“Do you run yourself?” is a question I think every single one of us on the Runlimited team is asked on a daily basis by one of our lovely customers. And you’d be forgiven if you were to think that was a silly question – of course we do – but it appears that in some places, people selling products geared towards a single activity aren’t actually partakers in said activity. We will name no names.

Anyway, I mildly digress. Point is, yes we run and yes, we are pretty into it. Why not share more of the team’s escapades of late on the race course, so you know who to ask when you need some advice on your next running adventure.

Matt's International Escapades

On Thursday morning, Matt hopped on a plane over to Armagh, Northern Ireland for the Armagh International Road Races, a staple in the early part of the year for anyone who’s serious about their short distance road racing. Last year, he lined up for the England team, making his senior international debut over the 5km distance.

After a lay-off with illness since last July, it would be his first race back on the scene, but after a big PB last year, Matt felt confident in returning to the circuit. Armagh isn’t the biggest city on the island of Ireland, but you could make a claim for it being the fastest thanks to this race, which attracts talent from Ireland, the UK and worldwide. Sweden usually sends a team, whilst the race has been won by athletes from the US, Finland and beyond.

Not 24-hours after being in the shop floor in London, Matt was ripping around the closed loop circuit across the Irish Sea in a drizzly 4ºC. From a pixellated live-stream worthy of a scene in Blair Witch Project, we watched as our man settled into the leading pack. Each time the stream froze, we were left in suspense: where was he now? Has he moved up? And each time, there he was, hanging tough. Across the final lap, the cameras cut away to a drone, making it impossible to tell. Finally, the results were in! A PB of 13:50 (yes, you read that correctly, thirteen fifty, one-three five-zero) to take home alongside a top-10 finish. 

Think he’s done? Oh no. Back to work on Saturday, before shooting up to Birmingham on the train to make his first appearance at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in the 3000m. Onwards, Matt!

Barcelona Half Marathon

Woe be us stuck in London as a portion of the crew headed out to Barcelona this weekend for the city’s Half Marathon. Last year, the race saw the fastest ever Men’s Half Marathon time ever run (which, incidentally hasn’t been ratified as a WR due to technicalities which I shall not dive into here) by Jacob Kiplimo. Word on the street was that he ran that time purely from nerves knowing our very own Kurt was lining up behind him.

This year, we sent a squad to make the most of the rapid course and Spanish conditions for a 21.1km jaunt around the city. Co-founder and tamer of Whippet-Poodle dogs, Molly, will be heading out looking for a sub-80 clocking to add to that which she ran last year in Copenhagen. Never one to shy away from a race, Molly’s been busily smashing through the mud and hills of the cross-country circuit, earning third-place overall in the league season, and a top-10 at the South of England Champs. This time, she’ll be back on the roads turning strength into speed! 

Kurt returns to the city eyeing up a PB after a good block of training and a string of PBs before Christmas which included his first sub-31:00 10km. Dan will be looking to run right with Kurt, so there will be some friendly Runlimited rivalry between the two of them, despite the age-gap of at least a handful of years. Dan will be using this as his first true test of fitness on the road to London Marathon, where he’s been meticulously monitoring his lactate-levels and sleeping with his race shoes under his pillow (or so I imagine). Cara will also be challenging her PB. Having cruised through her first marathon last October in Frankfurt, she’ll be back for the Half in Barca, having trained with the help of our very own Scott as her coach since returning to running after the marathon. 

Sevilla Marathon

Believe it or not, there is not one, but two, major road races happening in Spain on the very same day and it’s not the only race we have team representation at. Sevilla marathon runners will also be out on the streets of the city, with Runlimited being out there with our man Anthony. 2025 saw Ants run under 2:50 for the first time on a very hot London Marathon morning, before then turning around, recovering and running 2:40-flat down-under in Sydney.

It was a measured return to training, where he prioritised rest, recovery and time for the mind to refind goals and enjoyment in running. Since marking Seville on his calendar, in classic Anthony fashion, he’s been laser focused on savvy training, building in some monster sessions on our Wahoo treadmills before opening the shop, finding time for the sauna all the while being a top-notch family man.

This time, Ant has made no bones about his goal to run another PB, this time, a number that says 2:30-something.

Tune in to the live results to find out how the team get on this weekend!

By Liam Dee