Amazing work by Nick Richards, barely a week after completing the Frankfurt Marathon, he was off to another part of Europe to undertake an even tougher challenge, the Puglia 50k Ultra Trail Race. Starting in the town of Castellaneta just to the south of Bari in the very heel of Italy, the route took Nick through underground caves, rock churches and along the ancient Appian Way, to finally finish next to the Ionian Sea in the Gulf of Taranto. An epic adventure, Nick completed the course in 7 hours and 30 minutes.

There is a real boom in the number of people entering and completing ultra-running challenges currently, with a corresponding rise in the number, variety and location of organised events. If you’ve ever wondered how far you can go (far), thought about heading off into the hills (but want the support of a local, organised group with people that can tell you exactly what you need to do and how to train) or even completed a marathon and want to see if you’d like running further, then make contact through the website or pop along to a club night on a Tuesday or Wednesday and make yourself known: we’d love to have you along.