September 15, 2016 XMiles Team

Road to Lavaredo 2017 - Jack Gammon

Cool running's - A music teacher up a mountain.

Things that shouldn't work but they do; Eddie the Eagle, Chocolate and sea salt, - Cycling with no pants on, A 70 year old bloke in a school uniform (AC/DC)

We've all seem the films right! ?. What kind of feel good film would it have been if that Jamaican bobsleigh team hadn't overcome huge adversity and triumphed in a tearful mess?!, What if Eddie hadn't landed a Single jump?.

Success stories the likes of Eddie and the boys must come down to something right?. A bit of luck?. Sure there's a lot to be said for being in the right place at the right time , but as we gently shift to talking about me any of my loved ones would tell you I've never been very good at that bit. I'm sure I've missed as many good opportunities as Richard Branson has grasped.

So let's focus on another aspect that seems to crop up a lot in our heroes stories .

SHEER BLOODY MINDEDNESS AND THE HELLBENT DESIRE TO ACHIEVE CERTAIN GOALS. now that bit I can do!!

Again what kind of film would it have been if our plucky young Jamaicans had sacked it all off and gone home after their first run?
Surely it's this kind of drive and passion that you see in people from time to time that writes the stories and fills the dusty box of memories.
(I'm getting to the point soon I promise, stick with me)

An old friend of mine has always said that ' the race is a bonus', its the journey to the race where all the good stuff is hiding. Its this journey that i hope to write about in the lead up to my next 'big one', The friendships that get galvanised through the hours of training together, the shared stories and unwritten 'rules' that crop up along the way that become the little guide by which you manage your life. The gentle balance of trying to manage your family life whilst playing at being an aggressive mountain runner from your suburban cul de sac Base camp (Alt zero mtrs above sea level, 2 pints semi skimmed Tuesdays and Thursdays please).

My next door neighbour flicks his newspaper at us from the window of his warm living room every Sunday morning, rolling his eyes as we set out in the cold for another pasting, but you know what ? I wouldn't swap our Sunday batterings for the world, because as new stories and rules get written out there I know I'll be surrounded by my little crew of nutters , and they all 'get it!'. And I'm pretty sure that if you have read this far then you 'get it' too (cue little smile to yourself)

So what's this ramble all about Jack? Get to the point man! Yep you've guessed it, I've entered another mental race. In fact to be precise I've been invited to another mental race

(I know! ? No one's more excited than me, I hope I get a press pass or a special hat or something)

In my roll as roving reporter for Hard as trails.com I will be competing in and reviewing The North Face Lavaredo Ultra Trail. A very hard but beautiful 120km high mountain race in the Italian Dolomites next June. A wonderful write up on the race can be found in Tobias's 50 races book. (check it out, but be careful, You will enter races !)

So there it is. It's all a bit of a jumble as I only found out I was going last week. I'm not sure what form it will all take yet but do get in touch and share your stories. The one thing I can guarantee you is the drive and passion of a certain Jamaican Bobsleigh team! The rest of the stories and dramas up to and into the race?.. they'll come! It's part of what we do.

I'm off to see if the air is any thinner on the upstairs landing.. I doubt it.

Run happy, Jack