Eventrac News

2024 Christmas newsletter

30 Dec, 2024 09:20 By: Ceri Rees

**Long email disclaimer. No bots were used in the making of this email and therefore…it’s a long one.**

At the weekend I ran across Dartmoor with some friends from south to north. Nothing especially different about that. I’ve done it many times. But this time, the clag closed in like a sardine can, pressing horizons up close, forcing you into the moment and banishing future plans. It was exactly what I needed. A spontaneous plan, the company of others, a long run to end a long year. 

Normally, I think long runs enable you to be a time traveller. You can escape current preoccupations, reflect on the past, find solutions to family issues, challenge yourself, meditate, feel gratitude, let your mind wander, make plans, connect with what’s around you, make a vow to return, maybe with friends, or someone you care for. But on this occasion, it was simply about being in the moment. 

The day before, I’d sat down to write this newsletter and no words would come. This partly reflects the flux going on, such as moving house. For someone who prides themselves on being able to put pen to paper, this was new and slightly baffling. But as soon as I got home, the thoughts that had been spinning around, all settled. New words and thoughts began to emerge. 

In June, I wrote about Joss Naylor, who died this year and reflected on what this one-man running folklore had done for fell and trail running. The simple values that he endorsed, seem pervasive in our sport now, a counterpoint to commercialism. But it’s not, I believe, at the opposite end of the spectrum. Every one of us is unique, with our own motivations.

Many people feel disenfranchised by their jobs, society, their families or the schools they came from. A lack of self autonomy can bring a need for more control. Being able to set and achieve your goals, is one way of going about this. A little bit of self knowledge, which marries science with art (method and process), is I think, a good thing. 

This year, I completed a certified personal training course, which has enabled me to marry some themes, which are important to me, such as movement, engagement, community performance, wellbeing and self knowledge. It’s also empowered me to engage with clients/guests in a more informed and meaningful way. I’m aiming therefore, to add this to the mix at our camps and retreats this year. 

I’ve also been thinking about…

The People

Looking back on a roller coaster year, there are some people who have stood out.

Like the guy with MS, who successfully completed the Summit Wild marathon (a fairly brutal coastal marathon, which formed part of our Something Wild Festival). 

A guest at our Andalusia camp, who subsequently also came on our Lakes Camp, was celebrating her first anniversary since suffering a horrific skiing accident, in which she burst all of her knee ligaments and was told she may not walk without a limp. Remarkably, she was able to run up a mountain and on the fells, after just 12 months of painstaking physio. The joy of this realisation was etched across her face. I felt lucky to be able to witness this first hand.

Then there is the swim run pair, who crossed the line together in first place, on our Rocky Horror swim run (Something Wild Festival-Long course). They had met at the same venue (Hope Cove) while on holiday with their parents and had become friends. The pair returned to our end of summer Something Wild Festival overlooking Hope Cove, to win the swim run, 15 years later. 

I’d also like to recognise the efforts of some of our exceptional events team and guides, many of whom hold down full time jobs, but still find the time to deliver their expert services. These are also some of the people who have inspired me this year. 

I’ve watched my pal and fellow guide, Jacob Tonkin become something of a fell running legend with his short film George, about running with his dog in the Lakes. This was a kind of therapy for Jacob, the creator of the famous Tea Rounds,who has continued racing and running with Crohn's disease. I’ve enjoyed working with him for the past three years and hearing his tales (although sometimes they need trimming Jacob eh?). I also blame him for the knee cap i sustained running a BOFRA fell race in Coniston, after throwing down the gauntlet on our fells camp. OK that was my fault but let’s go with it. 

Liz Bates, who will be trying to enter the Guinness Book of Records for consecutive Olympic triathlons, this year, has been guiding on our camps for a couple of years now. We wish Liz well on her record attempt up in Abergavenny.

I’ve been lucky enough to meet some exceptional yoga instructors, who add so much value to our camps in terms of self knowledge and connection, not just as a bolt on activity, but as a tool to raise body awareness. As a result, I’ve become a yoga convert. This year, we’ll also be working with Yorkshire based Olivia Mulligan and Brecons based Lucy Jardine, who are as good as they come. 

