Monthly trail running challenges for a challenging year
Our lives changed dramatically in 2020. There were reports of a new, deadly and contagious disease spreading in China as early as January. Nonetheless, we carried on regardless. It is difficult to rein in a world system that is built on travel and consumption. Eventually COVID-19 caught up with every part of the planet and we humans had to respond. We had to avoid each other as much as possible. This meant staying at home as much as possible.
People suffered in many different ways. The inequalities in our society were highlighted and the systems that perpetuate them were revealed. I suffered in my own relatively small way as a result of systemic discrimination and injustice. The system is UK immigration and my own experience came about by marrying a foreign national. This is why I am doing monthly trail running challenges for charity in 2021.
January 2021 – every weekend half marathon
The challenge is to run a half marathon every weekend. As it happens, January has 5 weekends, ice, mud and maybe even snow! On top of that we are in lockdown and I’m finding a way through an injury.
Nevertheless, every step is taken in gratitude for the opportunity to ‘do something’ in beautiful surroundings. Here where I live we have fresh air, lots of trails, beautiful coastline, woodlands, moorlands and bogs!
Trail half marathons January 2021.
February 2021 – Shapes of Solidarity on Strava #haveaheart
This year we might wonder if February will bring us to end of lockdown and the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of us have been separated from our loved ones through this difficult time due to the UK’s cruel family immigration policies. We wonder when we might see and end to these too…. this has been going on since 2012!
The monthly running challenge for February will be to make heart shapes on the Strava App. Please join in! We can collectively call the February effort ‘Shapes of Solidarity on Strava’ #haveaheart. Last year Paige Ballmi delivered a petition to the Home Office on Valentine’s Day. Click on her name to read to her story.
It was a blogging month too:
Running for Love
A tale of hearts, hills and tides
The Heart of Gower
March 2021 – An Ultra Marathon on Gower Peninsula
Another event has been re-postponed. It would have been Blacks to the Beacons trail marathon. Hey-ho… what to do instead? Distance and elevation should do the trick, which makes the monthly running challenge for March 10 000 ft elevation gain per week.
This became and ultra marathon on Gower peninsula.
Discovering Hidden Gower, hiding from a Gale – Ultra Marathon.
April 2021 – Learning from my running injuries
Awaiting inspiration.
I truly needed inspiration in April as it was recovery from injury time. I wrote about it in What can I learn from my running injuries? A challenge for April 2021.
May 2021 – Run Every Day Streak
Pembrokeshire Coastal Marathon…. but it’s more like 27.5miles or something like that!
The marathon was postponed once more to 2022.
I did Run every day streak: a challenge for May 2021 instead.
A write-up followed with Running streak: A challenge for every day… amongst others.
June 2021 – Mountain Running in Wales
Chamonix 23 km up the mountain!
The race went ahead but quarantine was still required. I ran up some other mountains instead to prepare for the biggest challenge of the year: Montane Dragon’s Back Race.
Mountain Running in Wales: training for Dragon’s Back Race (part 1)
July 2021 – Mountain Running in Wales
Awaiting inspiration.
Inspiration came with more spectacular mountain running to prepare for Dragon’s Back Race.
Training for Dragon’s Back Race (part 2): Mountain Running in Wales
August 2021 – Countdown to Dragon’s Back Race
RED – Run Every Day. May was already RED. The challenge of August was to run less, to wind down and rest before taking on the Dragon! This gave a bit of time for reflection.
Countdown to Dragon’s Back Race: reflections and final preparations
September 2021 – Dragon’s Back Race
Beacons to the Black Mountain Marathon. I took a voucher for this one as I did the Dragon’s Back Race instead.
Dragon’s Back Race: an epic journey to beyond your limits
October 2021 – Park Run
Maybe another Marathon in tandem with Lauren. The marathon did not happen for me, but Lauren smashed her first marathon in Manchester.
Here is her blog about it. It is a very entertaining read.
October 2021 challenge: Manchester marathon.
I was still living in the aftermath of my epic September challenge. You can read about it here.
Dragon’s Back Race: The aftermath of an Ultra Marathon indulgence.
November 2021 – Endurance Life Gower Ultra
Too far ahead to even guess or await inspiration!
Get involved
If you’ve read this and are an immigrant yourself, and/or a runner, or just someone who wants to get involved with the fundraiser, reach out either through the comments here or on Twitter.
Ready to donate?
Are you on board to help fight for fairer family immigration policies? Let’s do this.
Follow
You can follow my running campaign by subscribing to my blog. I will be posting updates and reflecting back on how things go. Who knows what 2021 might bring. Maybe the Home Office will #haveaheart and stop putting such an extortionate and exclusionary immigration #priceonlove.
