Susie Chan Monthly Update – May 2019

Welcome to the May update from endurance runner Susie Chan, who has had a busy month racing, commentating, interviewing and more. Read on to be inspired!

1. Wild Wild West 10 Mile – 4th May

After helping out at the Badwater Salton Sea race, Susie rounded off her epic California trip by taking part in the 10-mile race at the 2019 Wild Wild West Marathon. This trail race goes through the Alabama Hills and the foothills of Mt Whitney, and Susie certainly felt it in her legs as she ran the five miles up and five miles down. She came first in her age group and fifth overall, before helping out at an aid station for the 50K and 50 miler. Congratulations, Susie!

Susie ended her trip with a hike in Death Valley and there’s no denying the scenery was absolutely stunning. Definitely one for the bucket list!

2. Runner’s World London Loop Relay – 10th May

Back home in the UK, Susie swapped the deserts and mountains for the flowery trails of the Runner’s World London Loop Relay. This exciting challenge saw a team of runners take on the 150-mile route circumnavigating London, with a goal of sub 24 hours. Susie and her team took the baton for Leg 12 of 15, a 9-mile stretch of the route, and loved contributing to this brilliant event.

3. British Airways Run Gatwick – 12th May

Susie’s once again took to the mic to commentate at the second British Airways Run Gatwick, where she gave inspiring commentary throughout the day and cheered runners off and over the finish line. She loved meeting Dina Asher-Smith, Colin Jackson and Helen Skelton, and seeing lots of runners achieve their goals on this sunny May morning.

4. Interview with Jack Denness for Run Ultra – 10th May

Susie interviewed the humble but inspiring ultra runner Jack Denness, who completed the notoriously difficult Badwater 135 at the age 75 – a record that still stands, 10 years on.

Now 84, Jack has witnessed the progress of ultra running from a niche activity to a popular worldwide sport. Back in his day there were no gels, GPS or specialist equipment to rely on, so Jack used to train on the South Downs. He shows Susie his incredible collection of medals, caps and awards, including an MBE for raising over £100,000 for charity through his running. This is one interview definitely worth reading: The UK Godfather of Running – Jack Denness.

5. May running

In between weekly track sessions, intervals and tempo runs – from which she is feeling small improvements – Susie has had some great runs for fun with her running buddies. Her adventures have included running 24 miles from the source of the River Thames, some thigh-burning runs in the Lake District following a wedding and exploration of some beautiful off-road routes close to home. It’s a great example of how running a variety of terrain at varying distances and pace can help to keep running both fun and productive!

6. Vitality 10K – 27th May

Anyone who follows Susie will know that 10K is not her favourite distance, but nevertheless she has been putting in some 10K work recently – partly due to a foot injury preventing her from running her usual longer distances. Susie went on to run the Vitality 10K in London with her friend Sophie and she loved the race, despite a few nerves and wobbles on the day. Honest as ever in her social media posts, it is great to see such a high-profile runner as Susie share the highs and lows of her running journey. Susie will be running four more 10Ks over the next few weeks, and we wish her all the best in conquering this tricky distance!

As we look forward to all that June has to bring, you can follow Susie on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, and keep up-to-date with her blog at www.susie-chan.com.