The Trail & Error Podcast Jay & Tris

Jay takes on the Cape Wrath Ultra by Ourea Events from May 19th and he’s joined on this episode by fellow race participants James Forbes of Trench Foot Cream and Stephen Cousins of the YouTube channel Film My Run. You can hear more from James on episode 59 and from Stephen way back on episode 4 and again on episode 35.



They chat about their race preparations (or lack of), the kit required to take on 400km of the UK’s most remote wilderness and their expectations of how the race will go.



If you’d like to learn more about this event you can check out episodes 69, 70 & 73 where we chatted to Shane Ohly the event director and previous Cape Wrath Ultra participants David Barry and Laura O’Driscoll respectively.



Equally, if Cape Wrath Ultra sounds interesting be sure to check out all of our coverage of Ourea’s Dragons Back Race from last year to learn about another epic wilderness race in the UK.



Thanks again to all of you for listening. If you have a moment please, like, subscribe and if you have a moment free perhaps write a short review. It's all a great help to us in growing the audience and is very much appreciated!



Tris and Jay

This is available as a video episode on the Trail & Error YouTube channel.



Laura O’ Driscoll is an ultra runner, cyclist, swimmer and yoga instructor. Laura has clocked up numerous races in her time, including 1st place female at Cape Wrath, 1st place at the Kerry Way Ultra, 1st at Seven Sisters Skyline ultra, 1st place at Waterville WFT 3day, and many more. Following a car accident in 2012, she embraced yoga during her recovery from a serious knee injury.  This journey led her from an Ironman hopeful to a certified yoga instructor through Ashtanga Yoga Mysore in 2013.  On the episode we talk about Cape Wrath and Dragon’s Back (which Laura is entering this year) with focus on camp life, recovery and map reading. We then move onto the totally epic Himal Race in Nepal, which traverses the entire Himalayas. Laura is competing in the short version of this race later in Spring, which is only 8 days!

Sam Downing is a Cornwall based trail and ultra runner and the founder of the Ponnek trail running brand. On the episode we talk about the ethos behind Ponnek, how it was founded and where it’s going. He gives some hints as some new products in the pipeline and products that will never make it into the pipeline. We talk about the most useless bits of running gear and getting the longest lifespan out of kit. Sam talks about the beginning of his running journey, his recent experience at the Cheviot Goat, injuries and training, and we give the results of great Garmin vs. Sonos poll.

Lewis Ryan is a Scarpa sponsored ultra runner who recently won the Arc 50 in Cornwall, resulting in is his fifth race win in the past year. On the episode we talk about cramping in Hayle,  Lewis’ past races and upcoming challenges (including the Chianti Ultra Trail by UTMB and Dragon’s Back). We also talk about training around a young family and balancing a life in the alcohol industry with running - something that Lewis and Tris both share in common.

David Barry is the host of the Film My Trail Run YouTube channel and an ultra runner currently based in LA. On the episode we talk about some of David’s recent racing experiences, including the UTMB Canyons race, Transgrancaria, Cape Wrath Ultra, and running some of the biggest marathons in the world (including Kelvin Kiptum’s record breaking Chicago Marathon in October of last year). We also have a mildly heated debate around watches, pitting Coros against Garmin - which do you think is better?

Shane is a former elite mountain runner and the founder of Ourea Events, which organise some of the toughest races in the UK including the Dragons Back and Cape Wrath Ultra. This is his second appearance on the podcast. On this episode, which was recorded between Christmas and New Year, Jay is hosting solo and chats to Shane about his experience running the Dragon’s Back race in Autumn 2023 and looks forward to the racing in the Cape Wrath Ultra in a few months. Shane delves into his race and event philosophy, the differences between DB and CW and the incredible logistical challenges of operating these events.