The Expedition Journals

" I have never run more than 23 kilometres before… " is my response, when stood in the fading light at The Needles a fellow 'Challenge the Wight' participant asks if I can " run like you bike ". On hearing my reply, he looks at me with a slight wince " Ah, right… well. Good luck."… As the sunset casts an orange haze on the English Channel, and a warm westerly wind blows in over the cliffs of Alum Bay, I slightly nervously await the start of my first marathon… off-road, through the fast approaching darkness. 21:00 — The gun sounds, and amidst a cheer of support from friends and family, we are off. Up the lane to the coastguard cottages and the old rocket launch site; from where we will then turn eastwards, and traverse the downlands backbone of the Isle of Wight all the way to the finish at Culver Down — 26 miles (42 km) and 2900 feet (890 m) of climbing. This could be a long night. Up over Tennyson Down; down to Freshwater Bay; then up agai...

April 1st has long past—this is not a joke. It is a genuine kit focus, on the great running and hiking underwear from Runderwear. The seamless boxers and briefs have been my chosen option on events such as the Original Mountain Marathon , and #WildWight Hike . No more chafing. Cyclists soon learn that 'going commando' is by far the best option with bib shorts. The chafing from the seams of traditional boxer shorts does not bear thinking about. What about running and hiking though? Admittedly when you are cycling you are sitting directly on any seams, but when running or hiking you are still put at a pretty elevated risk of chafing from the repetitive motion of the exercise. You could go commando, but that poses a whole host of other potential problems. The seamless underwear from Runderwear has become my solution—the security and warmth of underwear, but without the discomfort. I have tested the briefs and the boxers and found them incredibly comfortable. The seamless t...