INTRODUCING THE ULTRA TEAM
Welcome to ULTRA magazine, thanks for dropping in to our blog section. We are a small team and produce ULTRA during our spare time; our magazine is not-for-profit and if we do make a surplus we are committed to reinvesting money back into community projects associated with our sport.
As hobbyists, we do it because we either love the magazine, ultrarunning or both. If you see any of us when we are out and about please feel free to come over and introduce yourself. If you have any comments about the magazine please email us at info@ultra-magazine.com.
Andy, Editor
I’m originally from North Wales, near the beautiful Moel Famau and the Clwydian Range of mountains. Back when I was a kid I didn’t recognise what a fantastic opportunity this gave me, and instead spent most of my time indoors. As an adult running became something to do to while training for a charity 10K, and thus a chore. On a handful of occasions I’d buy a new pair of running shoes, run a few times, hate it and pack it in. But 10-15 years ago an Ironman athlete friend persuaded me to go run with him early one morning in the Surrey Hills, and I loved it. I dabbled with triathlon, but that came and went; yet the love of trails stayed with me. I wanted to explore. Every run became an adventure: new woods to run through, new hills to climb. The longer the better, in some ways, as then I could see more.
My first ultra-distance race was the historic Three Forts Marathon, first staged in 1977. Since then I’ve completed a number of 50-mile races but I most enjoy the longer ones, the ones involving sunsets and sunrises; like GUCR, King Offa’s Dyke, NDW100. Also Dragon’s Back - which so far I’ve failed to finish. Twice.
I fell in love with the ultra community, and became involved with the freely distributed Ultra Tales e-zine. When that folded I took a pile of redundancy money from my ‘real’ day job and started ULTRA. That was six years ago. Now, 12 issues, four Hangman races and two ULTRA festivals later, and with a great team including new boy Robin, I’m looking forward to producing Issue 13 and whatever else ULTRA life will bring.
I’m married to another team member, Sarah (26 years and counting), and we have two kids, two dogs and a cat. For my real job I make video games; but for hobbies, when I’m not running I love to play guitar and write music.
Robin, Commercial Lead
I live in the North West and have easy access to the Lake District, West Pennine Moors and Yorkshire Dales which is handy for ultra training. I’m not a natural athlete and came to the sport of running quite late in my thirties. I was a road runner on and off for years and got into a cycle of training too hard, getting injured, and then having extended layoffs.
I experimented with trail running to reduce my injury risk (I know!). I instantly felt at home running through the mountains and wanted to see how far I could go. That was three years ago and I have completed a number of the big ones - Lakeland 100 and Dragon’s Back to name but two.
I discovered ULTRA magazine when I met Andy on a Dragon’s Back recce, and I loved it from the first moment I picked it up and flicked through its pages. I contacted Andy during the summer of 2020 to see if I could get involved in some way and help take ULTRA forward. As I have a background in business development it became obvious that my commercial skills complement Andy and the team’s creative talents.
My day job involves working for a charity, which I love. I live on my own and run with my dog and furry best mate Scooby; when I’m not running I’m a dad to two grown-ups and I love to cook, read and travel.
Amy, Features Editor
I’ve been working on ULTRA since its launch. I met Andy through the kids’ school and I am most definitely not a runner, apart from a very brief 10k phase; but I do love the mag and the community. My background is in publishing, both books and magazines.
Stuart, Designer
I’ve worked on the mag since redesigning it for issue 7. I started out working in London design agencies before setting up my own studio in 2012. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to work with some great brands including Speedo and SuperDry. I’m a casual weekend runner, not likely to stray more than 5k from home, unless I’m chasing a football.
Kate, Digital Marketing Lead
I discovered ultras after running (and hating) my first marathon, aged 40. The slower pace of ultras, the camaraderie, plus the cake, hooked me. I live in the Peak District and love spending every spare moment I have exploring the countryside around me. I also spend a lot of time in the Lake District. My professional background is rooted in London; as an executive PA I honed my organisational and communication skills. After being in the hills, I love nothing more than a good chin wag over a cuppa at a race or event with similar-minded and passionate runners, organisers and outdoors enthusiasts.