At our Brecons trail, fell running and yoga camp, I invited Lily Dyu and Angela Jones (Wild Woman of The Wye), who are both ground breaking activists, authors and adventurers, who are passionate about the environment, along as guest speakers. This is part of my mission to deliver an experience which is inspiring, long lasting and transformative, as well as invigorating, while considering the environment. Watch this space as we partner with more environmentally aware people in 2025. 

The Places

Once again, we returned to Andalusia, where our friend Bernard Genge, has transformed an old redundant mill into a beautiful, welcoming space for retreats and holidays. A few weeks after we left, the molino viejo fell victim to the floods and the rambla funnelled cascades into the basement, causing considerable damage. But being a resilient man, Bernard took it all in his stride and dealt with it. It’s now restored to its former glory. We can not wait to return there in March for our Andalusia running and yoga holiday (from March 12th).

In May, we’ll be back to Wallabarrow, a lovely old farm in the Duddon Valley, for our Lakes Fell running and yoga weekend. The farmer Chris Chinn, is a former fell runner himself and has a few stories to tell. He’s a lovely man, and the ideal host for our camps. 

Wester Ross, Scotland Sky running camp: We took a brief break from this camp in 2024 but will return there in August 2025, for what is one of my personal favourites, surrounded by big boned beauties on either side in Torridon. 

The Salmon Run- This was the third time we’d staged this ecologically inspired event, alongside Anne Marie and Joe Salter of Tidelines CIC. This year, the Green Runners (thank you Damian), plus Innes Fitzgerald, Olympic Gold medallist Etienne Stott and naturist-activist Chris Packam, got involved. While forecasts of gales, meant we couldn’t go ahead with the relay and community 5k, the ultra went ahead and was a success. We hope to build on this in 2025.

To go broad or go narrow?

Looking back often requires you to accept above all else, the need for change. But change is not just novelty. I mean reaching inside and looking for the thing that makes it all worthwhile. 

Running on the fells and uplands, has often given me the clarity to put my life in perspective, to find solutions to personal problems and to think broad under a wider canopy. Watching the changing skies between seasons, quite literally, as you run outdoors in all weathers, requires you to see change as imminent and normal. It also helps you to plan the year ahead.

Last year, after being diagnosed with ADHD, I joined quite a few social media groups. I think I was looking for some common threads to understand my past and to support/or change the strategies I had evolved as a result of being neurodivergent. But the more I read on social media, the more I came to think that there is something of a self fulfilling prophecy in belonging to a group who exhibit the same, or similar flaws, not necessarily taking full ownership of them. Much better I think, to focus on your strengths, instead of trying to prove people (or yourself!) wrong.

Racing and long run challenges take you to a different place. They require commitment and devotion to the cause, which is often more specific than doing it for some kind of therapy, or to help you find peace. I consider myself lucky to have been able to set up something based around what I love doing. Sometimes this comes at a cost, as your social needs start to overlap with your business requirements and the boundaries can become blurred. This year though, I’ve decided it’s OK to need a challenge. And I’m at peace with that. 

When I look back at our events in 2024, I see that our events audience has been getting younger and younger. I’ve noticed a trend for twenty somethings, who want to support their buddies running across Dartmoor, following them from dawn til dusk. I’ve found this enormously uplifting. They aren’t a tribe and sometimes, they aren’t even really into running. They are just there to support a friend because it feels good. Roll on with this trend. 

Which brings me to children’s movement and running camps. This has been a long time in the making but  I’m in the process of making this happen. Dates TBC soon. 

Partners

We’ve been lucky to work with some great partners, some local, some not. Like Firebrand Brewery from Cornwall, who have generously donated their fine beers for our events. We’ve raised money for lots of different causes, like Devon Air Ambulance, Shower Box, Force Cancer, and will be doing so for Shareshed, Friends of the Dart, RNLi in 2025, among others. 

You may have noticed that our website has moved and is now part of Eventrac. This is because I’ve wanted to centralise things and to minimise admin. I’ll be adding more blogs and podcasts in the early part of the new year.

Phew…I told you it was a long one. How do you cover an entire year in one email? 

Finally thank you to all you runners, some of whom I’ve met, some who I haven’t, for keeping the Wild Running waters flowing. I hope you find your flow beneath the changing skies.

Ceri and the Wild Running team