If you read Tom’s piece on DIY running, you’ll have to forgive me for this first paragraph. I too have been involved in the DIY underground punk world for almost 30 years, playing in bands, putting out our own records, booking our own gigs and building and creating networks worldwide. You share resources, share information, share knowledge and do so autonomously for no profit. This is what DIY culture means to me, being independent and sitting outside the mainstream.
So DIY running? And why DIY ultras? I enjoy spreading out a map on the table, seeing the little dotted lines, where they go, where they join and envisioning a route taking shape in my head. I love to then take that route from paper into the real world and that is where the adventure begins. Who doesn’t love an adventure?
There’s very little risk or chaos in the world, society is all wrapped up in cotton wool and self-reliance seems to be a skill that most people have forgotten. This is where the ultra-side comes in. Planning a run around remote isolated rough countryside requires some preparation. You’ll need to either carry what you need for a full day out from the start or drop supplies somewhere en-route and hope you’ve prepared well enough.
For me the sense of achievement is greater than finishing an organised race. I just love being alone in the middle of nowhere, looking for a non-existent footpath through some recently felled forest and having to think and reroute. It’s one of the few times in life you truly get to be self-reliant. Priceless.
DIY Ultras 