While most casual runners put away their outdoor gear when winter hits and hit the treadmills, some don't stop. In fact, some take it to the extreme.
Take the winter mountain spine as an example. Starting in the village of Edale in Derbyshire earlier this week, participants have 168 hours to travel 268 miles, through the Peak District, Yorkshire Dales, Northumberland National Park and taking in Hadrian's Wall, climbing over 10,000 metres. and finally ending in the Borders town, Kirk Yetholm.
One who challenged the Spinal Column was Victoria Morris. The 38-year-old joined her local running club in 2019, but has been a long-distance walker for most of her life.
After succumbing to the cold last year, as well as suffering from Raynaud's disease (when blood stops flowing properly to the fingers and toes), Morris entered this year's race looking to right that wrong and find success after the disappointment of your first experience. at the event.
Unfortunately, however, things did not go the way the librarian wanted. Just weeks before race day, Morris came down with the flu, but she was determined not to give up on her goals and still entered the race not feeling 100 percent. She was then forced to retire after just over 12 hours on the trails.
“Last year I did this race and I got Raynaud's, so I had to fight to keep my hands and feet warm,” he says.
Victoria Morris competes in all types of conditions, but the cold beat her
The 38-year-old joined a running club five years ago but now travels the world competing.
“I had three pairs of gloves on, my spare socks on, and I still couldn't keep them warm, so I couldn't have a drink, open doors, anything, because I just had these club hands. So I quit halfway because I thought my fingers are more important than finishing this.
“I wanted to go back and do it armed with all the gloves in the world. I had been joking with some of the other participants that it would be very slow because I have a backpack full of 20 pairs of gloves!
Other than keeping my hands and feet warm, I wasn't too worried about it. We live in a house that does not have central heating, so we are acclimatized.
'This year, about three weeks before the race, I came down with the flu. Fortunately, I got over the worst of it in time for the race, but the body was not fully recovered. The snowy conditions meant it was a full body workout and I didn't have enough energy.
'I am very glad to have been able to participate, even though I have only completed a quarter of the course. At Kinder Scout there was a cloud inversion, which made it a once in a lifetime experience.'
Despite not feeling completely 100 percent, there is still a lot of admiration for Morris and other runners like her.
And she's discovered a lot about herself as she travels the world, in places like Greenland, the Atacama Desert and Norway.
“One of the things I've learned is that you're a lot more resilient than you think,” he admits. 'There are a lot of things, if you read about them, you think: “My God, how can someone do that?” But once you get stuck in and do it, it's not as hard as you think.
“Going for days without sleep, it gets harder the longer it goes on, but you really can do it.”
“Keeping moving when you're very tired, in high altitude mountaineering you get very tired and worn out because there's not as much oxygen, so your body has to work harder, but you just push yourself.”
'I say to myself: “There is no uphill climb that lasts forever.” That's what goes through my mind every time you come to a hill and think it's not possible to climb it. So I just think about doing a little bit, then a little bit more, a little bit more.”
Having covered much of the British wilderness and moors, Morris admits there are still some places where he wants to run and, of course, walk.
The next stop for Morris, who loves the Highlands, is Nepal… and some higher peaks!
“Doing UTMB events all over the world is attractive,” he admits. 'Maybe I'm not 100 percent sure of my own ability.
'Part of me thinks that's for proper runners, but once you're tempted, it's too late. Somehow, it prevents me from knowing these things.
'I just like being outside, any excuse to be outside. Sometimes when you're doing an event and thinking about giving up, I think, “what would I rather be doing?”
'It's 3 in the morning, I'm in the middle of a swamp somewhere and part of me wants to go to bed. But the other part of me says, “No, it's really cool to be in a swamp at 3 in the morning, so I'll enjoy it!”
'I really love the north of Scotland and always want to come back to Sutherland. We are also going to Nepal for the first time later this year. There are some really big mountains there, but it's very different from anything we know.
“The whole mountaineering etiquette there is very far from our comfort zone, so we'll try to climb the easiest big mountain in the Himalayas, experience a new culture and that sort of thing.”
“I don't really run in cities or on any kind of road. I'd rather be on the hillside.
“We live on the edge of a huge area of moorland and I can do a 10 mile loop on the moors where hardly anyone except the sheep ever goes, which is perfect for me.”