Question: How often do you get the chance to meet with a load of like-minded people, attend a presentation by a top ultra trail runner, trial a full range of the best sport nutrition on the market, and then take guided runs through some beautiful Shropshire trails?
Answer: Not very often (unless you’re a pro runner).
Well that’s exactly what Torq (in association with FreeStak) put together for a group of trail runners this weekend.
A Trail Team is (Almost) Born
This was billed originally as an ‘Assessment Day’ to help select a small group of amateur trail runners to form the inaugural Torq Trail Team. Not only would this team proudly represent Torq at events across the country and have a healthy supply for Torq goods at their disposal – but they would also be taken for a training holiday to cover the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc (UTMB) circuit. Not bad eh?
Saturday: Education. Inspiration. Perspiration.
The format of the day was very relaxed. After an hour of socialising, a brief introduction from the charismatic Simon and Julie from FreeStak, we received a fantastic presentation from Torq’s nutritional guru, Ben. It’s fair to say that we all learned an awful lot from what became an interactive session covering all aspects of ‘fuelling’ on the run. Don’t hit that wall!
We were then treated to a superb session with Stuart Mills. Thought-provoking, inspirational, controversial, and more… “Run as fast as you can, when you can”, “If you’re doing core work, you’re not doing enough running”. If you’ve never stumbled across Ultra Stu’s blog before, do it today, you won’t regret it!
Inspired and wired (on gels), we donned our running gear to hit the trails across the Long Mynd. Often surrounded by low cloud, battered by a side wind, and shin-deep in snow, we were distracted by great company and beautiful views. The only competitive aspect of the run was perhaps the rush for the showers at the end.
Sunday: Long Run
Sunday’s schedule was simple. You either ran a 2-hour circuit, or a 4-hour circuit, and your reward would be a well-earned hotpot in the hostel. The typical British weather did little to put the hardy group of trail runners off on what turned out to be an unforgettable day of running.
The Future
Torq and FreeStak have got big plans for this concept going forward, with plans for the next few years already being formulated. It’s fair to say that interest in this Trail Team will only grow, but who knows, if you stay up to date with Torq via their Facebook page; it could be YOU in 2014…
In the meantime, why not try out some of Torq’s amazing products?
Massive Thanks To (and links to their sites):
It’s also worth checking out some of the inspirational runners who attended the Torq TreamTeam assessment:
Reuben Tabner (The Bearded Runner)
2 thoughts on “The Torq Trail Team: 2013 (An Extraordinary Weekend)”
Great write up Lee! And good to meet you too. Hopefully see you out on the trails in the not too distant future…