2024 Review...."Success is the ability to move from one failure to another without loss of enthusiasm"

2022 Data: 1,001 hours

Swim: 26 hours (72KM)

Bike: 368 hours (9,773KM + 150,000m+)

Run: 548 hours (5,350KM + 170,000m+)

Gym: 75 hours

2023 Data: 970 hours

Bike: 271 hours (6,800km + 117,000m+)

Run: 606 hours (5,356km + 217,500m+)

Gym: 91 hours

2024 Data: 898 hours

Bike: 250 hours (6,084km + 115,000m+)

Run: 581 hours (5,154km + 227,000m+)

Gym: 57 hours

2024 Results

Trans Gran Canaria Classic 126km. DNF

Ultra Sierra Nevada Marathon 42km. 1st (ITRA Index 803)

Ultra Trail Snowdonia Eryri 25km. 2nd  (ITRA Index 791)

European Off Road Running Championships 58km. DNF

Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc 172km.DNF

Nice Cote D'Azur 100km. 26th (ITRA index 668)

ChiangMai Trans Int 168km. 7th  (UTMB Index 784)

Overview

I ended up doing nearly 900 hours, which is the lowest annual volume in the last three years as a full time athlete. 900hrs is still a lot of training, yet I never gained any fitness, in fact I seemed to get worse as the season went on, particularly at the ultra distances. The fittest I've felt all year is now I've recovered from Chiang Mai 100M doing much less training. It confirms that it's about how much training you can absorb while maintaining health. Training in a state of poor health doesn't lead to fitness gains.

I tried to follow a similar schedule of racing as 2023, but with a greater focus on the shorter distance races in the first half of the year. Training sessions were very similar to 2023 but with more intensity sessions and a re-introduction of the altitude tent over the winter (I hadn't used it in 2023 as I felt it was too much additional stress on top of training). I felt like I was chasing fitness constantly in 2024. I will caveat here to say that despite becoming more and more fatigued and "burnt out", the rate of change was so gradual, that I didn't really notice how bad it had got until I was totally cooked. The entire year felt like a bad dream that you can't wake up from. Despite going from illness to illness, it felt like there was always an excuse, I ignored the data, and continued to push through the fatigue in the hope of a good performance. A year has seemingly disappeared while in this state of delirious fatigue. It feels like I've woken up from the bad dream and am trying to remember what happened.....

Iron deficiency/anemia

"Hindsight is 20/20". The following are symptoms that started as early as December 2022 (1 and 2), which would come and go in 2023 (1-4). Given they started when I got covid for the first time, I assumed that they were just lasting effects/long covid. Eventually they became persistent issues in 2024 (1-10). They have since stopped after just 3 weeks on iron supplements, and not returned:

1. Light headedness, sometimes with tinnitus during high intensity activities.

2. Heart arrythmias (I described it in my Strava notes as "thumping" at 150BPM or higher, or "doing back flips" when at it's worse/at altitude).

3. Poor sleep (waking up very early) and waking up exhausted.

4. Poor recovery from training specifically stiff muscles, and a feeling of "empty legs".

5. Loss of appetite. I felt nauseous after eating normal portions of food, and mostly craved sweet foods and drinks. A lack of energy from sports nutrition, even coke.

6. Low mood. Some days I felt like crying for no reason, and lacked motivation for training and the sport in general.

7. Diarrhea on long runs, races, and constantly when at altitude.

8. Horrendous muscle cramping 2-3hrs into racing.

9. Lack of energy for simple activities like foam rolling, doing laundry etc which became monumental tasks.

10. Other issues: Dry and sallow skin. Brain fog/poor concentration and memory. Unquenchable thirst in races. Thinning/frail hair. Ill all the time.

    
    

This year was largely defined by the above issues. I never felt that any of the performances were good or anywhere near my normal ability. I was able to get away with what seem like better performances at Sierra Nevada and Snowdonia due to the shorter distance and a lack of depth. I distinctly remember finishing Ultra Sierra Nevada Marathon and blurting out "I don't think I want to do this anymore" to my friend Keith Wigley who came 2nd, while we were in the recovery area. I think this accurately describes the effect that the Iron deficiency had, that even winning races held no joy anymore. I'd forgotten that running was supposed to be an enjoyable activity, I'd forgotten what it felt like to achieve flow state, or what a runners high felt like.

As things deteriorated I did try and seek help. I had been speaking to a nutritionist (Renee Mcgregor) through Team Hour 7. I said that I was "leaning out" but should be ok once I could rest after the European Champs at the start of June, but that's when the wheels started to come off. Resorting to eating more and more refined sugar in the form of sweets and drinks for energy, I soon got a horrendous tooth abscess the week before Euros. Two courses of antibiotics, followed by having the tooth pulled, is by far the most impactful injury I've suffered since having ankle surgery in 2020. The combined effect of pain, lack of sleep, painkillers, my gums healing and my digestive system recovering from Metronidazole, certainly didn't help with energy levels. Unfortunately in June, Team Hour 7 dropped all its athletes, and so I lost contact with Renee. I came to my own conclusion that it must have been RED-S and gained back over 2kg of weight thinking this would be enough to start feeling better.

