100 KM of running over 8 days is a serious undertaking, but adding the weather, family commitments and other challenges that the holiday period present makes this a significant challenge.  
You can find out more about the challenge by clicking here.

We spoke to #TeamKMC Athlete, Benjamin Goodfellow, a 24-year-old Semi Professional Triathlete and these are his tips to nailing the #KendalMint100 Challenge!

1. Preparation & Planning 

Christmas Eve to New Year's Eve is a busy time of year. Failing to prepare your assault on the #KendalMint100 is preparing to fail. Will you divide the distance equally each day? Will you take Christmas day off? Will you build a mileage buffer early, in case complications get in the way of the plan later on? These are some of the questions you will need to consider to avoid falling behind. 

2. Buddy up (Socially distanced of course)

No matter how fast you are, 100km is going to take a long time to complete. Nothing will help make the miles fly by faster than good company. Be it friends, family or a faithful 4-legged training partner. Company along the way will help keep you motivated and keep you on track. If you are taking the paths less well trodden, company can be a great safety blanket should the worst happen.

3. Correct gear for the weather 

This almost goes without saying, but the weather over the holiday period can be wet, cold, icy or even snowy. The correct clothing can go along way to making the weather nothing more than a talking point, but the wrong clothing in bad weather can ruin your day, event or even be outright dangerous.

You can read more about some of our tips for running through winter below:

4. Fueling 

When running long distances fueling right is crucial. I am sure every runner has experienced some level of the notoriously known "bonk" or "wall". My advice would be for runs under an hour, fueling beforehand should be fine but when going over the hour mark 60g of carbs per hour and some hydration is key to keeping you going strong and avoiding that bonk. I like to break this into multiple smaller 20-30g snacks every 30 mins. This could come in the form of something like:
(Click on the links to find out more)

KMC NRG GEL (27g);
A Banana (~25g);
Two blocks of KMC NRG BAR (28g);
500ml of KMC ISO MIX in with a drink (36.4g)

We all tend to over indulge over Christmas but this challenge will go a long way to utilising those extra calories, over the course of running 100km your body will burn close to an extra 10,000 kcal's

5. Pick a route to suit you 

The terrain and route will go a long way to affecting the enjoyment you get out of the challenge. Will you stick to the known roads or explore further afield? stick to the flat or head for the hills?  

My recommendation would be a good mix of all of these. On nice day I would explore new paths and head for the hills. But should the weather be bad, staying local is safer and on known routes is even safer.

It is also worth considering the impact the ground under you foot can have on risk of injury. Roads are great for ticking of the miles fast but the higher impact can increase injury risk. So take care!

6. Have Fun! 

The most import part of the #KendalMint100 is to have fun and enjoy challenge.

Remember to share your journey on socials with #KendalMint100 and tagging us @Kendalmintco on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Stay Safe, have fun and keep running!

- Ben "Wilf" Goodfellow

Thanks for the great tips Ben! you can also finds Ben on Instagram here @Benwgoodfellow and read about his own Everest Challenge earlier this year here.