Recreational running

The real fun is had off the track.

I think we are all in agreement that it has been too hot (in the UK at least) to run.

So it is with no little surprise that I come to you to tell you how much fun I have had running recently! Or what might be more appropriate to say, is how much running adjacent fun I have had recently.

First off, my sister and I headed down to the lovely Gower Peninsula for Love Trails festival. While billed as a long weekend of trail running, I myself partook in a significant amount of trail walking due to a combination of the heat and gradient of most routes.

Luckily for us, the roster of non-running related activities was almost as lit as the runs. On night 1, we boogied to Mr Scruff, accompanied by MC Kwasi, whose lively interjections over Mr Scruff’s house beats were at first disarmingly reminiscent of the iconic Ant & Seb X Factor audition, but as the night went on, it was clear who stole the show. As MC Kwasi encouraged me to “feel the rhythm of the music in your body and your soul”, I felt my cares from the first half of 2026 melt away like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, and such was his presence, my sister repeatedly insisted to me “THIS must be Mr Scruff! He’s the main part of the act!” Happily, you can catch the duo in a previous performance on YouTube if you’re looking for a mood lift.

The rest of my schedule for the weekend was filled with potent strawberry daiquiris, surprisingly good live podcasts and talks, and developing a crush on various members of The Running Room who were hosting running ‘Prehab’ sessions over the weekend. It’s not the cheapest camping holiday you could possibly have, but if you’re interested in giving trail running a go, I’d certainly recommend!

Tuesday saw me back at work (boo hiss), but I was excited to spend Thursday evening with CDF at the Tracksmith Twilight 5000 running event. Dutiful partner that I am, I had naturally planned to attend and support, so imagine my delight when only en route did CDF disclose that there would be beer and pizza at the track! As soon as we dump our bags, I am back out of my seat to acquire a Jubel, and imagine how my delight magnifies when I am informed by the man presiding over the pumps that the beer is also free! My next question “So how many am I allowed?” betrays me as a non runner, and my mission for the rest of the night is to see how many covert Jubels I can consume.*

I betray myself in another way to CDF when, on arrival at the track, we see a Running Room tent, to which I say, without considering my audience, “If Will Chen is here then I am going to die.” Chen being one of my newly acquired crushes from the previous week that I had neglected to mention.

CDF comes off much better with his celebrity crushes than I do, because OF COURSE he fancies Hannah Fry, the thinking man’s woman, who manages to simultaneously be super intelligent, making CDF appear above such pithy matters as good looks, while not being a total hag, therefore it not being an offensive choice in relation to me.

I, meanwhile, am currently nursing a flame for Matt (one second while I Google his last name) Morsia, aka Legend the Gladiator, who strikes me as a good laugh and has a cute family, but let’s face it it’s mainly about the gun situation. I imagine if (and stranger things have happened) Matt, Hannah, CDF and I were to find ourselves in a bar of an evening, he would have a much better shot with his crush than I with mine.

So all in all, while not much running done by me this week, I have been immersing myself in the running community and having a gay old time. I am now signed up to Bournemouth Half Marathon this October and Manchester Marathon in spring 2027, so expect the running content to resume shortly!

Have a good week everyone :)

*Answer: 3.