Kings of the Trail #176
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“I don’t do crazy workouts or crazy mileage. I just don’t miss days.”
Josh Kerr
You might think that for someone to achieve what Josh Kerr has over the past couple of weeks - a world record mile time, followed up with gold at the Commonwealth Games - there was some high level crazy masterplan that involved new coaching ideas, treatments, recovery protocols or hitching on the latest fads, but in the man’s own words, it was all about just not missing days. Consistency over quantity. Yes, he had a large support crew of various specialists who all had the sole focus of helping him to achieve his goals, but ultimately, the results were anchored through his dedication and consistency. This is further demonstrated by the host of FKTs that have fallen around the world this summer; Aurélien Sanchez’s PCT record time (who we covered last week)…François D’Haene obliterating the record at the GR20…Katharina Hartmuth smashing the Bob Graham Round and the incredible Sophie Woods taking six days of the men’s FKT and 9 days of the women’s time for the Via Alpina (an insane 1,250 mile epic with almost 400,000 feet of elevation). What do all of these have in common? The ability of these athletes to show up every day and put the work in. Day in, day out. That is where the growth happens. Whilst we can use supplements, manage our recovery and try new training techniques, these are all really there to support our ability to get out and get moving, not to replace that effort. You don’t need to be chasing world records or FKTs to reap the benefits of consistent, regular work; you just need to not miss days…
Until next week, be safe and enjoy the trails...
Vincent Bouillard won the 2026 WSER in a record time and his compatriot, Thomas Cardin, in his first 100 miler came in under the previous record time, here they breakdown what it took…
For a lot of folks, hills are to be avoided unless completely necessary…switch that around and embrace the benefits of hill training with this monster of a workout…
I covered Josh Kerr after his remarkable record run in the context of that one race that clinched the record, but after his recently followed that up with a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, here is more on the man and his motivations…
What started as a local get together in 2004 has exapnded to over 2,300 meet ups worldwide. Meet the people who are trying to complete the A to Z of parkruns...
📸 Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA
With many critics and fans calling this new album from the Rolling Stones their best work in years, I find it hard to argue when you listen to tracks like this. Divine Intervention is a quick paced, rock and roll beauty. Great guitar play, driving drums and striking lyrics about the end of the world. It even features guest guitar licks from Robert Smith of The Cure. The Stones are back, but did they ever go anywhere?
Each week, I update the Kings of the Trail playlist with a new selection of music. Like trail runs or hikes, the playlist will be varied and eclectic, but hopefully, there will be something for everyone to enjoy…
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