Cleveland-Mountain-Rescue-Logo

A BIG Bike Ride to Support Cleveland Mountain Rescue

Between 5 – 12 June, we’re going to donate 5% of money received on ALL ORDERS to Cleveland Mountain Rescue.

Supporting Outdoor Enthusiasts

Feetus HQ is sandwiched between the North Sea and the beautiful North York Moors in Middlesbrough, Cleveland. We’re lucky to have big hills, vast open spaces, and sandy beaches on our doorstep, so it seems only right that we support a local charity that supports outdoor enthusiasts like ourselves.

TransAndalus, TransMurciana, Hardmoors Trail Marathon

During this 8-day period, Feetus company owner Lee Firman is embarking on a solo bikepacking adventure through Southern Spain. Riding from Malaga to Murcia via the TransAndalus and TransMurciana MTB routes, he will cover around 850 off-road kilometres, cover the elevation of Mt Everest TWICE. And to top it off, the day after he returns, he will run the Hardmoors Osmotherley Trail Marathon (in the North York Moors).

All for a Good Cause

Camino de Santiago 2014 (Via de la Plata route)
Camino de Santiago 2014 (Via de la Plata route)

To some it may sound a little crazy, but its all for a good cause; to raise money for Cleveland Mountain Rescue.

“I love adventuring in rural places, so I’m really excited to tour round the biggest mountains of mainland Spain and explore the hidden gems of Andalusia. I do confess to being nervous about the long climbs; I’ve cycled multi-day trips before, but have never encountered such long, grinding, off-road climbs. It’s gonna be challenging!

…and of course, I’ll be sporting the gear we rave about here at Feetus, including my KSO EVOs (the PERFECT lightweight travel shoes!), Injinji toe socks, the FirmAppa neck tubes (I don’t leave home without!), and some new Feetus t-shirts. I’ll also fuel-up on MuleBar” 

So if you place an order during the week between 5 – 12 June, we’d like to offer an EXTRA THANKS.

And if you’d like to give a little more to this worthwhile cause, please visit Lee’s JustGiving page here.

The Hardmoors Rosedale 13.1 (Half Marathon) Race Report

Part of a brand-new series of marathon, half-marathon, and 10K distance races known as ‘The Hardmoors 26.2 Trail Marathon Series’, in the beautiful North York Moors, I lined up for the inaugural Hardmoors Rosedale Half Marathon 2013.

The weather forecast was mixed, and even when toeing the line at 10am, we still had no idea whether the sun would remain or the clouds would bring rain. Fortunately for us, we benefitted from the former!

3, 2, 1, GO!

50 or so of us moved through picturesque Hutton le Hole, taking a left turn at the top. I hadn’t planned to lead from the start, but that’s just the way it panned out. This did have its drawback. Within the first mile there must have been four separate gates, each with their own unique fiddly opening mechanism, meaning any time gained during this first stretch was hampered.

Shortly after, I lost sight of the markers and headed up a hill. Being the leader, naturally those behind followed, and I lead a dozen runners a short distance away from the route before realising we’d gone wrong. I have a tendency to get lost and decided, for the remainder of the race, to stick to the front of the race but necessarily to lead.

The next 7 – 8 miles were very rewarding. Myself and another runner left the pack and made some good distance. The route was absolutely stunning with a real mix of terrain: single-track, heather, mash, tarmac, as well as the occasional hop across a stream. Hills were aplenty and we covered woodland, farmers fields and barely-used trails. Trail running heaven.

Straight after the second checkpoint came a huge hill – A real calf burner. I gained considerable time over 2nd place during this long ascent. Despite the sun hammering down, I managed a consistent pace and reached the top, awash with sweat, but still feeling strong.

Over plains I ran before the route followed the old railway line. Views over the valley were sublime, all the fields coming to life in the (rare!) sun.

After a few miles further I arrived at the third and final checkpoint on the infamous Chimney Bank where, during a quick swig of water, was told to continue up the bank and turn off at the top. This is where things went wrong.

Hardmoors 26.2 Rosedale Feetus
Hitting the top of Chimney Bank

Oops

After following the route markers that lined the right of the road to the top, there was a marker on the top to the left next to a path. It seemed only logical that this meant the route would continue left back on to the trail. Five minutes later I was alarmed having not seen a marker since the road. I slowed down to a stop, and studied the landscape in search for a marker. I waited for 2nd place and we both agreed that we must be on the right track despite no markers. Another two miles without a marker confirmed we had definitely taken a wrong turn, and also that our efforts to carve out a good lead had been in vain. There was no point turning back – and instead we continued, asking passers-by the best route back to Hutton le Hole.