I was actually so close to starting Iron supplementation in August. I went to Tignes for altitude training before UTMB, and on arrival I went to the pharmacy to get Iron supplements (to take while at altitude). They only had a multivitamin (with minimal iron) which I didn't think was worth it. Keith came to join me for training, and coincidentally was also suffering from an Iron deficiency and had started ferrous fumarate supplements (a higher dose supplement). I tried one of his pills, but found it caused agonizing stomach pain, so didn't try it again. After 4 weeks of altitude training in Tignes on a largely vegan diet (to make cooking and shopping easier as Keith is vegan) I was toast. I think I took 3 wrong turns, one into a car park, on the drive from Tignes to Chamonix.....with the Sat Nav on.

UTMB was a death march. Interestingly Keith and I both had similar races (a long with a lot of other elites). We were struggling from the start, fucked by Courmayeur, and dropped somewhere between Arnouva (100Km) and Champex-Lac (129Km). Out of all the male athletes that went to Tignes for training, Josh Wade was the only one to pull off a decent result, even finish. Ruth Croft was in Tignes before UTMB but went down a few weeks before the race, and having listened to her talk about Iron/anemia on a podcast, she knows what she is doing in that department.

It was actually Keith's coach (Doug Stewart) who suggested I get my Iron checked. Unfortunately I didn't do it immediately and ended up trying to race again at Nice 100km still convinced it was RED-S and that with 5 weeks easy training and eating more I would be cured. Nice was also death march. The home test for Iron had arrived while I was away and showed my Ferritin was below 30 which is generally the bottom of a "healthy" range. I have since learned that athletes should ideally have it above 50. I also learned it can fluctuate greatly depending on what training/racing you've done in the days before the test. Further lab testing showed it was 57 when I got back from Nice (but it looks like the race caused it to spike) as 3 weeks later while taking iron supplements it was just 38! After 3 weeks I did start to feel better, with all symptoms (1-10) starting to abate. Data from Garmin like HRV, resting HR etc all started to improve as well.

It was at this point that I realized there was a 1 week window still open to sign up for Chiang Mai in December, in a last ditch attempt to qualify directly for UTMB. I had spoken to the elite's manager at UTMB about getting an extension to qualify at another race before July 2025 on medical grounds, which would require a doctors sign off. I had also accumulated a lot of running stones (16) so I could have likely gained a spot that way (the average stones used in the lottery is about 6). However I didn't want to leave it to chance, and also didn't want to make use of the "extra time" rule, which has already been abused by athletes/UTMB to get additional athletes on the finals start lines.

As I got back into light training I entered Chiang Mai 100 mile race with 1 day before entry closed. I waited another week before I paid for flights and accommodation just to be sure things were improving. I had a 4 week period where apart from getting a cold/norovirus combo I actually managed to do some ok training (mostly aerobic) with a peak week of 180km of running. With a week in Chiang Mai to get over the jet lag and acclimatize a little, it was the only race this year where I felt like I was starting a race relatively healthy, not very fit, but healthy! That race is still a beast! It was still brutally hard, but I finally felt like I was able to keep going rather than fall apart as I had done at every other ultra in 2024.

It's painful now to think that a blood test at the start of 2024 would have identified the problem earlier. And now that I am feeling better it seems obvious that there was a problem. I mentioned already that the worsening symptoms were so gradual, which made it harder to tell. I think I also continued to push on, as the training itself felt harder, and gave the illusion that I would gain fitness once I rested, or tapered for longer, or took a break... but the fitness never came. My mentality was also to blame. In 2023, I had got my first offer from Vibram after UTMB, and then after my win at TransLantau in Nov 2023, an agency (Santara) wanted to represent me, and so I felt like I was on the verge of getting a major sponsor, and just needed one more good performance to seal a deal. Lastly, in that state of fatigue and weird brain fog, I couldn't make clear or logical decisions. This is largely why I have decided to work with Doug Stewart as a coach for 2025. I clearly don't "know it all", and even when something wasn't right I couldn't or didn't get it sorted.

Index

Unsurprisingly with no scores higher than last year, my index has taken a little dip. My ITRA index still stands at 877.

Generally I would say my scores/performances this year were 10-20% lower than in 2023, but with no less effort applied to training and racing.

Prize Money, Teams and Sponsorship

Not only was this the worst year for health and results since going full time, but it was also the lowest year for earnings. Last year had no prize money either, but I got some money through a photoshoot, and saved on travel and a hotel through a race invite. This year had no prize money, no money through agency work/photoshoots and in the end no invites.

Despite it being the worst year on all accounts, I was still lucky enough to receive three offers from brands. An offer came through in the summer via Santara group agency for a contract with Kiprun for £12,000 base salary, and £3,000 in expenses. Despite them making a custom shoe for me to my requested specification (Thomas Cardin used it for his win at Asics-Saint Leon) the deal fell through due to a funding issue between Kiprun UK and Kiprun global. Another offer came in from Altra after UTMB for 8,000 + 2,000 euros, but even the women's Mont Blanc Carbon are too wide for my feet, so I sadly turned it down. The final offer came from Kailas.

