill. It was only on the last climb that Rob (Hope) started to fall off as he said afterwards that he blew-up. But going into the last climb Morgan really took it on”. The final descent was the decider as Symonds used his excellent downhill prowess to good effect as they took the fast descent back to the Silent Valley Dam to win by a handful of seconds over Borrowdale man Donnelly. “I’m really pleased with my run, especially as the British champs is one of my goals for 2010. I haven’t raced too much in 2010 and the last few months have been quite tough with all of the snow, but I’m feeling good right now and the training in the last few weeks has been coming together nicely”.

After ‘wintering’ in the UK Salomon Trail Team athlete Anna Frost is now back home in New Zealand. Kiwi Anna is looking forward to another successful year in Europe on the Grand Prix and Skyrunning circuit, with a big goal at the World Mtn Running Champs in September… Before all of that Anna is taking come time out with her family, racing locally this last weekend at the Dunedin ‘King of the Mountain’ race. The 15km race was a stepping stone for Frost who now goes on to the NZ championships next Saturday. “The race was super hot and dusty” said Frosty after yesterday’s race. “It was 6km up on a steep forest trail and 9km down on a winding trail. I finished 4th over all in a time of 1.02.40. I ran hard to the top and tried to hold back a bit on the down as I have national mt champs next Sat, 7km up a forest trail on a mountain called MT. Campbell. Since arriving in New Zealand I have not been feeling too great, my legs feel a little tired and I’m not not springy on the hills but it’s awesome to be running with familiar faces in lovely places, and I very much looking forward to next week’s race!”, she concluded.

The new 2010 Speed Cross colourways are cool. My fav is the Aluminium / Black / Fizz and yes I have a pair. So, I thought I would give them a blast on one of Wales highest mountains this afternoon - I mean after the winter we have had you have to take advantage of days like today! So what have I got to say about the 2010 SC2? Same intense comfort, same extra ordinary Quicklace, same superb Contagrip, same slipper-like Ortholite insole. Yep, "race ready, ultra light and built for speed" the shoe aint broke,so... BUT it comes in a couple of funky new flavours for 2010, and as the if my eyes didnt deceive me I think I saw a few future hybrids out in Advance Week that will spawn some new speedboats from the flagship. So, Salomon shoe boffins aint standing still - keep em peeled in the next year or so for some babies from this daddy of race shoes! Oh, and here are a few shots of brand new SC2's on Cadair Idris this afternoon...

Hi, Natalie here, thought I would update you all on my movements over the last month or so... First race in over 2 months was Black Combe(6th). I needed to do this race just to race and feel what is was like to race. My injury held out in the 8 mile race, where my plan was to run hard on the uphill sections and easy on the downhill. Managed to win, and also the knee was ok! I enjoyed the Salomon photo shoot in the New Forest, Southampton at the beginning of the month (8th). A 5am wake up for a 6am start - no joke it was freezing! All the team were so helpful and caring as they desperately tried to keep us warm, as shorts and t-shirts in sub zero temperatures is not really what you would wear! 12hrs of photo shoots, videos, fun and laughter was all good fun! Long day out Scafell Pike, Great Gable (13th) - lots of snow - slippy in places - had fun pretending to ski down Gable with Rosa on my back! A recce of the 3 Peaks race route (14th) - about 14 miles of the course - snow on the summits, made it hard work underfoot - good training. Next on the agenda was Middlefell fell race in Wasdale (20th) – having spent a week in London for work, I was slightly tired, but wanted to race. A fast run out, steepish climb and then back the same way – weather was really sunny – wet underfoot, but won and so pleased! Legs extremely sore afterwards – walking down stairs backwards! I’ve decided to not do the 3 Peaks or the first Sky Race in Spain….I want to be 100% right for both and the 3 Peaks is fast approaching and missing 2 months of sessions and specific training for it hasn’t helped….. So I’m aiming to begin my Sky Racing at the beginning of August, where I should have some good races and training under my belt. I’ve entered the Chamonix Mont Blanc Cross race in June – I’m going to do the 22km race, so this shall be a big aim of mine! I decided to have a recce of the Anniversary Waltz fell race route on Saturday (27th), which is at the end of April – it was really windy and cold on the tops, but the views were still amazing across the Lake District! Sunday (28th), I went to have a run out at the Kendal Winter League race on Sedbergh – a fast grassy course, meant a fast run out and I felt great, oh and also I won!

