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!

Yep you can follow all of the goings on in the world of Salomon Trail Running over at our UK Facebook page. News, views and updates regularly.

Get involved!

For more information: Salomon Trail Running

New blogs from Anna Frost and Andy Symonds on their very different exploits, in very different parts of the world!

For more information: Salomon Trail Team

Massive well down to everyone for taking on the filth and crazy hills (feeling the aches today!) at the Salomon TURBO X, Surrey Hills on Saturday.

Sunshine was out in force and the bogs were as deep and gooey as we'd hoped...

Check out the race times from the day at:

www.racetimingsystems.com

Look out too for race day photography from Phil O Connor:

www.philoconnor.com

Loved it and looking for more? The Salomon TURBO X at Bordon on the 21st November is next to hit the South... get booked!

Salomon's yearly Advanced Week in France sees the most dedicated and passionate trail runners from Salomon's R+D teams, retailers and athletes come together.

Over the course of the programme, they test new concepts and brainstorming for future developments- making sure that Salomon's apparel, footwear and gear fits the exact needs of those hitting the trails.

Our own Matt Ward took off along with Ricky Lightfoot, Andy Symonds and Anna Frost to give their pearls of wisdom when it comes to trail kit.... check out the video!

For more information: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl_VKFJhRIk

TURBO X is almost upon us! If you've not signed up yet make sure to get your place.... you can do this online at www.runnersworld.co.uk.

There's some brilliant prizes on offer- from SLS TRI SOCKS to SUUNTO HEART RATE MONITORS for those that take home the top spot!

MOTI will be retailing at Surrey Hills on the 15th May, make sure to check out the kit www.mymoti.com to see the range of Salomon specific trail kit on offer.

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 British 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.

For more information: Anna Frost

Two weeks ago the Salomon trail Team and Salomon GB marketing staff headed out to the south coast of England for film and photograph the 2010 team and product line for media and product exposure through 2010.

Film teaser profiling Anna Frost is now online at the Salomon You Tube channel...

For more information: Meet Anna Frost

Salomon Trail Team athletes Ricky Lightfoot and Anna Frost took the spoils at the 2010 Trail du Ventoux in Southern France on Sunday (21 March).

The 22km and 40km events saw almost 1200 competitors tackle the 'windy mountain', with a healthy covering of snow in the summit region. Competing in the 22km event Ricky and Anna dominated the raceing from the early stages and won by comfortable margins.

The race was the culmination of weeks training and product camp at the Hotel du Florens, Bedion, where Salomon athletes and product people from the world over gathered to discuss the future! The base also proved a great arena for the duo, along with fellow Trail Team member Andy Symonds, to hone their form ahead of the 2010 fell and mountain season...

Seems like the weather is getting one up on us recently... with all the rain this week the site for Surrey Hills TURBO X has turned to soup! Unfortunately we've had to change the date from March 7th to May 15th instead. For anyone that has entered already, 209 Events will have sent an email to alert you to the change. You can contact them at www.209events.com.

With a few more weeks in the training diary, we'll see you on the 15th!

The March edition of Runners World sees double-page spreads for both Ricky Lightfoot and Andy Symonds, as the magazine spotlights "international champions you may never have heard of". Featured along with top ultra-runners Jez Bragg and Lizzie Hawker, Andy and Ricky are portrayed as 'sky runners' who have the reached the heights of world-class. Titled "On top of the World", the magazine devotes a total of 8 valuable pages to the sport and as leaves the reader with the impression that these athletes are 'unsung' as far as world-level endurance running goes. Interestingly Andy comments that he quite likes 'going under the radar' as far as stardom goes and feels that the mystique of the sport of fell and mountain running is one of the attractions for him.

A really good read, and some great profile for both Ricky, Andy and the sport in general.

Our site is undergoing changes as we speak to update all the 2010 info. Importantly, we have all the dates up there so you can sign up at Runner's World online to make sure you have entry!

For any information regarding the races, you can contact 209 Events at www.209events.com.

Here's to another year of trail challlenges to add to the diary....

we've just uploaded the new dates for 2010.... there's the perfect mix of trails for you no matter the level or distance you want to go. Want a challenge for the New Year? Choose from the TURBO X - 10 miles of mud and filth up to your waist, or go for a 10km mid week Forest Trail run as part of training or to get a taster of trails. There's the full distance if a marathon is in your sights.... check out the Timetable page and get involved!

