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Hi everyone! My name is Helen and I love exploring Crete, running and hiking in the mountains and on the trails.  I am excited to share with you some of my favourite routes for running and hiking in Crete 🙂 Agia Kiriaki Located just 10km from Chania, the Monastery of Agia Kiriaki in Varipetro is a hidden gem nestled in a beautiful gorge, surrounded by a protected grove with a river and several cavernous churches accessible through stone-paved trails.  The ecosystem here is very rich and unique, with thoughtful labels identifying the flora and fauna along the way.  The trail

Women’s supported fastest known time I’m on the Hi-line trail, an oasis high up in the middle of the mountain, surrounded by red rock.  I had just hiked through a wonderland, someplace you would find only in your imagination, a magical place.  I was on day 7 of my Arizona Trail and things were most definitely not going to plan (the night before I was running for my life through a prescribed burned area thinking I was going to die a fiery death! But let’s not focus on that ).  Still, I couldn’t help but smile.  The sun was shining

Butterflies in my stomach Zombie land. That’s where I am living right now. Peak training complete, now on the final straight. I can’t believe after months of thinking about it, that I actually pushed the button in the beginning of July, and now I have arrived. I am both terrified and excited at the same time. This is real. This is happening. I will be running North to South (so right to left) I am attempting to set the Fastest Known Time on the Arizona Trail. Me. Is this madness? stupidity? I hope not. 800 miles.

I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when my coach suggested I fast-hike a 12 hour running race. To say I was not enthused by the idea would be an understatement. I positively rebelled to begin with but then slowly appreciated his wisdom, given that a sizeable chunk of my Fastest Known Time Attempt (FKT) on the Arizona Trail (AZT) is likely to be fast-hiking.

Pushing the button So, I pushed the button and set the date. There’s no going back now. I am giddy with excitement and nervous with apprehension. I have often found myself in life changing situations, not quite knowing how I have got there. I have created opportunities, sometimes life events have happened to me and others, I have had the good fortune to be presented with an opportunity that I have then chosen to take. It’s these series of events that have led me to where I am and the person I am today.

My first 100 mile race Bighorn – (as per their website) a tough contender in the ultra-world boasting its name on the top 10 most difficult ultras in the nation. We met with Mother Nature to custom design a challenging course: full of steep climbs, difficult down hills, shoe sucking mud, and relentless technical terrain leading you to spectacular views with a possible wildlife encounter here or there.  Participants, be prepared to endure extreme ever-changing mountain weather conditions and temperature variations. Mother Nature provides over 20,500 feet of ascent and 20,750 feet of descent testing the most seasoned ultra-runners with