UK-based Salomon Trail Team member Ricky Lightfoot took a convincing win at last Sunday's 22km Mont Ventoux race. Here he tells the tale in his own words, and hints that he will be back for the big one in 2011! "After a pretty exhausting Advance Week which included a 4 hour run up Mont Ventoux, 3 runs a day and the best part of 130 miles running, I decided to run the Half Trail Mont Ventoux but had the choice whether to do the long or short at the cutoff point. I raced out hard as always and lead from the start with one French guy with me for the first 3km, he soon faded after the fast run out. Surprisingly I didn't feel too bad after the intense kit testing and training with some of the best mountain runners in the World!! The course itself was fantastic, really rough ascents mixed in with some fast running and technical downhill sections. I got to the finish about four minutes ahead of second place who was Gregory Vollet, the new head of International marketing at Salomon! The half which was 22km and with 3600 ft of climbing was enough for me with the week I had put in, so maybe I will have to make the trip next year to win the full??? Frosty made it a double with the win in the women's half, Anna placed 8th overall too. Next is the Three Peaks for me, the training just never stops..." - Ricky.

It's not all running at the Salomon Advance Week. In fact the runs and the testing are the cream on the cake - and the end result of the engine room that powers Salomon trail running. In the background beavering away are product developers, podiatrists, textile and shoe R&D boffins, photographers and camera people making films and taking shots that will drench the world media over the coming 12 months for product and racer promotion and support. Course its not all running and kit too. The Weds night visit to a local Bedoin wine outlet ensured that the multi-national cultures met as one in appreciation of vin rouge! However, through all of the running and racing talent, the real stars of the show are the backroom staff that make this happen. Having organised events like this for a number of years I know what it takes to put a week like this on. It takes months of preparation, it takes hundreds of hours of travel, it draws on all of the resources and energy that Salomon can muster, to ensure that no stone is unturned on the trail-to-success in 2010. Bonne chance mon ami!

Day 2 and 3 saw some pretty serious running for me. On Tuesday my 1 hour turned into 1.50, with the likes of Jono, Augusti Roc, Nikos and Thomas Lourblanchet. I had never ventured into the 'canyon', heard a bit about it, but never been there. What an amazing place, and the experience was enough to take my mind off the fact that I was operating well outside of my capabilities... The 'canyon' is essentially a gorge that that cuts a path through the rock of Mt. Ventoux, meandering on a steady gradient for around 3-4km. What is most amazing on these runs is the visible ease at which some of the elite congregation ascend. I'm relatively comfortable on the descents, more than holding my own, however when the track goes vertical I'm quickly into the red zone - the chatter within the group as it edged away assured me that those guys were no where near theirs! My second long one with this group was on Weds morning, led by Felix and comprising even more elite talent as Andy Symonds, Ricky Lightfoot and Canadian Phil Villeneuve joined us. Stepping out of the hotel my legs were a little lead-like, and I figured that 45 mins would see me right - wrong. 1 hr 42 later and the tale was much of the same, tough up, in control down. Have to give a big thanks to Jono on some of the last little clips too - how many people can say that have been pushed uphill by a 6-time world champion?! Also, day 3 was our groups look at the new Salomon Exo gear - calves, shirts, shorts and arms. One word. Amazing. It may have been psychological but come the last 10 minutes of the run I really did feel that my muscles we in better nick than when I set out, and having traveled back with the calves on my legs feel surprisingly neat today...

