I’d been on the road for nearly 2 weeks, bumming my way around US national parks. I’d hiked up mountains, biked across slickrock, ran across desert trails. I had wilderness overload. I needed some city life. I needed some entertainment.
After 10 days of US National Parks, I needed a break and some city life.
So when the Interstate 15 sign shouted out “Las Vegas”, I followed the signs straight there. What followed was 48 hours of over-the-top amusement and total sensory overload.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged desert, Grand Circle Trail, Las Vegas, Nevada, Trail Running, USA | 2 Comments »
“We have to go out fast”, our team leader said. We all agreed. Looking around the room, there was some serious competition. Not only had Irish team “Get No Sleep” turned up, but there was a group of foreigners in our midst. They had to be good if they were sponsored by Salomon and had travelled all the way from Denmark just to race.
Night biking during CCAR’s Raid in the Sperrin Mountains.
We were in Northern Ireland’s Sperrin Mountains for CCAR’s Raid, a 24 hour adventure race on the cusp of winter time. We were prepared for 13 hours of darkness and wet, boggy mountains. We were even ready for the clocks going back by an hour in the middle of the night to mark the official beginning of winter.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged Adventure Racing, CCAR, Cooley Raid, Kayaking, Lough Neagh, Mountain biking, Mountain Running, Northern Ireland, Sperrin Mountains, The Raid | 5 Comments »
Moab is the place to mountain bike in Utah. Just as I arrived into this desert town, thousands of cars passed me by with mountain bikes strapped to their backs. They were coming from the 24 hour “Hours of Moab” mountain bike relay race that had taken place that weekend.
Religiously following the paint marks on Slickrock Trail.
I rocked up to Poison Spider to get me a mountain bike. They offered a 29 inch rim Trek Rumblefish bike for 60 USD a day. Little did I know what fun I would have on this warrior of a machine.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged Moab, Moab Brand Trails, Mountain biking, Slickrock Trail, USA, Utah | 2 Comments »
Running around a park where a gang of horses died of thirst is always a bit risky. Getting lost in such a park is a really bad idea.
Running around the Canyon Rims in Dead Horse Point State Park, near Moab, Utah.
Dead Horse Point State Park lies close to Moab in the US state of Utah. Cowboys used it back in the 19th century as a natural corral for horses. However when the corral was abandoned, the horses did not leave the enclosure even after the gate was left open, all eventually dying there.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged Dead Horse Point State Park, desert, Moab, outdoors, Thelma and Louise, Trail Running, USA, Utah | 2 Comments »
Before I left for the USA, I got one serious recommendation. Whatever I did, I should go to Arches National Park in Utah. And for once, I did what I was told.
Balanced Rock in Arches National Park, Utah.
And it has definitely been one of the best things I’ve done on the trip.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged Arches National Park, arches national park utah, Devil's Garden, Double O Arch, Hiking, Landscape Arch, Moab, national park utah, nature, Partition Arch, USA, Utah | 3 Comments »
I woke up early to blue skies, crisp air, and the sun rising over picture perfect slopes. It was my last day in Snowmass village, just outside the ski resort of Aspen. An early morning run would be the best antidote to the 5 hours I knew I’d spend in the car that day.
The Snowmass Aspen Rim Trail Run.
I found a trail online that headed straight up the mountainside and on to the rim which circles above Snowmass. A switch backed 20 minutes of uphill brought me to the top and a smorgasborg of early morning views.
Posted in Mountain Running, Running around the World, What I Learn from Running | Tagged Aspen, Mountain Running, nature, rim run, Rim Trail, rocky mountains, Snowmass, snowmass village co, Trail Running | 2 Comments »
“You know there’s technical parts on that path. And have you ever even tried to mountain bike at 9,000 feet?” The guy in the outdoor shop obviously didn’t want to lend me a bike. Maybe I didn’t look athletic enough. Maybe he didn’t like my Irish accent.
Mountain bikes taking a break in Hunter’s Creek near Aspen.
The lady at the hotel had told me that there was plenty of mountain biking to be done around Aspen, Colorado. But the person who I was meant to hire the bike from wasn’t showing me much enthusiasm. So I backed out dejectedly from the Four Mountain Sports shop. And instead stumbled into Aspen Bikes two blocks further down. There I met Kevin from Newcastle, the shop’s very own owner. And within 5 minutes, I was kitted out with a full-sus, a helmet, and a suggested route to follow.
Posted in Running around the World | Tagged Aspen Bikes, aspen colorado, Colorado, Hunters Creek, hunters valley, Mountain biking, Smugglers Mountain | 1 Comment »
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