In my belief there is no replacement to a true track workout. The 400-meter oval tells you exactly where you at. Nothing replaces the clear-cut stress and the hardiness you face while being out there.

I hate the track. I love the track.

Running a workout on your own is even rougher then doing it with a quick crowd. Proper quality time with your inner governor.

With wintrier temperatures imminent, Runssel intern Fabian takes an expert look at Hoka One One’s up-to-the-minute adding to their trail running artillery. After the big success of the Mafate it is time to tune up and have a go with the Hoka One One – Mafate Speed 2.

Lets check out what he has to say

Unpacking the box, the common sensation will hit Hoka newbies like me: The bulky looking runners are surprisingly low weight. Some lean 321 grams are pretty fair for a hover-crafty pair of sneakers.

The pure size of this piece of footwear appears aggressive. This is supported by the colourful contrasts. 4mm drop are just enough to offer a light support. But if the joggaholic is not used to low drop shoes, they will still wear the calves a little bit.

The extravagant colour scheme of our test gear is named “Mulberry Purple / Acid“.

The purple (haze inspired) design certainly stands out. Like it or not. Judge for yourself. They’ll be covered in mud soon anyway.

The general fit is great. The relatively large toe box should even be alright for Hobbit standards.

During all test rides, one issue unfortunately always occurred: the inner top lug for the shoestrings on the right shoe somehow stuck out towards the foot. This caused some major stress and chafing. It could be prevented by pulling the tongue to the side and covering the hole. But this method was only a short-term solution as the tongue usually moved back into its intended middle position. It’s a bummer as it makes running really uncomfortable, especially in wild terrain where your feet tumble quite a bit.

With this restructured style Hoka One One updates the deep Active Foot frame for support and enters a tuned Meta-Rocker to simplify smooth transitions through the gait cycle.

The Hoka signature feature obviously is the cushioning. It is especially soft and comfortable which slightly trades off against the directness of the shoe.

For the new version of the Mafate Hoka picks a conventional lacing system.

Some raw specifics – Offset: 4 mm, Forefoot: 29 mm and Heel: 33 mm

The 5 mm Vibram Mega-Grip profile makes sure your shielded properly on a variety of terrains.

Compared to other wholehearted off-road trainers with a spiky substructure, the Mafate Speed 2 even performs well on tarmac. No numbness whatsoever.

The profiled Vibram sole makes for outstanding grip. Regardless of the conditions or terrain, slipping is not an issue.

A fitting all-rounder with benefits on muggy and tricky off-road sections.

Other than that, the whole thing is remarkably flexible and supports a neutral and active stride. On the whole a great shoe for the daily mileage routine on the trails – if it wasn’t for the pinching shoestring lug.

The Original Mountain Marathon (OMM) is a distinctive contest. Once renowned as the Karrimor International Mountain Marathon it is a true classic when it comes to running competitions. Some people regard this race the forerunner of adventure racing. Since the first edition in 1968, squads of two take on weathered territory in the north of Great Britain. The course is never the same as line-ups have to navigate themselves around the fells, reach certain checkpoints and sleep in an overnight camp. The teams themselves must transport every part of gear.

Shane Ohly and his buddy Duncan Archer won the OMM back in 2011 and also this year’s version as the course led throughout the picturesque Glen Trool valley in the Southern Uplands of Galloway, Scotland. Shane is a former professional climber and now a full time mountain runner. He also a Director of business with race organisation company Ourea Events in the UK.

Runsel: Yourself and companion Duncan Archer just won the elite category in the 49th running of the Original Mountain Marathon (OMM). After 2011 this was your second win in this iconic competition. The OMM is a contest that requires a pretty wide-ranging skilfulness. Now, a couple of weeks after the competition, what are you most proud of?
Shane Ohly: Not getting injured! Seriously though, we worked so efficiently as a team and despite a big lead at the end of day one we kept pushing ourselves at 100% effort level all the way through to the finish.

© Ben Winston

Runsel: How did yourself and Duncan Archer meet up? In what way do you folks get ready for a extraordinary race like the OMM?
Shane: We met though orienteering, but then when I was working for inov-8 I stayed with Duncan (and his wife Pippa) who lived close by, we often climbed together in the evenings at the climbing wall. Somewhere along the line I suggested to Duncan that he did a mountain marathon with me. I think he was quite sceptical at first because a mountain marathon is a big change from the classic orienteering races that Duncan had been focused on before.

Duncan and Shane captured during last years OMM around the Tweedsmiur Hills.

Runsel: Racing as a team is pretty special. What is the most important factor when you race with somebody?
Shane: We push each other really hard whilst racing, but are usually very well matched, so although we both have highs and lows we are very good at motivating each other and keeping our average effort level high. We are also both very competitive but in a relaxed and easy-going manner. It works well for us.

© Alex Telfer

 Runsel: In addition to the navigation and running talents it seems that you have to have your gear-game totally dialled in. What stuff do you guys use and what is the most vital part that can be found in your rucksack?
Shane: Getting the gear right takes lots of experience, and I have been regular mountain marathon competitor for about 15 years… Perhaps I am slow learner! It is hard to single out one particular item of kit as essential, but the high value items like your tent and sleeping bag can save the most in weight, if you are prepared invest a lot in the kit. This year, we were given some amazing new 100g 3-layer waterproof jackets from Berghaus (the Hyper 100), and they are brilliant. I suspect many people will be using these in the future.

