We had a busy weekend of racing, with athletes competing across the UK and in Germany. From local 10k runs to a 100-mile ultra-marathon, here is how Efficient Endurance got on.
Matt – Outlaw Holkham Half
Matt returned to Holkham after finishing in 6:03 last year. Yesterday, he finished in 5:29:13—a 34-minute improvement. He took 2 minutes off his swim and cut significant time across both the bike and run legs, reflecting a highly consistent training block. There is clear room to shave even more time off in transition, but it was an excellent performance.
Pete – Outlaw Holkham Half (Relay)
Pete completed the swim and run legs as part of a relay team with his brother. We treated this as a heavy training weekend rather than a tapered race; Pete completed a 120km bike ride on Saturday, making Sunday an excellent exercise in running on tired legs.
Scott – Bamburgh to Edinburgh 100-Mile Ultra
After having to pull out at 75km in his last ultra, this 100-mile route from England into Scotland was a major target for Scott. He paced the first half well, cruising through 50 miles (80km) feeling strong. He passed 100km in his second-fastest time ever, moving into the top 5% of the field—a big step up from his previous mid-pack finishes.
At 136km, his hip flexor tightened to the point where he could no longer lift his leg. Stopping there was the right decision to protect his body from long-term damage. Covering 136km at that pace is a massive achievement and shows clear progress.
Chloe – Serpent Trail 20k
Chloe continued her return to regular running at the Serpent Trail 20k on the south coast. We chose this as a low-pressure event to test her fitness, and the race confirmed that her running legs are well and truly back.
Stu – 40k Time Trial (Germany)
Stu raced a 40k time trial on the BMW test track, finishing with an average speed of 40.94 kph. This is a substantial step up from the 39.0 kph average he set on the same course last year.
Karina – Dart 10k
Karina completed the Dart 10k open-water swim, which returned this year after being cancelled last summer. It is a fast, tidal-assisted course, giving her the chance to cover the distance roughly twice as fast as her usual pool pace.
Soph, Dan, and Lewis – Outlaw Gravel Sprint
The three took on a fast, technical gravel sprint format. Dan unfortunately suffered a puncture 12km in, but overall it was a different, fast-paced event for the group.
Sarah – Holkham 10k
Sarah raced the 10k at Holkham. I joined her on foot to run the final kilometre with her, providing some extra trackside pacing to help her finish strongly.
A big weekend of racing is always a reminder that endurance sport is about people, not just numbers. Behind every finish line or tough decision is an athlete balancing a busy life, a career, and months of preparation.
I am incredibly proud of the effort put in across the board—whether it was Matt seeing his consistency pay off, Chloe finding her confidence on the trails again, or Scott having the maturity to make a hard call to protect his body when things went wrong. We will be catching up individually this week to chat through how everyone is feeling, share a few laughs about the weekend, and figure out what we want to tackle next together.
Get in touch if you want the success that these guys have had and complete every race with a smile on your face.
