Stepping off the train in Birmingham, excitement washed over me. This was my first time in the city, and it was for a momentous reason—the launch of Year 2 of the Alpine Run Project, delivered by YBB (Youth Beyond Borders). Last year's launch was in London, a more familiar place. This felt like a new journey on top of an already amazing adventure. Making my way to The Compound, I was struck by the city's energy. The venue added to that buzz—a creative studio space with incredible artwork on the walls, including some Banksy pieces that captured my attention. The energy inside was infectious ..read more

As an athlete, my goal is to achieve optimal performance, and I'm always looking for new ways to improve myself. I'm constantly learning and spending hours in the evenings researching ways to improve my performance; I have recently discovered the importance of sleep quality, hydration, fuelling, oral hygiene, and gum health. It's been a revelation how amazing I feel now while drinking water throughout the day. I have developed a love for trail running and racing, and being surrounded by nature. The connection I feel with my surroundings is a unique experience for me. I really believe I can ex ..read more

This past weekend, I was back racing in a cross-country race at Glyndebourne Lewes, representing my athletics club HY Runners. The course was incredibly challenging, muddy, and hilly. The race was 8k long and the final one of the Sussex Cross Country League. I gave my best effort and was in third place for the entire race until the last 800m. However, I couldn't hold the position and had to settle for 4th place. My fall midway through the race cost me dearly. Although I was happy with my performance, I was also frustrated that I couldn't finish in the top three. My legs didn't have it in them ..read more

I raced at the Chichester 10K at the weekend, a well-known event held at the Goodwood Motor Circuit. The course is famous for being fast and flat, making it perfect for runners looking to achieve quick times. The weather was mild but windy. Three sharp turnaround points made running at my best challenging and made it harder to maintain my pace. Despite these challenges, I was determined to achieve a new personal best over this distance on the road. I had been training hard for weeks and felt confident I could achieve my goal. The course was wide, and the running surface was excellent througho ..read more

I am excited to announce that my friend and mentor Carl Adams and I have been selected as one of the four grant winners for the 2024 Run the Alps Trail Running Film Festival in partnership with ON Running; it is truly an honour. My film Elevate, hosted by Hillary Geradi and Martina Valmassoi, starts at 47:00 minutes into the online Film Festival. https://youtu.be/MeOWPjQyEUA?si=HQUxsgqrpgn-w0GV The theme for this year's festival is exploring boundaries, and I am excited to share our film, Elevate a Trail Running Film, with the audience. Filmed and produced by James Mitchell, The film tells my ..read more

This past weekend, I travelled to Spain to participate in the TRAIL ROCACORBA running race in Cant D'Adri, just a 30-minute drive from the beautiful town of Girona.   The race was hosted by Klassmark, a sustainable race organisation linking sport and nature in a unique and socially responsible way. The sustainable race T-shirts, wooden bowls and cups were a nice touch and souvenir to use at the post-race banquet.   I signed up for the 'Trail race,' which had a distance of 24.7km and an elevation of 1320m. The positive slope was +1.350m, the total ascent was 2,300m, the maximum altit ..read more

Hey everyone, I wanted to share my recent experience at the Cross Challenge London Parliament Hill senior men's cross country race. This was only my fifth cross-country season of racing, and I was happy to have the opportunity to compete at such a high level and represent my club, HY Runners. Despite the challenging course and the tough competition of 100 elite runners, I finished the race in 83rd place at 34:56, which I'm proud of. As a runner still fairly new to the sport, it was an amazing experience to compete alongside such talented athletes. Witnessing so many runners pushing themselves ..read more

Last week, I came across a radio show where Nihal Arthanayake interviewed Brenda Farrel, the Director of Commercial Services at Barnados. This charity was established in 1867 by Thomas John Barnardo. I was amazed to learn about Barnardo's philosophy, which refused to discriminate between the 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor and accepted all children, regardless of race, disability or circumstance. This philosophy still guides the charity today as they believe every child deserves the best possible start in life, irrespective of their background. During the interview, Brenda Farrel discussed ..read more

2024 is here, and it is the perfect time to set goals and aspirations for the year ahead. As we welcome in the new year, I have two goals that I am working towards. The first is to inspire people who have been through similar struggles to mine. As someone in the care system, I know that people in care are often overlooked, misguided, and do not find a focus in life. They get trapped in the system, and it's easy for them to lose hope. However, running can give people in the system a focus and the drive they need to succeed. Running is helping me achieve my dreams in 2024. That is why I have st ..read more

I am excited to announce that my friend and mentor Carl Adams and I have been selected as one of the four grant winners for the Run the Alps Trail Running Film Festival in partnership with ON Running; it is truly an honour. The festival, which is set to take place in January 2024, aims to showcase some of the best trail-running films from around the world. The theme for this year's festival is exploring boundaries, and I am excited to share our film, Elevate a Trail Running Film, with the audience. Filmed and produced by James Mitchell, The film tells my story and how I found myself toeing th ..read more