I still believe that race results should be the number one determinant for an athlete to get a contract, which sadly is not always the case. I assumed that social media/following would be the second determinant.

However the Vibram offer came about by talking to Gediminas Grinius at UTMB, who I first met at Chiang Mai 100M in 2022, the Altra offer came from Francesco Cucco, who I had a good battle with at Chiang Mai 100M 2022, and the offer from Kailas came from meeting their athlete manager at the end of Chiang Mai 100M 2024! I know similar stories from other athletes, on how they got offers, so I now think "who you know" is more important than "who follows" on social media.

Key Takeaways from 2024 :

• Training with no systemic health, is like sending a bucket down an empty well. It doesn't matter how many times, or how deep you send it down, you will not pull up any water (fitness).

• You can probably get away with doing too much for a year or two, but it's just a matter of time until the wheels come off.

• Use altitude training sparingly, perhaps only once or twice per year and take iron supplements before and during if needed.

• Get regular blood work (every 3-6 months if specific issues like iron)

• Get advice from a nutritionist or coach with knowledge on Iron as too much iron can also be harmful

Race Schedule + UTMB vs Worlds discussion

22nd March- Chianti Castles 120km (100M) by UTMB. (Golden Ticket x2)

16th May- Alsace Grand 154km (100M) by UTMB. (No GT)

12th July- Verbier St Bernard 76km (100KM) by UTMB.(No GT)

29th August- UTMB

18th October- Templiers 100KM

Sadly I wont be going for GB selection for the World Championships in September. I had tried to qualify for OCC this year in Snowdonia to double with worlds, however the GB selectors wouldn't let me race the 50km at Snowdonia 3 weeks before Euro's.

I have FOMO for worlds already, as it will be a tough course in the Spanish Pyrenees, so one I could recce, and feel I could get good on. I suspect it could attract big names (Jim has expressed interest, Ben Dihman lives on the other side, and Zach could all go worlds way for USA?).

My worry is that if you do well at CCC or UTMB this year, even OCC (where will Cardin, Roubiol and the currently dominant French team go?), people will point to the fact that people were absent, saving themselves for the worlds long course and vice versa.

Overall I think the UTMB finals will still draw 80% of the top runners. Firstly you have to qualify for your spot the calendar year before, and pay for it 9 months in advance which means athletes are committed a long way out, where as most teams will be selected a few months before worlds and have trial races to test form or fill half the team, so there is no guarantee of getting in. Secondly the sponsor bonuses I've seen are 1.5-2 times as rewarding for OCC/CCC- UTMB than for worlds. Lastly a worlds title or podium still doesn't hold the same value to brands or people who follow the sport, as a UTMB title or podium.

Goals for 2025

Racing:

Race to the best of my ability...there are no prizes for the "gutsiest" race.

21 hours at UTMB.

Qualify for Western States at Chianti Castles 120km (I actually think this is the hardest goal as the start list for Chianti is looking good!)

Training:

No volume target this year as it encourages over training, but after 3 years of 900-1,000 hrs, this feels around the right amount depending on break down. 1,000 hrs in 2022 was "more sustainable" than the 970hrs in 2023, as more of it was swimming and cycling vs running!

I plan on leaving the running programme entirely to Doug, but have agreed that if I have the energy, and it doesn't impact the run sessions, that I can add in more z1/z2 cycling. I still think the fittest I've ever been was at the end Nov 2022, after triathlon training for Kona (mostly cycling, and only running 3 times per week) followed by 5 weeks of running for Chiang Mai.

Health:

Monitor for the difference between training fatigue, and fatigue from poor health...this line is easy to blur when training all the time. HRV and other health metrics had deteriorated at the end of 2023 into 2024 but I chose to ignore them.

Avoid short term solutions like drinking coke for energy, as this leads to long term problems like having a tooth pulled out...never again.

Allow enough time between races to recover fully, and not have time pressure to force fitness. 2 months between 100M, 1 month between 100km as a rough guide. Races in the heat may need even longer to recover from.

Summary

I may have had good results in the first two years of full time training from "pushing the envelope", but I want to be competitive in this sport for at least another 7 years (40), ideally more, and I still don't think I am near my ceiling. There were times this year where I was thinking about giving up entirely. I therefore have to take a slightly more sustainable approach, which ultimately comes down to being more patient. Ten years has now passed since working towards becoming a professional athlete, and yet further patience is still required.

I don't like the word "deserve" as it implies entitlement, or fairness in an unfair world, but I don't feel like I deserve to end this year with an offer from Kailas, but I am extremely grateful that I have, especially as it came through on Christmas day. It feels like a huge burden has been lifted, as it is something I spend a great deal of time thinking about. Ultimately I love being outside and running and cycling in the mountains, and the obsession towards gaining a sponsor feels justified, especially now that I am finding enjoyment again in the process, after what has been the toughest year so far.