Ribble Running, Burnley (2026)

07/06/2026

Wholan Nook: Uphill Regrets, Downhill Redemption

The forecast for Wholan Nook was officially grim. John’s pre-race briefing. Possibly. Hard to tell without the megaphone. Heavy rain was due, the sort of forecast where the little weather symbols stop looking like rain and start looking like a personal threat. As I left home, the black clouds hanging over the sky didn’t offer much hope that the Met Office had got it dramatically wrong either....

The forecast for Wholan Nook was officially grim. John’s pre-race briefing. Possibly. Hard to tell without the megaphone. Heavy rain was due, the sort of forecast where the little weather symbols s…

10/05/2026

Pinhaw Fell Race: Falling With Ambition

As I drove home after the race, a wave of endorphins hit me all at once. Life was good, I thought to myself. Not perfect, not polished, and certainly not pain-free, but good. The sort of good that only seems to arrive after you’ve dragged yourself up a hill you didn’t fancy, kept going when everything wanted to stop, and found something waiting on the other side....

As I drove home after the race, a wave of endorphins hit me all at once. Life was good, I thought to myself. Not perfect, not polished, and certainly not pain-free, but good. The sort of good that …

07/01/2026

No Fireworks Required

New Year’s Day, taken sensibly There are two types of runners on New Year’s Day.Those chasing fireworks. And those quietly hoping their back doesn’t explode before mile 2.This year, I was firmly in the second camp. I turned up without big expectations or grand plans. The aim was simple. Take it easy early, build into it if things felt good, and see how my body behaved....

New Year’s Day, taken sensibly There are two types of runners on New Year’s Day.Those chasing fireworks. And those quietly hoping their back doesn’t explode before mile 2.This year, I was firmly in…

16/12/2025

Towneley

More than twenty years ago, I last ran cross country at Towneley as a schoolboy and finished fourth. I don’t remember the time. I barely remember the race.I remember the feeling though. Belonging there. Being strong. Feeling like running was something I could rely on. Saturday was my first time back at cross country. I wasn’t sure I should even go....

More than twenty years ago, I last ran cross country at Towneley as a schoolboy and finished fourth. I don’t remember the time. I barely remember the race.I remember the feeling though. Belonging t…

05/12/2025

Cragg Runner 5k

6 a.m., Friday 7th November. The house was quiet, the kind of pre-dawn calm where even the kettle knows to keep it down. I was creeping downstairs to head out for work, half awake and trying to remember if I’d sorted everything for race weekend. Then betrayal. My feet apparently forgot how stairs work. I missed the last two steps and made a spectacular, unplanned descent into the hallway....

6 a.m., Friday 7th November. The house was quiet, the kind of pre-dawn calm where even the kettle knows to keep it down. I was creeping downstairs to head out for work, half awake and trying to rem…

13/10/2025

It’s taken me a week to process how I somehow ended up on a podium. Still convinced there’s been a mistake.
The sun was out, the wind was relentless, and a dog very nearly ended my medal hopes.
Full write-up now live on the blog. A proper Ribble Runner tale if ever there was one.

The last time I raced with Its Grim Up North, the heavens had truly opened. Sheets of rain hammered the windscreen, wipers thrashing back and forth just to keep a glimpse of the road ahead. Puddles…

25/08/2025

The Brilliant Idea (at the Time) I’d booked this race while still in the middle of the Grand Prix series, thinking it would keep me going once the madness was over. Four miles isn’t a distance I’d raced before, so I had no clue what sort of time to aim for, or even what kind of shape I was in. To be honest, before the race I felt like I was ready for a nap, having just got back from an overnight 700-mile round trip to Plymouth....

The Brilliant Idea (at the Time) I’d booked this race while still in the middle of the Grand Prix series, thinking it would keep me going once the madness was over. Four miles isn’t a distance I’d …

16/08/2025

🏃‍♂️💨 Boulsworth Fell Race: Where I Pretended to Run and the Hills Won Anyway

Sunshine, sheep, and slightly panicked runners in a show ring… I survived the last race of the Grand Slam, legs heavy, lungs complaining, and pride somehow squeezed in between the hills. Spoiler: the hills definitely won, but there were moments of pure magic—encouragement from fellow runners, breathtaking views, and yes… a few hay-fever tears (honestly).

Swipe to see:
1️⃣ Pre-race selfie – nerves & suncream applied
2️⃣ All runners in the show ring – chaos before the start
3️⃣ Bottom of the climb – “maybe I’ll crawl instead?”
4️⃣ Boulsworth Hill in the distance – still standing!
5️⃣ View from the top – worth every step

📖 Full chaotic tale on the blog

Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix – Race 13 Sunday Morning at TrawdenSunday morning at the Trawden Agricultural Show. Stalls opening, the smell of burgers on the breeze, the sound of sheep blea…

05/08/2025

🌧️ Mud, misery, and somehow... a PB.
Race 12 of the Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix — Worsthorne Moor — was wet, wild, and deeply questionable life-choice material.

I walked. I slipped. I may have cursed the skies (and my shoes). But I also knocked SIX minutes off last year’s time. Go figure.

From barking dogs to technical descents, motivational ghosts, and unexpected pacers. It’s all in the blog.

📸 Featuring:
🧥 Me doubting everything in a waterproof
🥾 The hill that nearly broke me
😅 A finish-line selfie, 100% humidity included

☕ Dive in, have a laugh, and if you were out there (or tackled another race in the series), I’d love to hear your story too.

Worsthorne Moor Pendle & Burnley Grand Prix Race 12 The Bark That Launched a Thousand Regrets It wasn’t the rain hammering on the bedroom roof that woke me. It was the dog barking to go out for…

23/07/2025

🧙‍♂️ New Blog Drop: Cows, Climbing & Chaos! 🏃‍♂️💨

Just posted a recap of this year’s Tolkien Trail 11K — feat. 👇
✨ One magical course
🐄 Several judgmental cows
🪜 Too many hills
🧁 Not enough cake (until the end)
😅 And a sprint finish I’m still emotionally processing

I went full hobbit mode through the woods, tiptoed past livestock like a man breaking into his own garden, and tried to descend a wet hill in deep-tread shoes like Bambi on roller skates. It was glorious.

Big love to for another brilliant race.
If you like scenic suffering, race-day chaos, or want to know why I was almost flattened by two flying women and a Blackburn Road Runner — it’s all in here.

One Race to Rule Them All I suppose this was the race that coaxed me off-road and onto the trails. I’d heard about Pennine Trails starting up, and the buzz around the first Tolkien Trail race back …

Ribble Running

07/06/2026

10/05/2026

07/01/2026

16/12/2025

05/12/2025

13/10/2025

25/08/2025

16/08/2025

05/08/2025

23/07/2025

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