The Druid Challenge

§staticmap(11362,5,450,250)Hello, on November 9th 2012, you’ll be organizing the XNRG Druid Challenge 2012. Can you tell us where it is located? The Druid Challenge takes place along the Ridgeway National Path (England). How old is the race and why was it created in the first place? When the race takes place in 2012, it shall be the 4th time the race shall be run. It was created by Neil Thubron (director of Extreme Energy) as a run designed to help people signed up to even bigger races such as the MDS and UTMB, or people looking for a tougher challenge than a marathon. Over the years though the race has earned a reputation as being one of the toughest ultra endurance races in the United Kingdom and attracts competitors from all over the world. What kind of route have you set up for the runners? How would you describe it? The route follows the Ridgeway National Path, a route that is one of the toughest around. A total mileage of 84 miles over 3 days of competition means each and every competitor will complete at least 28 miles of trail running a day along the oldest road way in the U.K, dating back to 3000BC. We would describe it as the Toughest Multi Day Ultra Endurance Event in the United Kingdom. How many runners do you expect on Friday morning? What type of runners do you plan to attract? We will attract a variety of competitors, those looking for that next challenge, those people fundraising for charity, people using the race as a training run for bigger larger races and then those people who just love to run the Ridgeway National Path! The race was a sell out the past two years, so we are expecting another sell out of 220 competitors! The standard of competitors is unbelievable and they have a drive and determination that really inspires Extreme Energy to keep putting on the events! Do you organize other races during the Weekend? If so, on what distances? We at Extreme Energy have a scheduled race calendar for 2012 and it has 5 ultras, 1 fell run and 1 ultra endurance mountain bike event throughout the year! We just love seeing people break through their perceived limits! At that time of the year, what kind of weather can we expect? In November time you expect some bitterly cold mornings, afternoons and evenings, with the stereotypical British weather, you never know what weather is going to appear on the weekend. Take for example The Pilgrim Challenge we organized in February, it snowed with minus temperatures it made for the most epic event we have ever put on! It was brilliant! Have you planned festivities around the marathon? Over the weekend of The Druid challenge we shall be putting on evening events to help the competitors relax, rest and enjoy the company of their fellow competitors, with a bar, films, stands and stalls, as well as on the last day when there is a huge finish line to welcome home the competitors! In a single sentence, what would you tell the readers of ahotu Marathons to make them register for the XNRG Druid Challenge 2012? In a single sentence we would say ‘The Druid Challenge is the toughest multi day ultra endurance event in the United Kingdom and if you fancy putting your mind, body and soul through ultra endurance hell for 3 days then The Druid Challenge is for you, it will make you a stronger person!!’ Interview with Rhys Jenkins from Extreme Energy, an ultra endurance events specialist. Rhys is a lover of all things extreme, especially when it incorporates running obscene distances. Throughout his life he has taken on a number of challenges, his biggest and best being a 2000 Mile Run over in the USA! He believes that the only limits in life are those perceived limits, so why not break through those barriers and take yourself to that next level!