Great Barrow Challenge.

Looking for a challenge? Come join us on the Great Barrow Challenge.

The challenges are:

• Walk - 6,10,15 or the full 26.5 miles

• Run - 6,10,15 or the full 26.5 miles

• Marathons- 26, 262 or 524 125 miles

The event will start and finish each day at The Academy Health & Fitness Centre in Barrow. Each day will be a different route which will consist of both road and off-road terrain, while taking in the beautiful Suffolk countryside.

The Great Barrow Challenge is for both civilian and military individuals and teams.
So come and join us to see a view of England you can't replicate and challenge yourself.

Perkins Great Eastern Run- Peterbourgh Half MArathon

The Perkins Great Eastern Run is a half marathon in Peterbourgh. It is a really nice one as it is relatively flat. It takes place in October and is one of the ones I enjoyed the most because it was also only one loop. If you are looking to have a PB, this is the one for you.

Spartan Race

The Spartan Race is an obstacle running event. It takes running to a whole other level. There are crawling obstacles, climbing, shocking and fire! It is a great way to switch up your running and see how fit you are!

Alzheimer Research Big Walk

Jane and I joined the first Big Walk and really enjoyed ourselves. It was a 10 mile walk from Great Shelford to Cambridge and back. The paths were very easy to walk and I think that this is the perfect distance for someone who is looking for a challenge but doesn't want to overexert themselves. Remember to bring water and put on some sunscreen!

Race for Life

We do a lot of charity walks and runs but some of the best ones are tied to the Cancer Research UK.

The Race for Life are women only events that you can take part in.

Get the family involved!

Plus you get a free pack and water at the end!

Run to the Beat Half Marathon

I have to admit, I have become a bit of fitness freak since leaving the US Air Force. I cycle to work and I run 4-6 times a week. I also love to do long distance walks and try anything that seems like a challenge.

In 2010 I wanted to run my first half marathon and so I signed up for the Run to the Beat Half Marathon. At the time I was working at Sweaty Betty at the time. As I was helping a customer who was also running the Run to the Beat Half Marathon, who only lived around the corner from me. The great thing is have we become really good friends and she began to run with me and Dusty in the mornings.

The Run to the Beat is a half marathon that takes place in London. near the O2. The race has bands  and DJs playing along the route and you run through Greenwich Park. It was really good, but there were two hills that I didn’t anticipate and I should have used the restrooms when I saw them, because I had to slow down until I finally saw another one. The scenery was good. It was great to run through Greenwich Park because it was where the Sweaty Betty Autumn/Winter 2011 catalogue pictures were taken and I thought it is amazing and that I must go back for a visit at a slower pace.

There were people on the side cheering you on and it just made you keep going. I completed the race in 1:50:44 so I am pleased as I have been told that if you do your first half marathon in less than two hours, it’s a good time.

I hope that you guys will take part in the activities and I hope that you make life long friends like I have :)

London to Cambridge Bike Ride

Jane and I took part in the London to Cambridge bike ride in 2011. It is a 60 mile bike ride that begins with Pickett's Lock (outside of London) and ends at Midsummers Common.

We met some lovely girls from Lakenheath while we were waiting to get on our bus and they must have kept up a good pace as we never saw them again :)

I have been training in the sense that I ride my bike to and from work and around Cambridge. I am also a keen runner so I was hoping that I would be in good enough shape to get me through this.

Jane loves long walks and did cycle for an hour a day leading up to the event.

It was a really great experience. The weather was fabulous. It was so motivating seeing the amount of people who were taking part, especially the people I inspired to take part like Dean (All Star Cleaning, window cleaner for my shop) and the guys I used to work with at Amino.

My father-in-law also took part on the Marshalls team. My husband and a family friend are looking to take part that is if my husband can get a few days off work (he has a arthritis in his ankle due to a work-related accident- 2.5 ton cherry picker falling on his leg) and the family friend has to get the okay after surviving cancer.

I would love to do this again and again.

Looking for a challenge? Get a team together and tackle this :)

Suffolk Walking Festival

This is a great affordable way to get out and about. Jane and I did the 18.5 mile walk from Bury St Edmunds to Clare. This one was a long distance walk but there were several that were tours around the area. The aim of this festival is to get people active and if you are looking for something to introduce you to some of the walks. There are some walks that you can take your children on and also some walks allow dogs. Why not get out there and get ready for the summer!