The second day of our sojourn to the south of France involved what a lot of the guys and girls here come to see - shoes - lots of shoes! You'd kind of expect to be doing a fair bit of running on a week that involved Salomon, trails and international athletes but to the fair body of Matt Ward this has been a little shocking. The plan for the day was AM - testing, PM - running, pretty straight forward. As a Salomon 'sample size' (UK 8.5) runner I have the added advantage that any test shoes will be fit for my feet, so there was gonna be no shortage of new product to don on my already tired feet. Interestingly no matter how tired you are running in the company of Jonathan Wyatt and others gives you some additional strength and inspiration, so upon arriving at the canyon (after an interesting 'off road' drive in a family MPV!) at the foot of Mt. Ventoux I was ready for some serious shoe testing. Luckily I wasnt to be disappointed. No fewer that 14 pairs of prototype shoes awaited. From incarnations of the Speed Cross, hybridised with soles, grips, midsoles and stability additions, to completely new concepts in shoe design and fitting systems - it was all there in abundance - I only wish that I could show you some images! The fact that this testing took place over 2 hours with 10 minute running tests (which turned into short drills by the end of the time-lapse) made the experience even more vigourous (not to mention the endless feed back forms) . No stone was left unturned by the amassed international minds, and I am sure that the Salomon R&D team have a deluge of invaluable feedback that will mean the Salomon end-user gets an even better product than was initially dreamt-up in the Salomon LAB!

The Insider blog has been hijacked! (But under my supervision - Matt ed.) You need to hear from the real insiders sometimes - the athletes at the heart of the Advance Week project. Day 2 on the Advance Week in a little village in the South of France called Bedoin and I have managed to nip onto Matt’s computer for some updates. I am here with 30 other elite athletes from 12 different countries trialling and testing new and exciting products from shoes to compression apparel. Without letting on too much there are some amazing ideas from designers who have been involved with Salomon for 10+ years. We have been running 2 times a day testing shoes and bags and giving feedback about the materials, breathability, stability and colours/design. The rest of the week will be a variety of photo shoots in the surrounding vineyards, red stone cliffs, rocky foothills of the famous Mt Ventoux as well as video biographies endorsing our favourite products. The week will be finished off with a choice of the 24km or 42km trail race from the village to the summit of Ventoux and back. The sun is shining and for the first time this year I have been running in shorts and crop tops. What a dream.

What a day! Here I am in the bar of the Hotel Florens, Jonathan Wyatt to my left, checking his mail, Thomas Lorblanchet to my right sharing a joke. The UK team are in bed (Anna, Andy and Ricky) after a long day of product testing, seminars, photoshoots, runs and focus groups - oh and some pretty good food and lively social discussion. For those reading this and wondering what it is like to be in the company of such lofty elite runners, well its kinda normal. All of the Salomon 'family' (product, R&D, marketing, community managers and racers) are a pretty humble lot. If I was to list out the honours achieved by this congregation of trail running 'royalty' I could be here quite a while, BUT you wouldn't know about, as everyone just rolls their sleeves up - Advance Week is a great leveller! For me today was all about photoshoots and focus groups, interspersed with the odd sneaky look over the shoulder of Jono Wyatt and Kilian Jornet at prototype shoes which wont see the light of day until 2011 and 2012 (I have some images and footage on my HD that new Salomon Marketing boss Gregory would probably like to remain there - so you will have to wait and see!) In a focus group this evening we were also party to the future - the SLAB project, and beyond. Rene and Patrick (the boffins behind Salomon's racing and shoe R&D) put their babies out there for all of the congregation to see - we saw shoes that for sure will never see the light of day, it must be nice to be part of history for some of the racers, but to be part of the future? That's satisfying. Anyway, its almost midnight and it's only the Community Managers that are still here, beavering away and spreading the word in their respective peer groups, and we have another action packed day tomorrow, so I better get some rest. Bonne nuit!

What do you get when you go out onto mt.Ventoux with the 2009 winners of the Everest Marathon, the Trans-Alpine Run and the Zegama Sky Race? One tired Community Manager! We arrived at Bedoin late Saturday, and this morning headed out for a 1.5 hour 'loosener' on Ventoux. Andy Symonds, Ricky Lightfoot and Anna Frost barely broke sweat as we meandered through the foot trails at the bottom of the windy hill. Still 1.5 hours later we arrived back at the Hotel Florens all together. The weather for the week is set fair and the programme of runs, product photo shoots, prototype testing and kit working groups looks great. Check back tomorrow for some exclusive shots and feedback from Kilian, Jono, Anna and the UK guys...