After months of preparation towards this year’s goal in Nepal, the 2009 Commonwealth and 2008 World Mountain Running Grand Prix champion Anna Frost has smashed the Everest Marathon record (formerly held by team-mate Angela Mudge). However, Anna had a tough start to her 2009 season. After some early knee problems the decision was taken to undergo knee surgery in May to help rectify the ongoing issues that were plaguing her training. Following a successful operation utilising keyhole technology Anna headed for Europe and immediately her form returned and has been built on ever since.

In the months leading up to Everest Anna secured wins at Drei Zinnen and the Commonwealth championships in Keswick, UK. A good spell of acclimatization in Nepal then saw Frosty hit the Everest start line in top condition.

Her run on Friday saw Anna secure a number of firsts. Apart from being first woman across the line Anna also broke the record by a massive 27 minutes, she was the also the first non-Nepalese athlete, male or female. Comparing Anna’s time of 4 hours 35 minutes with the 1987 winning time of 6 hours 52 minutes also puts her achievement into perspective.

Speaking briefly after her momentous run Anna said:

“I am feeling amazing. I am really happy with my race and so happy to have the new record and to be the first woman across the line. 6th over all behind 5 Nepalese men. The race went really well for me apart from a couple of injuries that I picked up.

It seems that Anna’s race wasn’t run without the odd mishap:

Yeah well, my ankle is bluey pink and fat from turning it at 8km, I didn’t sleep a wink due to my altitude dry (and green) cough and snotty nose, not to mention my over dose of sugar and caffeine from the day before (I never want to see a ZipVit gel again!), and I am a little stiff not only from the 42km 1000m climbing and 2000m descending but also from where a Yak butted me to the ground at the 2km to go marker!”

Anna now makes her way back from Nepal and no-doubt some well earned r&r. Expect an in-depth interview with the 2009 Everest Marathon winner in the coming weeks.

Early news comes from the ceiling of the world that Kiwi Anna Frost has produced a staggering performance at the Everest Marathon. Although results and times are provisional at this stage, the Commonwealth champion placed 6th overall and produced a time of 4hrs 35 minutes…
The time takes a huge 25 minutes off the record set by Angela Mudge in 2007.

A full report and reaction from Anna will follow in the coming week...

Sunday the 22nd of November marked the final event of the year for the Saab Salomon TURBO X. With gale force winds and oceans of rainfall it made for the muddiest of them all!

Check out the GALLERY section of the site to see all the latest photos and make sure to check back over the next week to see the video in full so you can re- live the filthy action!

All race times can be found at www.racetimingsystems.com and to buy an official photography of yourself from the day, make sure to visit www.philoconnor.com.

New dates will be released very soon - you can book a place on the first TURBO X of the year on the 7th of March 2010. Just head to www.RunnersWorld.co.uk and make sure you get your entry!

It was a Saab Salomon 1-2-3 at the closing race of the 2009 Scottish Hill Running championship on Saturday.

Andy Symonds took a clear win at the Meall a Bhuachaille race, in Glenmore. It has been quite a 2009 for Andy with many mountain marathon wins, the coveted Trans Alpine title and all topped by the birth of baby Elliot.

Andy was chased home by Robbie Simpson, one of the revelations of the 2009 British fell scene. The Deeside runner has been in scintillating form as both a junior and senior this year, culminating in a GB vest, and victory at the Junior Home Internationals.

Completing the podium was Tom Owens, who also did enough to win the Scottish championship, adding the crown to his runner-up spot in the British championship (behind Rob Hope), a big win at Mont Ventoux earlier in the year and that legendary run with Andy at the Trans Alpine run in September – quite a year for Tom!

John Heneghan is Yorkshire champion....

A few hundred miles down the road at the Great Whernside fell race John Heneghan was winning titles too. Sheffield-based John led from the gun in the short sharp 4 mile race. It’s good to see him approaching some stronger form after a (by his standards) disappointing last month or so. John had a great start to the year winning at the Surrey Hills Saab Salomon Turbo X race, plus a string of high quality runs.

With the XC season approaching John will join the likes of Nick Swinburn in developing his speed and endurance in preparation for 2010.

Robbie Simpson was presented with the Eddie Campbell Memorial Award at the recent Scottish Athletics dinner. This award is given annually to a junior athlete who has shown excellence combined with sportsmanship in hill races – a befitting award for humble youngster with a great future!

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!