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COPA

Here to take people on running trips up into the hills, and other mini adventures

21/10/2025

My A race for the year
A return to see if I could better how I did last year ?
Well that didn’t go as well as I had hoped 🤷‍♂️
Quick recap

Day 1
Started well was running with the front 5 for the first 4/5miles until my chest tightened, no problem I thought as the Dr had prescribed me an asthma pump, I set off again chasing after dropping down to 10th
No joy the run was getting harder chest getting tighter legs heavy without the oxygen they needed, slowly my race slipped and the mind went ! I finished 20th and not in a good way, worried about the next 2 days I thought I’ll just have to take it easy and enjoy the scenery my race was over on day 1 !!

Day 2
Easy start climbing up to 2850m again I was struggling with my chest tightness I was 33rd place on the top and not worried as I was enjoying some time with a friend I’d met last year, as we moved along the tops I felt good and Richard suggested I push on, I passed 17 runners on the almost 12 mile technical decent and finished 16th, I was surprised to say the least but Day 2 definitely played to my strengths the most.

Day 3
Well !!!! After a 3 hour sleep most the night sat on the 🚽 and 🤮 I didn’t think the day would go well 🤦🏻‍♂️ long day out in the hills I thought to myself!!
No breakfast no coffee and one last sit down 🚽 before race start I listened to the 10second count down from the toilet in the sports hall and rushed to the starting pen, I was the last through the gate smashed a 90gram gel and pushed! The day got better and better I got stronger passed 106 runners along the route, not my sort of race terrain, way to much running and hight gain but something inside me turned up 🤷‍♂️ last year this day was my worst day this year it was my strongest 💪 finished 14th

Overall lessons learnt, altitude is tough
Start slower, keep my head!!

Body is doing great, bonus no injuries
Overall 15th place same as last year but this year there were 30 more starters so it’s a win in my mind

Sorry for the Spam
Good to get it out so I can process 🙌

Bring on the next challenge 💪

07/09/2025

So Part of my journey has started, to embrace and learn every part of this race I needed to live it from the other side first.
I’ve had a wonderful week through rain and a little sunshine chasing runners putting signs out, marshalling road crossings, putting out radio repeaters (forgetting the aerial 🤦🏻‍♂️) helping out around camp wherever needed.
That’s just the fun bits!

I managed a little bit of reccing the course, seeing the different terrain through Wales, seeing how much work i need to put in for training, figured how the camp site works where everything is what food there will be 💪

Another big plus this week has been following the progress and unfortunate DNF’s of friends on the race, and being able to be a friendly face for them on the course and at camp well done to everyone that started on Monday morning it was such a tough week 279 runners started and only 90 finished the full race.

Darren Owen, Tom Chandy, Chris Williams, Mared Llywelyn Neil McLure & Siwan Glyn for finishing the half days & a very big congratulations to Ieuan Belshaw for completing on his 3rd try and finishing 3rd 🥉 Male 💪

Thank you for taking me in as one of the family for the week thanks for a fantastic experience volunteering your an awesome Team 🙌

Let’s see if I can get myself into shape and keep the body together for finishing next year 🤞

21/08/2025

Night out in the van and a day riding in bike park wales, love spending time with this growing boy and now we’ve found something awesome we can do together 🙌 ❤️

01/08/2025

Trip to Ireland for the night with these beauties ❤️

24/03/2025

I did a half marathon with Neli 6 years ago and promised myself that i wouldn’t race with her again as she was so fast and i couldn’t keep up, it’s her 9th Birthday this week and she’s stiffened up after big runs in the last year, so i decided that a last big run would be a good birthday gift for her.

So a 30mile race was just the right distance for both of us, a long drive down south to Llanharan in the van, camped the night in the rugby pitch where we set off from, early start on the Saturday morning and my plan was to hit it hard from the go gun.

We shot out the blocks and were in front from the beginning, running scared we were flying and Neli was having the time of her life, she ran and ran without a sniff every now and then jumping into streams and puddles to cool down, we’d put a considerable lead together that ended up being almost an hour in front.

Neli could have gone again once we’d finished me on the other hand NOT, I’m glad that I could show up strong for her and not let her down.

Number 1 Dog 🐶

16/12/2024

Not my Bag BUT I had fun. You have to open up yourself to other activities and opportunities.
Ren is really into his football, this isn’t my thing but it’s installing team spirit, routine friendship and fitness into him so why would I not encourage it 🤷‍♂️ the reason he’s fit enough to come running or biking with me things he didn’t want to do before is because of hard training and playing football.
This weekend we went on a trip with Cemaes U13 to watch Stoke city v Cardiff he had a fantastic time even though he doesn’t support them, It’s ALL about the experience 😊 I also enjoyed it and had fun with the other Dads 🙌 Rens birthday was last week and he got a new bike off me and Jen, although unwell with a cold and very tired after the trip he really wanted to get up on the hill Sunday morning for a ride that’s what Football has done for him 💪 super proud of my boy ❤️

04/12/2024

A week of eating!!! Before and after racing, for a none meat eater usually my body was screaming at me for meat after the race so had a mixed grill 😬 satisfied the body needs and helped repair the legs quickly.
Incredible fresh delicious food everywhere we went out to eat in 🇵🇹

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