Viceroys Treasurer Anna Gilmore’s events for this year are focused towards her big event of the year, which is the Celtman at the end of June.  The Celtman is part of a trio of extreme iron-distance events and it is held in the northern highlands of Scotland.  The Norseman is held in Norway and the Swissman in Switzerland and they all take the same format – i.e. if you can finish it within the day you are doing well – expect it to take nearer 20 hours than the typical 11 for an Ironman.  So it is long-endurance style training that I need to get involved with this year.  

Anna continues: ‘I won’t lie – winter has been tough – with all our “inclement” weather – getting out there has been motivationally difficult and at times, just too dangerous to bother.  I’ve become re-acquainted with the turbo trainer as I wait for the stormy skies to clear.

So far this year, I’ve run in the Knacker Cracker on New Years’ day, which is a fantastic 10k trail race up and around Box Hill.  It was bitterly cold and wet but the hot soup at the end makes it worth hauling yourself out of bed for.  And it serves be right for entering a race on New Year’s day.  I’ll be out doing the Winter Tanners in a week, which is a 20 mile trail “plod” around  Leatherhead/Dorking/Box Hill area and then the final cross-country match is at the beginning of February.  I’ve signed up to several of F3’s events – two of the longer sportives (Big Dipper and Longest Day sportive) and the Windsor river swim.  Other events include the Ballbuster on 1 March and a nice wee trip back to Club La Santa for some warm weather training.

 Ah – warm weather – hurry back to us!  Happy training all and here’s to a great 2014. ‘

Good luck with your extreme training and competing Anna,