Newmarket Nights

I love Newmarket Nights. It is a chance to get together with your friends, see some races (and maybe win) and go to concert. Where else can you do that?  During the summer, they usually have 6 Fridays that they have concerts.

We usually get tickets to the Garden Enclosure. They are the most affordable tickets, you can bring your own food and alcohol and it has a children’s area (playground and bouncing castle). When the races are over all the enclosures open up and everyone moves towards the stage to listen to the music.

It is a great way to get together with friends!

Cambridge to Ely Walk

The Cambridge to Ely walk is a fairly easy walk, I think that the distance (18 miles) is more a problem than the terrain, it is East Anglia. It follows the River Cam starting from Midsommers Common up to Ely.

This website really gives the walk in great detail but stop in Ely!

Jane and I have walked this several times. I find it best when the weather is good but not too hot!

You can also walk from Ely to Cambridge, either way you will walk by the sailing club I belong to so make sure you wave!

Chariots of Fire

Ever since I heard about Chariots of Fire, I wanted to take part but never could find enough people who were also committed to doing it so when someone at work asked me to join them, I only hesitated long enough to see if I had anything scheduled for that day.

 It is 1.7 mile relay which each team does 6 laps that go through the city centre and through some of the colleges.

I was really excited about participating in this event. After being in the military, I know that this is a great way to get to know your colleagues and feel like a team. I was also presently surprised that Jon was going to come down and cheer me on.

I thought that the organisation was great. It felt like a village event even though Cambridge is a large city. I have never taken part in a relay before but really liked how this was setup because you could cheer the people taking off and the people coming back. It was also great because I saw a few other people I knew.

If you are looking for a team feeling kind of event, this is it!

Big Bike Ride

The Big Bike Ride was going to be a challenge and I knew it. This was the first time that Cambridge did an event like this. It was 201.2 km (125 miles). It started off from Jesus Green and went up North to Doddington through Huntingdon  and swung back through St Neots and then back into Cambridge.


The route was well manned with 5 checkpoints along the way with a van sweep the end to catch people in trouble. They had free food and water along the way which I thought was great as most of the rides I have been on only seem to give it out at the end.

I struggles on this ride. My knee started tpo hurt at mile 40 and I tried to keep going but 25 miles usually takes 1.5 hours but it was up to 2 hours becauseI was going so slow because I was in so much pain. I did not have any pain killers so when I got to the 100 mile checkpoint at 5 p.m. (I thought I would have been finished by then and probably would have been without the trouble of my knee) I had to admit defeat and call my husband to ask him to pick me up.

I hear that they are going to do this again next year and I would like to give it another go.

Hillsborough Tragedy

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough Tragedy. If you have been listening to the news lately, you will have heard about it but maybe not know what it was all about and why something that took place is still be so important.

I work with a guy who loves football and his team is Liverpool. I do my best to stay on top of football and feel lucky I played soccer as a child so I know a bit of what I am talking about. How am I doing Daniel?

Anyways. On April 15, 1989 there was a game between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the Hillsborough ground. They were competing in the semi-finals for the 1989 FA Cup. If you have not been to a football game in the UK, they group the supporters by teams to prevent any altercations. I have heard of people buying tickets on base for football games for 'neutral areas' but these do not exist so be advised.

So the Liverpool fans were going into their designated entrance. The turnstiles were slow to let people in and so fans were starting to push to get in. At that time most places were just standing, there wasn't any seating as seen today. After this tragedy that is when seating became common place. There was fencing put between the crowd and the pitch to prevent spectators from going on the field. It was more first come, first serve. The pens behind the goal filled up first.

The police allowed another gate to be opened to relieve the stress on the people trying to get in. That gate lead people into the pens behind the goal which were already too full. People began to climb the fence to get into the pens next to their which were not as full.

The game started and six minutes into it, the fence of one of the pens behind the goal fell over because of all the people. 96 people died as a result of overcrowding and only 14 made it to a hospital. It is still being talked about because there was a huge cover-up with the police and emergency responders because their response was slow.

The Sun reported the fans were said to have been drunk, urinating on the police and rescue workers and pick-pocketing the victims. The Sun is not sold in most newsagents in Liverpool still to this day despite them apologising for their article.

Only recently they have decided that they are going to do another full inquiry into this because of the covering up and false reports that has recently come to light. This will never bring these people back, many were children, but hopefully they will get the justice and truth that they are looking for.

