This April was the all conquering London Marathon 2019. 2018 had a record total of over 280,000 people entering the ballot where they accept approximately 50,000 runners for race.If you subtract from those 20,000 the number of corporate and charity places then your chances of getting in are very slim!
For possibly the billionth time we have missed out in the ballot but we stumbled across nohtaraM ehT. This is a social ultra group on Facebook who run the route backwards aiming to finish at 8am of the day of the marathon - so typically starting at 3-4am! Why I hear you ask? I'm not sure anyone can answer that really. But isn't it great that a random group of people come together, to do what we are all so passionate about, with no reason or reward, to just simply run together.
nohtaraM ehT - https://www.facebook.com/events/846340292044146
It got us thinking about what other odd races or events are there - and there are plenty.
Man Vs Horse - yep, as it sounds... everyone races horses. Man v Horse Marathon began in June 1980 following a chat over a pint (or three) in the back bar of Neuadd Arms Hotel. The then Landlord, Gordon Green overheard two men discussing the relative merits of men and horses running over mountainous terrain. The enterprising Gordon, never one to miss an opportunity to promote Llanwrtyd Wells and improve business at his hotel, decided to put it to the test. And so began Green Events and its first, longest standing and now internationally acclaimed event, The Man versus Horse Marathon.
http://www.green-events.co.uk/events.html?id=54
Man Vs Train - with the frequency of our train commutes and delays I think we all believe we can race a train and get there quicker. Well this race gives you the opportunity to test that theory!
http://www.racethetrain.com/
Wife carrying... yes its a real thing... and some might say a little sexist nowadays!
Cheese rolling - now this one really takes the biscuit. Picture this... massive hill in Gloucestershire, hundreds of runner legging it down said hill, after a massive lump of cheese! Not for the faint hearted.
http://www.cheese-rolling.co.uk/index1.htm
Tweet us other crazy races you know about - we'd love to hear about them!
Whatever your race, when it comes to attaching your race number, ditch those annoying safety pins and grab yourself a set of our runr Race Magnets! Not sure? Have a read of our bog looking at the benefits of using them - read here
Happy running!
Team runr.
