Time: 4:00Was following Runners World Sub 4hrs from the red start - I think they both pulled out (apologies if Neil just hit a bad patch and finished) followed KitKat (Kate) who took up the baton so to speak - not sure if she is a "forumite

marathon.Who are the Pirates?The RW forum Ironman team, named after their fetching yellow and black kit.  The basic premise of the group, when it was first thrown together in 2004, was that anybody can train from nowhere to be able to complete an Ironman

, make sure you’ve packed everything you might need for the weekend. Write a list and check off your kit as you pack – it’s the best way of making sure you don’t leave any essential items behind. Check the weather forecast to get an idea of what

and it was over, I had finished in side 3.45, the time I had hope to do, collected my kit headed off the Macmillan Centre to meet up with my family and friends.What a day, what an experience.Index of all quotesNext quote

from the marshals but no prizes for places - the laudable idea is that everyone's a winner. Before the event, the club even ran a training day to guide newcomers through the rules, practise transitions, try the bike course, work through the kit

.co.uk forumites. You'll also be kitted out with ASICS gear, race entry, travel and post-race hospitality for one of Europe's finest races – the Paris Marathon. What's not to like? Check out the ASICS/Runner's World team at the 2011 Paris Marathon

to be seduced by all the gear for sale, but even if you do splash out, it's best not to try out new kit in your marathon – 26.2 miles is a seriously long way to run in uncomfortable clothes or shoes. If you do feel the urge to liven up your race kit, why

. Competitors often end up in informal pairs or teams, and this year there's an official team prize. The race provides and transports tents, breakfast and an evening meal, but you have to run with your week's food and the rest of your kit.A few more things you

at my PC late at night looking for an event with a difference, I stumbled across a race website for The North Pole Marathon. It instantly seemed to tick all the boxes. A race run entirely on ice, in temperatures as low as –30C, in the middle

stretched and kit suitably pre-gunged, the starting gun sent the field off straight into a fierce headwind which, despite the many twists, turns and changes of direction, was to be a constant feature of the race.  The route, entirely offroad on private