It's that time of year when we get the Salomon Trail Team on point from a film and photo library view point. This year was extra special - we were gonna shoot for a whole day (sunrise til dusk) in the New Forest, UK! One thing we hadn't bargained on were the sub-zero temps that the likes of Everest Champ Anna Frost were gonna have to endure. Anna, Natalie White, Andy Symonds and team boss Tim Lloyd were super pro about it though. One thing that marks out an elite athlete is their physique. These guys just have no fat on them, they are thoroughbreds! So, when asked to stand still in freezing temps with nothing but a 2010 Exo top and shorts on, they're gonna suffer. But, what pros! from the very first rustle of Salomon down jackets being taken off at 6am, to the them being replaced at dusk, some 12 hours later, there were no complaints. I was astounded at their dedication. The results are not ready for your eyes just yet. Tog Simon took ,000s of shots, key cam man Pete Cable shot 12 hours of tape (well digi film anyway!) - and all of that is gonna need a fine tooth comb. Suffice to say that the early evidence is awesome. The footage and images will be used across media this year, mags, ads, blogs and sites, all finely crafted to give you the very best visual and audio tasters. More on this over the coming weeks on www.salomonrunning.com/uk and www.salomontrails.com - keep em peeled! Oh, yeah and I'm off to the Salomon 2010 Advance Week tomorrow, so look out for more exclusive nuggets on those sites and our Salomon Trail Running UK facebook page on all things future in trail running. Sweet!

It's amazing what difference a bit of sunshine can make. The UK is currently under blue skies and it's set to stay for the next week or so. Sure, it's still frosty out there at night, but the cold crisp mornings make for great conditions on the hills and trails. For Salomon trail running it's all about Advance Week right now. Starting on the 14th of March nr. Mont Ventoux in the French Alps (I cant be too specific on where or we will have hundreds of trail runners descending on us trying to get their hands on those 2011 goodies!) Advance Week sees the meeting of Salomon's world class athletes and product teams, gathering feedback, testing, futurising on shoes, clothing and all things trail running 'technology'. It's also an opportunity for the world's media to gain access to likes of Kilian Jornet and Jono Wyatt. In which other sport would the media be allowed such freedom to watch and observe the evolution of a brand and how it's athletes are such a large part of this. Oh yeah, and little humble I will be there too, keeping an eye on the UK Salomon Trail Team and seeing what 2011 has in store for you lucky punters when it comes to Salomon trail running product. The big story seems to be the XR range coming next year - but that's all I can say right now. I might even sneak some kit into my case and give you an sneak peek when I return - watch this space...

Where I live is remote. Not remote that the Inuit would call remote, but remote for an island half the size of France with 68 million inhabitants. So, I can run on the trails within 1 minute of my house for hours and hours, and not see a soul. Cool. Then recently I discovered OutFront, from www.mapmytracks.com. A great little app for my iPhone which plots and analyses my global position, elevation, running speed, calory burn, etc. etc. - you get the message. Well OutFront can also place you online, whilst you are doing your stuff, so that granny or grandad can watch you on the hill or trail, from the comfort of their Mac! Great. Then I thought. Oh, this kinda defeats the object of my trail cleansing whilst out there, I mean thousands of people could be watching me, not so remote anymore huh? As technology pervades all areas of our lives there can almost be no escape - embrace, or leave the phone at home? You decide...

The number of events for UK trail runners seem to be growing at a faster rate than ever before. From Turbo X races to Hellrunner, from the more gentle Salomon Trails 10k races to the South Downs Marathon, and now even Olympian Steve Cram is in on the act with the newly announced Kielder Way marathon in October. This doesn't event take into account the traditional fell and mountain races that the UK has been synonymous with in the past. Yep, it really is a time for Joe average to ditch the road for the trails and hills, and as such get kitted up. Which brings me onto the point of trail / mountain product. It's no coincidence that the likes of Timberland, the North Face and Walsh (UK) are getting more involved in the movement. Of course (we are bound to say it) the likes of Salomon have been blazing that trail for sometime now, and it's great news for the consumer that the product to do the job is right there. So with some good weather it should be a great year ahead - and we will be right there with you!