This coming weekend sees the first Hour 7 team summit, taking place in Ambleside in the heart of the English Lake District.
Bringing together experts in sports physiology, psychology, nutrition and movement, the athletes will experience a professional set-up with an athlete-centered focus.
Ambleside, home to events such as the Wansfell and Loughrigg fell races and the Lakeland Trails 55 and 110k ultra events, is an outdoor sports location that many will already know. With the mix of trail and road athletes in the team, we are hoping to make the most of the local Park Run in Rothay Park, but also get out onto some of the iconic fells in the vicinity, such as Red Screes and Fairfield.
EXPERTS WITH THE TEAM
Along for the weekend to work with the athletes in planning for a successful year ahead, are experts like team manager Robbie Britton, who brings experience of sports nutrition, coaching and racing in a whole host of environments.
Alongside Robbie will be Dr. Jamie Pugh, from the Liverpool John Moores University, a post-doctoral researcher into human endurance and performance, specialising in the gastrointestinal system - so often an issue in the longer events.
Additionally, Ambleside AC’s own Paul Tierney will be joining to bring his extensive experience around ultra-distance running and biomechanics.
Dr. Jane Stephens, the team’s psychological coach, will also be in attendance and available to work with the athletes on a one-to-one basis.
As with any high-performance team environment, the wealth of knowledge that comes from the athletes themselves will play a huge part in the success of the team. You don’t get to the level required to run for Great Britain without picking up some useful advice along the way and one reason we bring our athletes together is to facilitate the sharing of this collective knowledge.
NEW KIT TESTING
The exciting new partnership with SAYSKY, the Danish performance sportswear brand, starts for the athletes this weekend too. Testing out new race kit and hopefully making the most of the predicted beautiful Lakeland weather (please don’t rain) with shorts, singlets and fast running forecast.
A media team will also be with the team to document what happens on the weekend, helping our followers to gain an insight into how the team works and showcase some of the brilliant people involved.
WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS
The plans for the future are exciting. This weekend our athletes will talk with the team founders, Michael Stocks and Dom Ashdown, about their dreams, goals and targets for the future. Our goal is to help them get there.
Celebrated author of the ultra-running book Broken, Ally Beaven, also hopes to join in for some miles on the trail and smiles in the house, in his role as a team writer, but also bringing his own experience from the Highlands of Scotland, via the mountains of Europe.
So make sure to keep your eyes on our social media channels (@teamhour7) for jaw-dropping videos, stunning pictures and a whole host of useful information we want to share with the wider ultra-running and trail community.