Only a few kilometres left on the second day of last years OMM.

Runsel: You took on running in 2002. Subsequently you have been pretty busy round several hills and mountains. What’s inspiring you? What outlines the beauty of running for yourself?
Shane: I love the experience of the mountains; the wilderness, the commitment, the challenge. I like the sense of moving quickly in technical terrain and covering big distances, and most of all I like big solo adventures. It is a great life affirming experience.

© Ben Winston

Runsel: You are a well-decorated mountain runner. Which competitions are still on your “To-Do” list and why?
Shane: I have been doing some of the Skyrunning World Series races in the last two years, and so far I have failed to actually have a good race. It must be the most odd period of poor form and bad luck ever! I like these races because they challenge all my weakness; generally they are runnable (I prefer rough ground) and they are always marked courses (I prefer orienteering style events).

Shane during this years OMM around Glen Trool.

Runsel: Which running record do you rate the highest?
Shane: My favourite record is Jasmin Paris‘s Charlie Ramsay Round record in Scotland. I had the pleasure of supporting one of the legs, and she went onto break both the men’s and the women’s record. It was an amazing episode of running, and I was proud to help her in small way.

This is the fourth and last set of my Frankfurt Marathon photographs. Enjoy.

Pacing hard – LC Hansa Stuhrs Sebastian Kohlwes crossed the finish line in 92nd place with a time of 2:32:24.

Norwegian Terje Olsen dashed the course in a time of 02:35:02. This was good enough for 4th place in the 45er age group.

Wide avenues – German runner Oliver Hoffmann ran a 1:07:46 Half-Marathon in Cologne at the start of the month. Last Sunday he averaged 3:24 min/km to finish the Frankfurt Marathon in a time of 02:22:56.

Britain’s Tracy Barlow was 9th women in a time of 02:32:05. She ran the first half in 01:14:50 and closed the competition with a 01:17:16 half marathon.

Paced by Kenyans Dickson Kurui and Joseph Dapal Italian runner Rene Cuneaz (left) went on to be 6th across the finish line running a new PB in a time of 02:15:32.

However 69 runners broke the 2:30 hours barrier, a mere of 1040 racers went below the magic 3 hours hurdle.

Between the 30 kilometre and 34 kilometre mark is the “Mainzer Landstrasse” which ultimately is a long straight stretch of motorway that leads the racers back into town. It is one of the “make or break” points of the course.

The course throughout Frankfurt is mainly pancake flat. This underbridge is considered a proper elevation gain.

However the course is a bit bendy through the first couple of kilometres, most of the competition is run on stretched and wide roads. A course made to run fast.

Early on in the race Marcus Schöfisch leads a steadfast collection.

More Frankfurt Marathon Pictures:

Gallery 1
Gallery 2

Second round – Additional images from a sunshiny day at the Frankfurt Marathon. Check back for more pictures during the next days.

Early on Kenyan Pacer David Cheboswony leads a fast assembly that includes Austrian Peter Herzog (Net Time: 02:21:11), Italian Belal Ahmed (Net Time:: 02:27:47) and Danish runner Jesper Trebbien Andersen (Net Time: 02:18:45) amongst others.

Bridge that run! A group of three guys approach the Kilometre 25 sign.

Swede Linking – Björnstorps IF ‘s Henrik Orre leads fellow countryman Patrik Wikström of IFK Umeå throughout the middle section of Saturdays race. Henrik went on to finish in a time of 2:31:38 while Patrik came in with a 02:41:23.

Third place women Sarah Jebet ran most of the race on her own. She finished in a time of 2:27:07!

The historic Frankfurt opera house observes the last few strides of Sävedalens AIK’s Björn Hammar. The clock stopped at 02:28:45 for the Swedish runner.

Subsequent German Marathon Titleholder Marcus Schöfisch (SC DHfK Leipzig) leads a solid group. The former steeplechaser went on to crown himself German champ in a time of 02:20:12. He washed-up the Frankfurt Marathon in 16th place.

Shortly after the 15k mark a big pack is rolling along nicely. The Weather conditions in Frankfurt were picture-perfect as the sun was out and the air clean and fresh.

Sadly Number 623, Austrian Stephan Listabarth (DSG Volksbank Wien), had to drop out. Nonetheless LC Villach’s Christian Robin (537 – Net Time: 02:19:11), Marcus Schöfisch and fellow German Oliver Hoffmann (512 – Net Time: 02:22:56) went on to run top times.

Occasionally Frankfurt is titled “Bankfurt”. The last couple of kilometres wind throughout the local bank quarter that creates the sky scrapper atmosphere the city is known for. Especially in the city centre massive crowds were out to cheers on all the runners.

With the sun in the back the finish line is soon to come.

Just back from a splendid excursion to Frankfurt for the 35th edition of the local marathon. Although I was crewing fellow GSP co-workers Fabian and Knut, I had the chance to snap some images of the speedier amateurs. Now my SD card is ramped up with photographs and I will put up a few over the next couple of days. Enjoy!

Sincere and notable write-up on our latest ÖtillÖ junket and the recent swing of things by my faithful GSP companion Fabian. Click the image to the read it all!