From Dublin to the Desert.

  Matt Sims - right. This week we have a report from Matt Sims on his 100k run in the Arizona Desert just over 6 months after he completed the Marathon des Sables. Tim Hutchinson reports on his annual participation in the Snowdonia Marathon. A big thank you to both Matt and Tim for the fabulous reports they sent to me on these two events. I suspect that reports such as these and Ryan's last week, written from the perspective of the competitor, make for a much more enjoyable reading experience. It also makes my life a bit easier ! So remember, if you have competed in an event and you would like other members to know about it, please do send me a report. James Cusack is a regular competitor in the Dublin Marathon and this year he was joined by Emma Bexson and Emily Adams. Just a week after representing her country in the York Marathon, Kate Sergent competed in one of her favourite races, the Shepton Mallet 10k and finally Paul Hawkins was in action at Warwick University, in the 2nd fixture of this season's Midland Racewalk League. Enjoy the rest of your week. Best Wishes David Jones Top - The Saguaro Cactus. Below - Matt's buckle for completing the race The Javelina Jundred - Arizona. Report - Matt Sims. I travelled to the US last week for this, my final ultra of the year. The 100k course incorporate loops on the Pemberton, Shallmo & Cinch trails, with part of the first loop also being on the Escondido trail. Trails featured rolling single track through the Sonoran Desert, passing the giant Saguaro Cactus, granite boulders and dry wash-beds and touring the most popular trail of McDowell Mountain Regional Park. The event is billed as a ‘party race’ and the atmosphere was electric. Fancy dress for runners was encouraged and there was a bar at one of the aid stations, jackass junction, along with an outside dance floor complete with a DJ. Alcohol was available if that was your thing.... I only had expectations of enjoying the event and ran with a friend. Taking in the scenery and atmosphere is always important for me in longer runs. The course was circuits in what the US call ‘washing machine style', which means you go one way then go in reverse on the next one and so on. The 100km distance gave us 3 laps to complete, with the first one being slightly longer, so that the field could spread out. Loops of the same course can be a bit dull but when we hit the 3rd loop it was getting dark so what we had seen on loop 1 was not invisible to us, so we concentrated on staying upright on a reasonably technical trail. The sounds of the coyotes were a bit daunting but I was assured they were more scared than me! Thankfully my Marathon des Sables race meant I was ready for the heat and it…