Its the final countdown! Race day 6 meant a weekend away for the inaugural Abersoch half marathon situated at the tip of the Llyn Peninsula. The Elvis jump suit made way for a Banana man outfit, since the last race I had struggled with a swollen knee and a little sciatica in my left bum cheek and thigh. With the power of my super hero outfit and a good week's rest I stood on the start line ready to tackle another undulating track with the final mile along the beach. Banana man was joined this week by a pair of running bananas in Phil, Erin's dad and Andy Walsh, good friend and training partner. For the second week running we were the only runners in fancy dress, which came with the enormous honour of winning the best fancy dress outfit, although we were blissfully unaware of this fact, missed the awards ceremony and didn't find out until the organiser tracked us down on FB and donated the £50 prize to the event page. A real fitting way to complete the challenge. The three of us ran the race together, which was a lot of fun and a nice change from the isolation of the first five races. I really struggled up to the first water station at the five mile mark, the costume was really causing me problems, it wasn't affecting my running stride or weighing me down it was the thickness of the fabric preventing my core from benefiting from any gentle breeze, equally the costume fabric was soaking up all my body moisture, taking away any of natures attempts to keep my body cool. I was just getting hotter and hotter and hotter, the heat was killing me, I was really struggling until I had the opportunity to drown myself with a bottle of water, drenching the entire costume and cooling my core, I felt reborn and was ready to kick on. The views on route were unbelievable, this race has plenty of potential to grow, starting out running around farmers fields and through small villages, with the Welsh mountain range for a back drop then up on top of the coastal headland with beautiful images of the coast line beaches and the therapeutic sound of the crashing waves. With the competitive nature of 3 friends spurring each other on, we chopped down the first 7-8 miles of the race in good time, but by mile 9 and 10 and a tough gravelly climb up the headland, the costumes, good early pace, never ending hills and Phil's virus from the week before all started to take their toll. However we stuck together and after the energy sapping final mile on the sand, we crossed the line together. Job done, time for a cool down in the sea. After 69 miles, 76 obstacles, two fancy dress outfits, 40 lbs lost in weight and countless miles spent training, it was all complete. It has taken two full weeks for my swollen knee to settle down and the sciatica to subside but it was well worth it. I would like to thank all the friends and family who have sponsored and supported me thoughout this endurance test. I would also like to thank baby Erin for inspiring me to challenge myself; I feel privileged and honoured to be given this opportunity to contribute to a special cause and the Erin Cooke Forever Fund. Your lovely little smile and twinkle in your eye will forever be remembered. All the best, M

Race day 5 meant two things a white Elvis jump suit and a beast of a track for the Macclesfield half marathon. What I hadn't appreciated when I signed up to the race was the fact that this was going to be such a challenging undulating route that included a 60m climb at 5 miles and a lung busting 90 metre climb stretched over 1.5 miles at the 10 mile mark and regarded as one of the toughest 1/2 marathons in the area. Despite the challenge in front of me I stood on the start line in confident mood, energised from completing the mud obstacle races and pleased with my B'pool and Warrington road race times under my belt. However, there is one thing I noticed at the start, the field was small and made up of 400-600 lean mean club running machines, there was only one chubby runner daft enough to race in fancy dress. But what a fancy dress it was, a white Elvis jump suit with red and gold trim, a scarf, 70s shades, a pair of bushy side burns and enough tacky bling to make Mr T look understated. The race itself was more than just two big hills, the route is constantly challenging and it seemed you were constantly either running up or down hill, I felt confident and equipped with the climbs, what really hit home was the impact on the joints travelling down hill, which made going downhill as difficult as tracking up hill. Of the five races so far this was my most enjoyable and despite not recording my fastest time I was really pleased to cross the line comfortably inside the 2 hour mark. When you see experienced club runners walking and keeling over at the severity of the hill at 10 miles its a stark reminder of how tough this race really was. Equally the scenery on route was extremely pleasant, plus the support from the locals for a chubby Elvis with flappy side burns was very helpful and appreciated.

Wow this really was a challenge like none of the others, a 10k military assault course in the lakes with a 1000 ft of climb and 38 obstacles including rope swings, cargo net climbs, mud, crawling through water filled tunnels, river crossing, mud, climbing, carrying, jumping, mud on mud, more mud and did I mention the mud! My body is bashed, bruised and aching in places I didn't know could hurt. Time for the perfect remedy to mend my tired body, a red hot curry and 4 cans of lager.

After 2 weeks pounding the concrete it was time for the mud races and first up was the Summer Beast, set in a Leicester equestrian centre. After reading the course manual the Tuesday before the event I took special care to take note of the bold sentence in capitals that stated do not try this event in normal running shoes, a quick internet purchase later and I was the proud owner of a pair of go faster bright green trail running boots - which proved vital for race 3 and 4. The course was along the same route used for cross country horse events. A 10 mile route on uneven terrain was made all the more challenging with energy sapping hills and 30 plus horse jumps to overcome, plus a waist high water obstacle to complete. The terrain was tough on the calves and the obstacles made it difficult to get into any rhythm. After 2 laps and a final slog up the final hill the race was complete.

Up second was the Warrington half, with over 3,000 people running. A clear blue sky was an ideal skyline for a pre race military air show, as half a dozen RAF paras parachuted into the event village before taking the start line. The early miles were a little more challenging than expected, I had never realised how undulating the terrain in Warrington is?! plus the narrow route for the first few miles caused plenty of stop start congestion which resulted in some calf cramps. After 5 miles I managed to find a good groove and as the field opened out and with Queens greatest hits on the ipod, before I knew it we were back in Victoria park with family and friends cheering me across the finish. I pipped banana man on the line and clocked 1 hour 56 mins.

Blackpool was a really enjoyable weekend with the wife and my olds, quiet and low key start to the challenge with a flat run up and down the promenade in a teethy and meaty sea wind. Erin's granddad Alan braved the brutal sea wind and made a surprise appearance on the route at both the 4 and 10 mile mark, which was a welcome boost. An over excited high five nearly took Alan off his feet, so on the second lap this was replaced with a less physical jog and chat. I felt great until the 12 mile, the tank was empty and it was time to grit my teeth and grind it out. Race 1 complete in a super pleasing 1:51:08.