Twitxy Saved

UKRunChat

Verified account This account is verified. Learn more

@UKRunChat

We facilitate chat about all things #running | info@ukrunchat.co.uk | @shrewsburyhalf
UK ukrunchat.co.uk Joined July 2013
21K Following 75K Followers 218K Posts

Latest posts 5

UKRunChat Verified account @UKRunChat
Run South London, London’s newest closed-road half marathon, has announced a new partnership with leading small-group adventure travel company, Intrepid Travel, ahead of Run South London’s inaugural staging on Sunday 14 March 2027.

The partnership brings together the organisations shared belief in the power of experiences to connect people, build communities and inspire new adventures.

Run South London will welcome 12,000 runners on a 13.1-mile journey through Morden, Wimbledon and Raynes Park, in the borough of Merton, passing iconic landmarks including the All England Lawn Tennis Club, Wimbledon Common and Wimbledon Village. The event is being delivered by The Great Run Company in partnership with Merton Council and aims to bring communities together while showcasing the very best of South London.
UKRunChat Verified account @UKRunChat
53 year old Julian Evans is seeking to become the first Brit to run 7 marathons in 7 continents in 7 days while raising £1m for a motor neurone disease charity, in support of rugby icon Lewis Moody.

Julian Evans, from Leicestershire, will take on the Great World Race this November. He will complete these marathons in extreme temperatures ranging from -35ºC to 30ºC on virtually zero sleep.

Evans has already conquered the Seven Summits, climbing the highest peaks on each continent, meaning he is set to become the third person and first Brit ever to have completed both global challenges.

The Great World Race starts on 15 November in Antarctica and ends in Miami on 21 November. The race also includes marathons in Cape Town, Perth, Singapore, Algarve and Cartagena, with participants running more than 180 miles during the event.

Evans is a Proprietary Partner and Global Head of Healthcare at Knight Frank and has raised around £5m for charities down the years, summiting Everest and rowing the Atlantic, along with many other epic adventures.

His Great World Race challenge is fundraising for My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and is aiming to generate over £1million for the motor neurone disease charity. He has been a long-time supporter of Doddie Weir’s foundation and a lifelong friend of Leicester Tigers legend Lewis Moody, who was recently diagnosed, having gone to Oakham School with each other as kids.

Evans is also a Trustee of the Matt Hampson Foundation, which supports people with catastrophic spinal injuries, and is also closely aligned with the rugby community. Some of the proceeds from the challenge will also go to them, alongside the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.
UKRunChat Verified account @UKRunChat
Joma has launched an updated version of its TR-5 trail running shoe, developed for ultra-distance racing.

The shoe has been redesigned with a lighter construction while retaining the stability, protection and fit needed for longer distances. The development has focused on maintaining comfort over extended periods, with grip on uneven terrain and support for repeated foot strikes.

Spanish ultra-distance runner Miguel Heras was involved in the development process, helping Joma assess the shoe in real-world conditions, including changes in terrain and the demands of racing over several hours.

Heras said: “In ultra, I’m not looking for the most responsive shoe. I’m looking for one that is comfortable and stable, and that gives me the confidence to focus solely on running. That’s what we’ve worked on with the TR-5.”

Joma says the updated model has been developed through its J Lab product development process, which involves working with elite athletes to incorporate their experience into product design.
0:05
UKRunChat Verified account @UKRunChat
SuperHalfs has announced the launch of SuperHalfs EUROPA, a new six-race half-marathon series that will offer runners a new journey across Europe, starting in 2027.

The inaugural series will bring together six new races, in six new cities, in six new countries: Napoli in Italy, Warsaw in Poland, Belgrade in Serbia, Vienna in Austria, Riga in Latvia, and Stockholm in Sweden.

SuperHalfs EUROPA builds on the success of the six SuperHalfs founding races, which will now bear a new name of SuperHalfs ORIGINALS, in Lisbon, Prague, Berlin, Copenhagen, Cardiff, and Valencia.

The two series will operate separately, each offering its own six-race challenge and distinctive SuperMedal. Runners can choose the journey that suits them best, or participate in both in parallel, and complete the series and its six races in any order and at their own pace.
2 replies 2 reposts 6 likes 1.8K views View on X
UKRunChat Verified account @UKRunChat
British adventurer Karl Bushby has finally arrived home in Hull, 28 years after setting off from southern Chile on a journey to walk around the world without using transport to make forward progress.

The 57-year-old former paratrooper began his expedition in Punta Arenas on 1 November 1998, with the aim of walking all the way home to the UK. On 2 November 2026, he arrived at his mother’s front door, completing a journey of approximately 31,000 miles across 30 countries.

It has been far from a straightforward journey. Bushby was arrested as a suspected spy, detained in Russia, held at gunpoint and had close encounters with polar bears. He also spent several years stranded in Mexico while trying to resolve travel restrictions.

Among the most challenging parts of the expedition were crossing the Darién Gap, travelling across the frozen Bering Strait from Alaska into Siberia and swimming the Caspian Sea. More recently, on 5 October 2026, he swam the English Channel, reaching Shakespeare Beach near Dover before continuing his journey home to Hull.

Over the course of such an extraordinary journey, reliable footwear was essential. Bushby initially wore whatever shoes he could find along the way, but in 2013, while walking across the United States, he discovered Merrell.

He subsequently made the brand’s Moab hiking shoe his footwear of choice, wearing both waterproof and breathable versions across Central Asia, Europe and some of the world’s most demanding terrain.

“For the first 15 years, my footwear was whatever I could find in the next roadside town. You get what you can find. Then in 2013 while walking across America, I tried a pair of Merrells and took an instant liking to them. From then on I sought them out wherever I could,” said Bushby.

“Through Central Asia, Europe and all the way home, the Moab was my go-to for its comfort and durability. I’ve taken both the waterproof and the breathable versions to destruction on the road. The possessions you do carry hold significant sentimental value – the shoes were always so dependable.”

Bushby said he chose the shoes himself after trying them during the expedition, rather than as part of an original sponsorship arrangement.

After 28 years, Bushby’s arrival in Hull marked the end of an expedition that had taken him across continents and through some remarkable challenges. He was welcomed home by his mother, Angela, and his son, Adam.

Merrell’s Chief Marketing Officer, Richard McLeod, said Bushby’s experience demonstrated the demands placed on footwear over such long distances.

“Karl’s journey is the kind of product test no lab could ever recreate. The fact that he independently chose the Moab, then continued to rely on it for more than a decade, is a powerful testament to its comfort and durability.”

For Bushby, though, the biggest achievement is surely reaching the front door he set out to walk to nearly three decades ago.