A sea of Pirates on the 3.8K swimPre-race, the city was teeming with yellow and stamped with skulls and crossbones. The question ‘who are these pirates?’ was asked in 25 different languages. The roadsweepers, the shopkeepers, the motorbike officials – all had a wave and a cheer f...

, sand and intensity of the MdS, but smart training will get you as close as possible. Nail down a long-term training plan and sign up for an ultra or two (there are a growing number of multi-day stage races on our events listings). For a pre-race multi

to work and back as often as I could with a loaded backpack, and doing back-to-back long runs at the weekend. But none of it really prepared me for the first stage of the 250.7K challenge, and its 13K section of sand dunes. They were the kind

certainly never run a race like this one. It traverses one of the most beautiful bays at low tide, over sand of varying texture, with occasional waves lapping over your laces. The 13 or 14K as the seagull flies will seem more like a half-marathon effort

- made it easier for nearly 1,000 runners to defy some atrocious weather.The first mile took the field along the beach, where the sand was compacted by the rain and therefore relatively easy to run on. Next up was a spell along the promenade, a circuit

When: April 3Where: BournemouthFirst man: Jon Sharkey 33:06First woman: Rebekah Gardiner 38:46Last finisher: 2:35:52No. of finshers: 1,322Type of race:  RoadRW rating 2011: 92%With golden sands and blue sea to one side, and rows of brightly painted

runners to storm the beaches at the fourth staging of this tough and scenic 12K off-road event. The race, all on National Trust-owned land, starts on the sands of the beach and heads towards Brownsea Island before heading up to Agglestome Rock

the family can enjoy a Halloween treat in the Cheshire countryside. Keep all ages amused with the one mile fun run which has prizes for the best costumes. Then the main event, the Hellraiser race, is an adult only affair. Costumes are optional but getting

of either a medal or a T-shirt – plus a spread of post-event refreshments are sure to make this a hit among runners and spectators alike. More 10K highlights...London Chest Hospital 10K (London, July 8)Sherwood Pines 10K (Nottinghamshire, July 14)The Beaver

with Jonas Brandsbjerg edging out Holland’s Aart Stigter by just five seconds.Five kilometres on the beach might sound easier than the previous two runs, but many find themselves surprised as to how challenging day three’s race in the soft sand of Playa Los