We added an extra 3.5 miles on in total, in addition to a stream crossing and a punishing valley descent/ascent. We arrived in to the Village Hall disappointed to have finished in 9th and 10th positions in a race that, if not for our carelessness, should have been won by either of us by a considerable distance.

Recommended

Despite the result, the race was fantastic. Excellent organisation, great support, perfect weather, and the best half marathon route I have ever had the pleasure to run. The Hardmoors series of races are incredible. I cannot wait for the next.

For more information on this fantastic trail running series, head over to: http://262.hardmoors110.org.uk/cms/?q=node/1 

And if you’re looking for trail-specific shoes, be they ‘barefoot’ or minimal, check out Feetus’ range here: http://feetus.co.uk/footwear-c1/trail-multi-terrain-running-c22

Hardmoors 30: The New Years Day Hangover Cure. 2013

Ran the Hardmoors 30 on New Years Day. What a race! Glorious views! Great people! …and it didn’t even rain!

Really enjoyed the first 10 miles, though by starting too fast, I only had myself to blame for my 20-mile demise. After scoffing a few jellybeans and a pink doughnut at the checkpoint at Robin Hood’s Bay, mile 13, I was sick. This could probably be attributed to too much alcohol over Christmas, but from this point onward, I felt like, joint by joint, limb by limb, my body started to say “Why should I help you out today? You should have put in more training! You shouldn’t have drunk so much over the last week! Pig!”

If I had ran with a Garmin on my wrist on the day, the analysis would provide a story in itself. After hitting Whitby at mile 19, it was a welcome relief to be at a checkpoint and actually have an excuse for stopping. I hung around for five minutes, and headed back out on to the (surprisingly busy, considering it was NY Day!) streets of Whitby.

A wrong turn (or rather, missing the left-turn on to the Cleveland Way) after the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey added insult to injury. From here on, the trails were so muddy I could only liken the conditions to Glastonbury.

I cursed every step taken. I wanted to give up. I was bored of feeling shit, and fed up of just shuffling along… I was cursing myself for having a sober, half-ten bedtime the night before when I could have enjoyed an Indian and polished off a crate of beer with the wife. It sounds odd, but at the time I would have easily traded places with someone nursing a New Years hangover. Near the final ascent, a driver asked if I wanted a lift. It was so tempting to eat the forbidden fruit, but I refrained.

Taking another wrong turn less than half a mile from the finish summed up my day. I followed the trail for about half a kilometre, and only realised my stupidity after a pair of walkers told me no other runners had passed this way.

I hit the finish line at the Village Hall in 6 hours, 3 minutes. Disappointed I was, but in hindsight I am extremely proud of finishing after what was quite a long period of feeling low and swearing at mud. It is a fantastic route through 30+ miles of breathtaking scenery and I would recommend it to anyone 100%!

Now, being a man, I have never given birth, but I because I’ve got two kids myself I feel ‘almost’ qualified in making this statement. Ultrarunning can be very much like childbirth. The ‘doing’ is tough, it’s horrible, and you vow never to do it again, but straight after, these feelings are replaced with something you are extremely proud of. The pain is forgotten and you want more!

A partnership is created…

I really enjoyed Running Food’s flapjack on the day though. I had one an hour before the race, and another during, and I definitely felt the benefit from them, and got a huge boost from eating something more substantial than a gel or some sweets.

I had kept Tim’s business card from the race and called him a couple of days after the race to discuss the possibility of becoming a reseller of his ‘RunningFood’ products. What a top bloke! We spent a good hour on the phone covering all topics. I’m pleased to say that Feetus will become a reseller of Chia Charge and that magical flapjack, bringing RunningFood’s stuff to the hands of the UK barefoot and minimalist running market at feetus.co.uk.

It hadn’t occurred to me on the day, but I believe these chia-infused super-snacks will sit perfectly against the brands and barefoot and minimalist items I will be selling at feetus.co.uk. Can’t wait!

As for running. I can’t wait for the next race. The Hardmoors Osmotherley 26.2 sounds perfect!

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