For context – some background. I spent many years involved in the “DIY” punk music scene. Rather than big expensive stadium productions, this meant watching bands in the back rooms of pubs, or a basement, or even someone’s living room. It meant the gigs were cheap and you rubbed shoulders with the bands. In fact, the bands were your friends and peers. This doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy the big gigs or festivals, but in one scenario you are a spectator, whereas in the other you play an active role.
Fast forward to the running world, and do you know what – it’s the same thing! You have huge sponsored runs which tend to cost a bit more, but have a big production and mass participation. Think GNR, London Marathon etc. These are the all-singing, all-dancing stadium events of the running world. Momentous events.
But there are also hundreds of smaller events happening every weekend. Some are well established annual races and others are one-offs that pop up and disappear. A small field of runners, a handful of volunteers and often a leap into the unknown. That’s like your gig in the back of the pub.
Then you have the off-the-grid stuff going on. No planned route, no marshalls, no “safety net”, just you and the elements. Armed with a map, some food and drink and a sense of adventure. That’s DIY running for me. Anyone can do it. There’s no cost, no entry criteria. No fixed distance or type of event. You can do it any day of the year, with whoever you want.
That, for me, is the spirit of DIY running.
DIY Ultras 