Autumn is creeping upon us and it is one of the best times of year to pack in the pavements and to take your running off road. Trail running is becoming more and more popular with more and more events being launched to meet the demand and to showcase the wonderful spirit of the trail running community.
It is getting darker and colder, so I have decided to offer a free Trail Running themed competition for you all to enter and hopefully brighten up your day.
Maybe it was my trailblazing Shite Runners blog or my efforts in the Hoka Highland Fling Relay, but I am delighted to announce that I have been selected to be an Ambassador for one such event.
That event is Tough 10 and it is the latest charity run from Cancer Research and also the event that I hope to mark my return to running in.
It will have been 10 months without running and I cannot think of a more apt race to make my return in. It has been a Tough 10 months.
Tough 10 is a series of, you guessed it, 10 challenging but fun 10K races across the UK which range from simply Tough for our southern softies in Essex (sorry to my Essex family, I couldn’t resist) to the Toughest in Edinburgh (where I will of course be running). Every event is located in an iconic region of the country and they are designed to appeal to the rough runner is all of us
The Tough Ten events are, you guessed it, tough.
Competition Prize 1
The Tough 10 events have no obstacles, other then the terrain and your mental and physical strength, the odd chance of mud and some of the most stunning running routes that you are likely to encounter this autumn. The Tough 10 series kicks off this weekend in the Peak District before heading off London’s Epping Forest on the 23rd October and ending the 10 race series in the sumptuous surround of Margam Country Park in South Wales.
Only one event has sold out (well done Essex) and you can find and register for your closest Tough 10 event here. Why not recruit a team of Tough runners and make this challenge your introduction to trail running. At only £20.00 per entry it is also great value.
To celebrate my impending return to running, I am offering even greater value. For the cost of a comment, three of you have the opportunity to win entries to a Tough 10 event near you (or far from you, if you fancy exploring)
Competition Prize 2
And that’s not all!
On October 15th, Glasgow sees the return of the terrific TrailFest Trail Running Festival. Trail running legends and the trail running community come together to celebrate all that is great about running in the great outdoors.
Glasgow welcomes back the Trail Fest
Speakers such us as Debbie and Marco Consani (the JOINT creators of Marcothon-before I start another debate) are joined by the almost human James Stewart, who ran an incredible 160 miles in 24 hours, and many other inspiring runners, including my fellow Tough Ten Ambassador Lucja Leonard. You can listen to their tales or hit the trails with special events and coaching sessions.
Tickets for this all day event cost £45, but one person can win a free entry, while two more can win one of the special and limited edition #RunDirty Buffs (as modelled by the one and only Ryan Scott).
RunDirty but run warm with the Glasgow TrailFest Buff
Competition Prize 3
If the Tough Ten and Glasgow Trail Fest prizes are not enough, then allow me to put a little colour into your life. The colours of the rainbow, to be precise.
Sept 19-25 sees the launch of Stonewall Scotland’s Rainbow Laces campaign. A week when we can all show that running and sport are for everyone. Unfortunately, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia still rear their ugly heads in sports as well as in society and it is great to see running groups like the Glasgow Frontrunners and events such as the Jedburgh Three Peaks Ultramarathon offering inviting and friendly running environments for all.
Rainbow Laces. Sport for All
And as part of Rainbow Laces you can buy, you guessed it again, rainbow coloured laces to show your support. These can be bought here for the small sum of £2.99 but one lucky winner will win two pairs.
And be sure to snap a picture of you and your laces and post them on social media with #RainbowLaces
To win all of these fantastic prizes, Just enter below and follow the instructions Every entry will be entered into a draw to win one of these fantastic prizes. Due to the dates of all of the events and the campaigns, you will have up until Friday 7th October to enter. This will allow you to enter almost all but one of the Tough Ten events.
To enter this fantastic free giveaway, just follow the instructions in this Rafflecopter
There are three ways to enter
- Tweet the campaign and then enter your tweet url in the box before confirming you have tweeted in the bottom right hand “I Twitted” box
- Follow myself (@howmanymiles_ ) and CRUK on twitter and enter your twitter handle (i’ll follow back) and hit the “I follow”button.
- Post the answer below and again hit that button on the bottom right of rafflecopter
All will earn you entries and the tweet can be done daily. It IS a bit complicated, but it makes selecting winners fairer and easier if I get lots and lots of entries. Plus it hopefully generates lots and lots of tweets about the Tough 10 events and #RainbowLaces.
Good luck with the competition and don’t forget to get out on those trails. A whole new world awaits and it beats pounding the streets.