On Sunday, Liverpool won against Manchester City and the football captain, Steven Gerrard, had a tear in his eye. He said "I'm speaking on behalf of everyone when I say the win was dedicated to the victims and families of Hillsborough." In fact, he lost his cousin, Jon-Paul Gilhooley, who was 10 years old and the youngest person to die in this tragedy.

Here is a good timeline of what happened.

Norwich 100

I did the 100 mile bike ride in 2012. It is a beautiful and scenic route from and to Norwich. It went through some small villages and along the Norfolk coast. I was told the fens were flat but this did have its fair share of hills. I rode my hybrid bike that I ride to an from work but a lot of people had racing bikes because they are lighter.

I suggest bringing water, sunscreen and food. It does have stops along the way that will allow you to fill up with water, use the toilet and they sell snacks. Halfway they have a compulsory 30 minutes stop. At these distances like these I do suggest padded pants! I was kitted out in my Sweaty Betty cycling outfit. This was an enjoyable event and I might do it again.

London Marathon

The London Marathon is the largest fundraising event in the world. It is hard to get a space in it but it is easier it you run for a charity but they often expect you to raise a couple of thousands of pounds for your place.

If you aren't running it, it is a great thing to go and cheer on the runners! I have already signed up for the Shakespeare marathon later in the year but I would love to be one of those 35,000 running next year.

The atmosphere is amazing! Check it out!

Walk the Walk- Moonlight Walk

The Moonlight Walk is a 26.2 or 13.1 mile walk around London which begins around midnight. It raises money for breast cancer and has been going on for 15 years. The atmosphere was amazing as there 17,000 ladies and many walked in just their bra that was given to them. 2011's theme was 'walk on the wild side' so many where decorated to reflect that.

It was a very challenging but it was an event Jane and I are happy to have done. It is a great way to raise money for something that affects us all in one way or another. It is a great event to get the girls together and challenge yourself. We walk marathons regularly but found this challenging because you were walking over night. So we suggest to go down as late as you can, take a nap and dress warm!

Sports Relief Mile/Comedy Relief

Sports Relief is a charity  event where people of all ages can raise money for both in the UK and around the world.

They also a night of Comic Relief where there is a night of standup and fundraising.


So take part in an event for Sports Relief and then eat in to see the crazy things on Comic Relief.

The Lent and May Bumps

This is another interesting tradition in Cambridge which dates back to the 1820s. For those of you that don’t know rowing is very important in Cambridge University. They have an annual race against Oxford.

The bumps take place in the Late Lent Term and the May Bumps after the May Term. These terms are unique to Cambridge and Oxford as they run based on the Christian Calendar and with the Christian Holidays.

They also have the annual bumps that are races between the colleges.

At the bumps the 17 or 18 boats line up the River Cam from Jesus Green all the way to Baits Bite lock. Once the small cannon is fired, the boats try to bump the boat in front of them before the one behind them bumps them.

The bumps are held over four days and if the boat bumps another boat, they move up in the line on the next day. The starting order is based on the place they finished on the previous year. The crew that moves up 4 spot s or maintain their place at the head of the line will burn a boat at the finale.

If you want to watch the bumps, you can go along the River Cam and do so. It is advisable that you be careful when watching the less experienced teams as they might end up on the river bank. Afterwards you can go to the Plough in Fen Ditton and have a pint and many of the crews might be joining you.

Its traditions like this that make me love England and Cambridge.

Shakespeare Marathon

I wanted to run a marathon as part of my fundraising for Help for Heroes so I picked the Shakespeare Marathon as I did not get into the London Marathon. I had heard a lot of good things about the organisation and route.

Jon and I went up early the day before to Stratford-Upon-Avon and had a look around.

On the day of the marathon there were 40 mile winds and 60 mile gusts and it was raining, hard. I was only able to do the half marathon due to the weather. I think if the weather had been nice, this would have been perfect for a first marathon. The track goes around twice and there are 2 big hills but the course was lovely.

It was great despite the weather!

Kendal Mint Cake

Kendal Mint Cake comes from the Lake District and is used by Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay to become the first people to the top of Mount Everest in 1953. It is made out of sugar, glucose and water, it gives a quick boost of energy because of the sugars.

If you are in the area and climbing the hills, make sure to have this in your backpack.